Fenny Compton Village Hall
Hi All,
I pass this on and suggest you alert any vulnerable neighbours to the possibility. We have already had at least one incidence in the village.
To all Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators: please pass on to your members
One of our members has reported receiving a phone call from an unnamed Government agency which claims to offer help to people with debts of more than £5000. A call-back number, 001 269 768 2674, was given for anyone interested in pursuing this. The 001 prefix refers to a number in either USA or Canada, though my information is that the caller spoke with a very ordinary and plausible English voice. It is highly unlikely that any Government agency in this country would offer a service based overseas, so it is probable that the phone call was an attempt to obtain personal financial information.
The lady who received the call reported it to the Police via 101 and also to BT. The latter weren't able to help much, beyond saying that they were aware of a lot of calls on this subject.
I reported the matter to Hampshire Trading Standards Service, whose response is given below. Please advise your members to be both vigilant and sceptical if they receive any calls of this nature, and to follow the advice below.
Guy Smales
Eastleigh & Romsey Neighbourhood Watch Association
Apart from reporting the calls as above please let your coordinator know so that we can get an idea of the size of the problem locally.
As well as international numbers beware of premium rate numbers. This is an excerpt from a website selling revenue generating numbers:
I pass this on and suggest you alert any vulnerable neighbours to the possibility. We have already had at least one incidence in the village.
To all Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators: please pass on to your members
One of our members has reported receiving a phone call from an unnamed Government agency which claims to offer help to people with debts of more than £5000. A call-
The lady who received the call reported it to the Police via 101 and also to BT. The latter weren't able to help much, beyond saying that they were aware of a lot of calls on this subject.
I reported the matter to Hampshire Trading Standards Service, whose response is given below. Please advise your members to be both vigilant and sceptical if they receive any calls of this nature, and to follow the advice below.
Guy Smales
Eastleigh & Romsey Neighbourhood Watch Association
As well as international numbers beware of premium rate numbers. This is an excerpt from a website selling revenue generating numbers:
Premium rate phone lines are available:
08XX Low revenue and maximum response, national presence
070X Personal number services (i.e. private mobile services) ,safe chat, good revenue generation
09XX High revenue to pay promotional costs, content payment mechanism, high value prize absorption
0908/9 Revenue adult entertainment lines
070X Personal number services (i.e. private mobile services) ,safe chat, good revenue generation
09XX High revenue to pay promotional costs, content payment mechanism, high value prize absorption
0908/9 Revenue adult entertainment lines
BE VERY CAREFUL WITH:
0904 0905 0906 091 numbers
Open-ended at any cost per minute; or fixed cost per call at any rate! Suspect numbers can be checked with the PhonepayPlus Number Checker
And to avoid paying for premium rate calls to legitimate companies don't forget this address:
http://www.saynoto0870.com/
It's not perfect but I reckon on a success rate of better than 50%.
http://www.saynoto0870.com/
It's not perfect but I reckon on a success rate of better than 50%.
7th June 2010