Unwanted calls from 08001836408

[patsyb]

I am receiving frequent calls from this number. The caller speaks very bad English and cannot even pronounce my name. I hung up straight away.  I have blocked the number so hopefully they will cease now, though probably will now come from a different number.

[Beth_G · Accepted solution]

Hey patsyb,

0800 1836 408 is a genuine Virgin Media number used for sales purposes. Apologies if there was any cause for concern.

You can opt out of marketing preferences should you wish to here virg.in/optout

Regards,

Beth

[patsyb]

Glad to know it wasn't a scam. I had difficulty understanding anything she said so maybe some basic English pronunciation training may be called for here.

[coenoby]

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@patsyb wrote:
Glad to know it wasn't a scam.

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But you don't know that.

It has been said so many times here but I'll say it again; just because the call appeared to come from a recognised Virgin Media phone number does not prove that the call was genuine.

It is so easy for scammers  to spoof (falsify) the number that appears in caller display, it's what they do all the time. They want to convince you they are genuine.

The same applies to text messages.  Scammers spoof the number so that it matches the contact details in your phone to trick you into thinking it is a genuine text, from your bank for example.

It does not matter which organisation the caller claims to be from or what phone number or contact details appears on your phone, any unexpected call or text should be treated as being suspicious.

"I had difficulty understanding anything she said..." Having said that, the call may well have been genuine because in my experience most telephone scammers employ people who can be easily understood by native English speakers. 😊

Coenoby

[KarenT1]

Good morning

I see that this is apparently a genuine number but I am concerned it may be being 'cloned' or diverted via scammers.

My elderly mother got a call yesterday about 1.15pm saying they were from the verification team of the Call Blocking we were trying to set up.  We have not tried to set any Call Blocking up but have registered with the Call Preference Service so not sure if that is what they were referring to.

However, the worrying part was that he asked for details on her bank card.  He had the first four digits but that is not hard to get or guess as they indicate which bank and type of card it is.  He asked for the number on the back of the card and the next digit. By now my mother was getting suspicious so used the excuse that she had just made her lunch to ask him to call back in an hour.  Someone did call her back and she asked them to contact me as I have PoA.

This doesn't seem to add up to us as the CPS doesn't charge, we haven't requested any Call Blocking and even though there would no doubt be a charge for that, why would they need her card details?  Surely they would just add to a bill?

Add to this, one call was to her mobile, one to her landline.  They seemed to know a lot about her already...

Would someone please assure us on this - or look into it if you agree it doesn't look right.

Thank you for your attention.

[goslow]

TPS is the Telephone Preference Service and is a free service (is that what you have registered with?)

https://www.tpsonline.org.uk/

For a residential user, once their numbers have been added, they remain on the service indefinitely (no need to renew annually etc.)

The calls you have described have all the hallmarks of a phishing call.

You can report phishing attempts via Action Fraud.

Report a phishing attempt
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report-phishing

You can also opt out of marketing calls etc. from VM by logging into 'My Virgin Media' and setting communication preferences accordingly. This would eliminate the possibility of getting genuine marketing calls from VM and flag any future such calls as being scam calls.

[KarenT1]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my post.  It is the TPS that we have registered with, thank you.  I will ask mum if she wants to opt out of Virgin marketing calls and try and action that for her if so.

I will make her aware that the request for card details does bring us to the conclusion this was a phishing call and commend her for not giving out any more information.  And remind her to keep being vigilant.

Kind regards

[goslow]

Sadly, if the scammers have made contact with your mother and engaged in conversation, she will probably get more calls, so she will need to be alerted to this possibility.

These links provide useful general guidance on a variety of scams/techniques

Metropolitan Police - Little Booklet of Phone Scams
https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/central/advice/fraud/met/little-booklet-of-p...

Neighbourhood Watch - Telephone Scams
https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/crime-prevention/crime-prevention-toolkits/scams/common-scams/telephone-...

National Cyber Security Centre - Dealing with suspicious messages
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/suspicious-email-actions

If your mother uses a cordless phone, many of these have the option to set a particular ringtone for known callers who are logged in the phone address book (often termed VIP callers in the phone manuals). By giving VIP callers one particular ringtone she can be alerted to calls she will want to pick up by the ringing sound and can leave any other calls to go to answering machine to be reviewed later.

If the calls persist, or become too troublesome, then call blocking and screening devices can be very effective.

[Lisa_CC]

Hi KarenT1,

I'm sorry to hear about the calls that your mum received. @goslow has provided some excellent advise with regards to any scam and phishing calls. I hope you make the necessary checks with your mum to check her details and that they have not been compromised. 

Thanks,

Lisa

[KarenT1]

Thank you Lisa and @goslow for your suggestions and advice.  I will discuss them with mum and hope we can reduce the incidence of them and help her remain safe.  

I do appreciate you taking the time to respond and hope that my comments help others to be alert too.

Have a good day 😊