SCAM ALLERT

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 16 Dec 2010, 08:25

a freind of mine sent me this

----- Original Message -----

From: Daniel.russell@sussex.pnn.police.uk

Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 3:09 PM

Subject: A scam

All,

Please be aware of this scam.

You may want to watch out for this;
Can you circulate this around especially as Xmas is fast approaching - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize .

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655.

Take care

Dan Russell
Sergeant, Battle neighbourhood policing team.

Tel: 0845 60 70 999 Ext. 12222 Mobile: 07789091167

Sussex Police – Serving Sussex

We want to know your views – see what’s new and give us your feedback and suggestions at www.sussex.police.uk

If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender as soon as possible – you may not copy it, or make use of any information contained in it for any purpose, or disclose its contents to any other person. Messages sent and received by Sussex Police are not private and may be the subject of monitoring.

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.869 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3265 - Release Date: 11/18/10 19:34:00

regards msalcolm

Cheaper Holidays · Post by **Cheaper Holidays** » 16 Dec 2010, 09:04

This email warning has been circulated since the end of 2005. Recent submissions indicate that the warning is once again rapidly gaining momentum. The information in the message was mostly factual.

However, the particular scam described in the message was shut down at the end of 2005 and the information is no longer relevant. The continued forwarding of this warning to others is now pointless and counterproductive.

This number was shut down many years ago..

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 16 Dec 2010, 09:21

well this message was suposadly from Sussex police 18/11/10

regards malcolm

Post by **CitroJim** » 16 Dec 2010, 09:23

Moved here as it's not really Citroen related...

Xantidote · Post by **Xantidote** » 16 Dec 2010, 09:26

This scam may have been closed down, but it's nevertheless a timely reminder to us all of the scammers out there, and to be on our guard.

Last month I had an unsolicited call from "Mike, from Microsoft" asking about my computer acting slow. Maybe it does (don't they all?), but I didn't give him the chance to tell me he could access my computer remotely to fix it if I gave him certain information!

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 16 Dec 2010, 09:38

Xantidote wrote:This scam may have been closed down, but it's nevertheless a timely reminder to us all of the scammers out there, and to be on our guard.

Last month I had an unsolicited call from "Mike, from Microsoft" asking about my computer acting slow. Maybe it does (don't they all?), but I didn't give him the chance to tell me he could access my computer remotely to fix it if I gave him certain information!

My parents had that one, someone calling with an asian accent called Alan, asking for me even though I don't live there anymore, saying MS had contacted them due to some error reports my computer had sent them, so could they remote on and fix the problem.
I dug around a bit and found it's a Luton based scammer with a professional looking website, they charge £60-80 to remote onto your computer and play around claiming to be fixing issues.
They're not techliterate as they've tried it on with Mac and Linux users, still claiming their computer has informed MS that it has problems and they've been asked to look into it!

mooseshaver · Post by **mooseshaver** » 16 Dec 2010, 11:32

Xantidote wrote:Last month I had an unsolicited call from "Mike, from Microsoft" asking about my computer acting slow. Maybe it does (don't they all?), but I didn't give him the chance to tell me he could access my computer remotely to fix it if I gave him certain information!

We've had this too, and quite a few customers who have fallen for it. I think they are based in india but using a uk number.
once logged in they show you your event log, which always has things in it and claim they are serious errors, they ask you to search for certain odd names files and claim they are viruses (but they are standard windows files).
They usualy get so far and then ask for credit card details so they can remove the problem or sell you their "antivirus"
They make me cross. It is so easy to intimedate people around computers, or make people believe what you say is true that they must be making loads of money from this.

spider · Post by **spider** » 16 Dec 2010, 11:55

I did not think it was possible to increment your bill by such an amount, it is locked to a maximum of say 1.50 or so per minute for 'internal' (ie: UK) calls, and possibly up to say £5 / min for international.

I just do not see 'how' it can get to three figures, I'd refuse to pay

Post by **Paul-R** » 16 Dec 2010, 13:05

spider wrote:I did not think it was possible to increment your bill by such an amount, it is locked to a maximum of say 1.50 or so per minute for 'internal' (ie: UK) calls, and possibly up to say £5 / min for international.

You're right. And it was never possible to charge this amount either.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 16 Dec 2010, 13:11

sorry Sir Jim

but we dont have a genral chet section do we

regards malcolm

Post by **myglaren** » 16 Dec 2010, 17:58

mooseshaver wrote:
Xantidote wrote:Last month I had an unsolicited call from "Mike, from Microsoft" asking about my computer acting slow. Maybe it does (don't they all?), but I didn't give him the chance to tell me he could access my computer remotely to fix it if I gave him certain information!
We've had this too, and quite a few customers who have fallen for it. I think they are based in india but using a uk number.
once logged in they show you your event log, which always has things in it and claim they are serious errors, they ask you to search for certain odd names files and claim they are viruses (but they are standard windows files).
They usualy get so far and then ask for credit card details so they can remove the problem or sell you their "antivirus"
They make me cross. It is so easy to intimedate people around computers, or make people believe what you say is true that they must be making loads of money from this.

I got them last week. They only got as far as "It's about your computer..." when I put the phone down. I'm still wondering why I answered the phone at all, usually don't and it is turned off most of the time.

I do wish I'd let him continue though, it would have been fun seeing how he coped with a Linux machine

Would certainly have wasted his time if nothing more.

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 29 Dec 2010, 04:17

myglaren wrote:
I do wish I'd let him continue though, it would have been fun seeing how he coped with a Linux machine

They don't.

You get into an endless loop with them asking you if you see the start button and you saying you don't have one.

They call me at least once a week, if I have the time I let them go through their script whilst pretending to do as they say but giving them rubbish answers and see how long it takes them to hang up on me.