Fraudulent calls

[emallsy2k127]

My parents are approaching their 80s and are frequently getting phone calls from someone claiming to be calling from Virgin Media. The most recent one, this morning, was stating that their connections had been compromised and someone else in the area was using their internet. They queried the call and said they didn't believe the caller was from VM to which the caller said they could prove it and reeled off some account numbers, which of course, my parents weren't in a position to verify. They are finding it increasingly difficult to know whether or not these calls are genuine.

Does anyone have any guidance on what they can do to stop receiving these calls? Any help would be appreciated.

[nodrogd]

VM do not make outgoing technical calls like this.

The only thing you can use is a call filtering phone that will only allow through recognised numbers. The current telephone system technology is incapable of recognising these calls, which come from fake or cloned numbers. Until this system is superseded & the old exchange system dumped you have no option but to use a service like TrueCall

https://www.truecall.co.uk/ 

[用心棒]

Following information may also be of help, Age UK - Scams and fraud

-- 
I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more
Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer and solved, or use  Kudos to say thanks

[goslow]

---

@emallsy2k127 wrote:

My parents are approaching their 80s and are frequently getting phone calls from someone claiming to be calling from Virgin Media. <snip>

Does anyone have any guidance on what they can do to stop receiving these calls? Any help would be appreciated.

---

I have used the trueCall unit for a while now and get zero scam/spam calls ringing through to the home phone.

Some of the BT phone ranges have a 'lite' version of the trueCall system installed which works in a similar way but is not as customisable.

Calls are screened by the device. Approved/known callers programmed into the device can ring straight through. Unknown numbers are challenged by the screening process and the home phone will not ring until the screening is completed. This is enough to stop the automated scam calls such as those you have described.

The standalone trueCall device also has an optional web-interface control panel (free for first year after purchase, £20 p.a. subscription after that). This allows the device to be remotely administered and call logs in/out can be reviewed and certain numbers blocked/approved. (Worth noting that for the weblink to work the unit 'phones home' to the trueCall service periodically to update the call logs via a short telephone call. This needs to be set to do so at a time when calls on the line are free to avoid unexpected one-off call charges such as at a weekend under the VM default call package). The weblink option can, however, be handy if you need to administer the unit remotely for elderly family members 

[sictransit90]

Just taken a call (17/2/22) from man with South Asian accent named ‘James Wilson’ saying my internet was being used by someone in Mountain View, California and Virgin would need to ‘act’  I have a VPN by the way.  When I said this is obvs a scam and I would call Virgin myself to check the validity of the call he replied ‘by all means but you will only get customer services’ etc and pestered asking about what equipment I use and saying he wouldn’t ask me any personal info.  I have reported to Virgin myself.  On checking the STD code etc was [MOD EDIT: Spoofed phone number].

[Hayley_S]

Hello @emallsy2k127,

Welcome, thanks for posting.

I am sorry for any issues with these calls.

Please do follow the steps on our fraud calls page.

Many thanks,