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Scam Telephone Call Pretending To Be Virgin Media ?

RobCheatle
Tuning in
I am getting repeated calls, clearly originating in the Far East, suggesting that I have a problem with my Router and wanting me to give them access to my router.
This felt like a scam. I have had three calls just today.
The number given after calling 1471 is 01472325599.
Any ideas?
4 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

Graham_A
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

They are scam calls, one of many doing the rounds at the moment.  Just ignore them.

There is a warning message from the VM security team here, which whilst it doesn't mention the router scam, is still relevant:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Security-matters/Fraudulent-calls-amp-emails-pretending-to-be-f...

________________________________
Graham

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media, I'm a VM customer. There are no guarantees that my advice will work. Please read the FAQs
Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

Graham_A
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

The difficulty with blocking the calls is that the displayed number is usually faked.  Unfortunately it seems trivially easy to add fictitious call line ID to the calls.

The policy I have adopted for some years, which works well for me, is to only answer calls from numbers stored in my phone book. Anything else goes to my answerphone and I pick up if I recognise the person leaving a message.  The scammers rarely go as far as talking to the answer machine, apart from the computer generated ones.

________________________________
Graham

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media, I'm a VM customer. There are no guarantees that my advice will work. Please read the FAQs
Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@RobCheatle wrote:
I am getting repeated calls, clearly originating in the Far East, suggesting that I have a problem with my Router and wanting me to give them access to my router.
This felt like a scam. I have had three calls just today.
The number given after calling 1471 is 01472325599.
Any ideas?

Unfortunately, the numbers you see on the caller ID are fake and change for each new call (so blocking one individual number is unsuccessful in the long term).

Have a look at a call screening and blocking device such as trueCall, CPR Call Blocker or one of the cordless phones with call screening features.

I have been using a trueCall device for a few months and it has totally eliminated the spam/scam calls. The only calls which ring through to my phone now are those I want, or need, to receive.

The blocker manual is available to download here

https://www.truecall.co.uk/category-s/126.htm

which explains how the device works.

Alternatively (and for free), if you have a cordless phone, many of these cordless devices have features which can help a bit such as different ring tones for numbers in your phone address book; 'do not disturb' time options which keep the phone silent apart from numbers in your phone address book; VIP callers who are allowed priority to ring through; different answering machine options based on the above etc. etc. If you have a cordless phone, check your phone manual to see if any of those options apply and may help.

See where this Helpful Answer was posted


@RobCheatle wrote:

 

Your suggestions are much appreciated.


Glad the info was of some use. I understand the issue. My landline callers are mainly older friends and family members who insist on using the landline, come what may (so I keep it on, otherwise I too would probably abandon my landline)!

The trueCall devices come up on eBay quite often and prices start from £15-ish second hand. They are pretty robust devices so that might be a route worth considering.

If you only have the two main callers, then you can configure the trueCall unit to block all incoming calls (either with a rejection message or even with a number-unobtainable tone). You can give your two main callers a two-digit access code which they enter when prompted to ring straight through to your phone.

I was actually given the unit I own from someone who had eventually decided to abandon their landline altogether and just use mobile (an approach which they say they are now happy with)!

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

77 REPLIES 77

Graham_A
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

They are scam calls, one of many doing the rounds at the moment.  Just ignore them.

There is a warning message from the VM security team here, which whilst it doesn't mention the router scam, is still relevant:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Security-matters/Fraudulent-calls-amp-emails-pretending-to-be-f...

________________________________
Graham

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media, I'm a VM customer. There are no guarantees that my advice will work. Please read the FAQs
Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks

Thanks very much for this rapid response.

I did ignore them, but I wanted to alerts others as to this possible scam.

However, as Virgin Media Broadband is a very variable service at the moment, their comment about the problems with the intermittent service was very plausible. Having been almost caught out by a Microsoft Scam, taking a similar form, I was suspicious, particularly as they did not know my name, but they did know (or guessed) that I was a Virgin Media Customer.

When I asked if I might be able to Block the number the scammers were using, Virgin Media said that they could not/would not do this, even though they admitted to knowing about this Scam. I would have thought that this has possible legal implication for Virgin Media if they knowing allow fraudulent calls to go through their network? At the very least I was rather surprised at this response.

I am thinking of simply unplugging my telephone, as it seem only the unscrupulous call me, practically everyone else uses my mobile. It is largely a redundant device in my household.

Thanks again.

Graham_A
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

The difficulty with blocking the calls is that the displayed number is usually faked.  Unfortunately it seems trivially easy to add fictitious call line ID to the calls.

The policy I have adopted for some years, which works well for me, is to only answer calls from numbers stored in my phone book. Anything else goes to my answerphone and I pick up if I recognise the person leaving a message.  The scammers rarely go as far as talking to the answer machine, apart from the computer generated ones.

________________________________
Graham

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media, I'm a VM customer. There are no guarantees that my advice will work. Please read the FAQs
Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@RobCheatle wrote:
I am getting repeated calls, clearly originating in the Far East, suggesting that I have a problem with my Router and wanting me to give them access to my router.
This felt like a scam. I have had three calls just today.
The number given after calling 1471 is 01472325599.
Any ideas?

Unfortunately, the numbers you see on the caller ID are fake and change for each new call (so blocking one individual number is unsuccessful in the long term).

Have a look at a call screening and blocking device such as trueCall, CPR Call Blocker or one of the cordless phones with call screening features.

I have been using a trueCall device for a few months and it has totally eliminated the spam/scam calls. The only calls which ring through to my phone now are those I want, or need, to receive.

The blocker manual is available to download here

https://www.truecall.co.uk/category-s/126.htm

which explains how the device works.

Alternatively (and for free), if you have a cordless phone, many of these cordless devices have features which can help a bit such as different ring tones for numbers in your phone address book; 'do not disturb' time options which keep the phone silent apart from numbers in your phone address book; VIP callers who are allowed priority to ring through; different answering machine options based on the above etc. etc. If you have a cordless phone, check your phone manual to see if any of those options apply and may help.

Thanks for this.

I have been looking at these devices. But I only really have two callers, one who uses a Caller Withheld and the other Normal.

It is very rare that I have other calls, so it seems that it is hardly worth having a landline except of course with Virgin it is more expensive to have no Land Line than it is to have a Land Line.

So, I think that the cheapest option is unplug my phone. But that option does not suit everyone, indeed, many elderly people have a call interception service that screens calls but again even if this was available it is probably not worth any extra cost for me.

Your suggestions are much appreciated.

Thank you. Your suggestions are much appreciated.


@RobCheatle wrote:

 

Your suggestions are much appreciated.


Glad the info was of some use. I understand the issue. My landline callers are mainly older friends and family members who insist on using the landline, come what may (so I keep it on, otherwise I too would probably abandon my landline)!

The trueCall devices come up on eBay quite often and prices start from £15-ish second hand. They are pretty robust devices so that might be a route worth considering.

If you only have the two main callers, then you can configure the trueCall unit to block all incoming calls (either with a rejection message or even with a number-unobtainable tone). You can give your two main callers a two-digit access code which they enter when prompted to ring straight through to your phone.

I was actually given the unit I own from someone who had eventually decided to abandon their landline altogether and just use mobile (an approach which they say they are now happy with)!

Again some great ideas.

If you know the two callers, giving them ID Numbers to remember would block them too 🙂

Thanks.

 

Ah, I understand! Maybe I should apply it to my own system too! Nuff said!