See: http://www.fool.co.uk/news/comment/2004/c041206d.htm

(I can't reproduce it here since it would be in breech of their copyright).

Whilst I have heard of the second scam the first one was new to me. Essentially it is a so called 'phishing' scam but it is done over the telephone. Basically, someone calls you up pretending to be from a credit card company and asks you to confirm your details. Armed with that information they then go shopping using YOUR details.

Whilst I think most people are probably aware of this kind of thing on the internet via email redirecting to you to a spoof site I personally had not heard of this method before.

Nomme

Here's another one that I have had passed onto me today.


Below are details of a scam currently going the rounds.
The police have
requested that as many people are alerted as possible. Unfortunately it
is a genuine scam.
Police Report.

The reason this is working so well is it plays on your good will!
Picture the scene:-

You are sitting at home and there is a knock at the door. On answering
it you are confronted by a respectable looking woman in a suit, who is
lightly distressed. She explains that her car has broken down further
down the
road and she needs to contact her husband to come to her aid. Is it at all
possible to use your phone to call him?

You allow her to use the phone, but being the suspicious type you stand
with her as she makes the call. She dials the number, and asks to be put
through to Mr Smith / Brown / Stevens (Whatever). She holds the line for
about
thirty seconds. She continues, "In that case can you ask him to leave
the meeting for a minute I need to speak to him quite urgently." She
apologies again and exains they are getting him out of a meeting.

A couple of minutes goes by and she starts to speak to her husband. She explains the situation to him, tells him what has happened to the car,
is annoyed because she now can't get to her meeting, and asks what she
should do now. She listens for a few seconds and then says, "Well as soon
as
the meeting finishes can you come to Cardiff Road / Leicester Road /
Surrey
Street (Whatever), where the car has broken down. Another few seconds go
by, "OK, I'll see you in about twenty minutes then."

She put the phone down, and thanks you ever so much for your kind
but of course
you decline, it's no trouble.
She leaves and everything is fine.
Or is it?
The day or week before knocking on your door she set up her own premium
rate line with a telephone company at the cost of about £150, and she
has
dictated that calls to that number should be charged at £50 per minute.
She has dialled that number. The conversation she has had with her
"husband"
is entirely fictitious, there is a pre-recorded voice message on the
other
end to give you the impression she is talking to someone. She has been on
the phone for about five minutes, that call just cost you £250, the
majority
of which goes into her pocket, and the first you know about it is when
you
get your bill a month later.

To rub a bit of salt into the wound,she hasn't even committed a criminal
offence. You've given her permission to use your phone. 5 occasions in
Luton where this has been reported in the last couple of weeks .

Would anyone reading this please pass it on to friends and colleagues
etc.
otherwise it could cost someone a lot of money.

PC Paul Toseland
Corby Business Anti-Crime Network Administrator

It is not possible for a premium rate number to cost so much.

This is one of many hoax warnings of this type.

Urban myth. Theres no such thing as a £50 premium rate number. The highest (i believe) is £1.50

.....

From icstis...

"£20 PER MINUTE AND £50 PER MINUTE TELEPHONE 'SCAMS' - URBAN MYTHS

Over the last few days, ICSTIS has received dozens of enquiries about the above 'scams', which are being widely publicised by e-mail. To help us put an end to the current spate of enquiries, please pass this information on to all contacts.

In the first case, the apparent 'deception' takes place when people receive a recorded message informing them that they have won an all-expenses paid holiday and are asked to press 9 to hear further details. It is then claimed that callers are connected to a £20.00 per minute premium rate line that will still charge them for a minimum of five minutes even if they disconnect immediately. It is also claimed that, if callers stay connected, the entire message costs £260.00.

In the second case, the apparent 'deception' takes place when people receive a missed call from a number beginning 0709. It is then claimed that, if callers dial this number, they are connected to a £50.00 per minute premium rate line.

Please note that these stories are NOT true."

http://www.icstis.org.uk/icstis2002/default.asp?node=-1

Originally posted by owdlad
Here's another one that I have had passed onto me today.

[snip]

Hey owdlad - you didn't read that link I posted did you? :rolleyes:

The maximum rate for a premium phone line is £1:50 per min.


Nomme

Yes, £1.50 is the current highest allowed. There was talk of upping it to £5.00 lasty year to allow additional services e.g. pay-as-you-go lawyers. Believe plans were shelved because of fears of misuse as detailed in the hoax.

Warning people of genuine scams may be worthwhile, but it amazes me how many of these type of things seem to go round that have NO basis in fact and are so easily checkable.

Originally posted by nomme
Hey owdlad - you didn't read that link I posted did you? :rolleyes:

The maximum rate for a premium phone line is £1:50 per min.


Nomme

Sorry folks :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Check this out


http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/search.php?s=

Would have stopped this thread even being born

The credit card one is genuine.

It happened to a lady in our office two weeks ago.

They tried to get me with the Ebay scam the other week very good scam takes you to an ebay site and asks all your details obviously I didn't fall far it got intouch with Ebay and reported the Email link. They told me they would would never ask for your details by email.

must admit that i only heard the credit card one recently.

The key fact is that they have most of your details already and ask for the 3 number verification code. Your credit card company will never do that.

Originally posted by coopster1974
Check this out


http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/search.php?s=

Would have stopped this thread even being born

Check what out? Your link goes nowhere informative.

Nomme

The search screen where if you'd typed "scam" "telephone scam" etc etc you would have found previous posts about both of the above mentioned scams.

I thank you kindly