Phone scam

Scam with response from BT
.
I received a call from a 'representative' of BT, informing me that he was dis-connecting me because of an unpaid bill.
He demanded payment immediately of £31.00 or it would be £ 118.00 to re-connect at a later date.

The guy wasn't even fazed when I told him I was with Virgin Media, allegedly VM have to pay BT a percentage for line rental!

I asked the guy's name - he gave me the very 'English' John Peacock with a very 'African' accent - & phone number - 0800 0800 152.

Obviously the fellow realized I didn't believe his story, so offered to demonstrate that he was from BT. I asked how & he told me to hang up
& try phoning someone - he would dis-connect my phone to prevent this. AND HE DID !!
My phone was dead - no engaged tone, nothing - until he phoned me again.

Very pleased with himself, he asked if that was enough proof that he was with BT. I asked how the payment was to be made
& he said credit card, there & then.

I said that I didn't know how he'd done it, but I had absolutely no intention of paying him, I didn't believe his name or that he worked for BT.

He hung up.
I dialed 1471 - number withheld
I phoned his fictitious 0800 number - not recognized.
so I phoned the police to let them know. I wasn't the first! It's only just started apparently, but it is escalating.

Their advice was to let as many people as possible know of this scam. The fact that the phone does go off would probably
convince some people it's real, so please make as many friends & family aware of this.

How is it done?
This is good but not that clever. He gave the wrong number - it should have been 0800 800 152 which takes you through to BT Business.
The cutting off of the line is very simple, he stays on the line with the mute button on and you can't dial out - but he can hear you trying
(This is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it). When you stop trying he cuts off and immediately calls back.
You could almost be convinced!
The sad thing is that it is so simple that it will certainly fool the elderly and vulnerable.

By the way this is not about getting the cash as this would not get past merchant services - it is all about getting the credit card
details which include the security number so that it can be used for far larger purchases.

BT Response

The information in the warning email is factual. Such scams have indeed been occurring in the UK and a number of UK residents have already lost money to these fraudsters. BT has published the following notice on its website warning customers about the scam:

Please be aware of the following:

Fraudsters, pretending to be from various phone companies, have been calling people on the pretence that there is an outstanding bill and threatening to disconnect their line immediately if they do not pay the bill straight away.

The fraudsters have been pretending to "cut off" the customer. Worried about having their line cut off, some people have been persuaded into giving the fraudsters their bank account details.

The police are investigating and BT Security is looking into incidents where the fraudsters have claimed to be from BT.

Whilst BT does have debt handling procedures which may involve calling customers, BT never carries out disconnections during the call by way of proof.

We advise customers never to give out any banking details over the phone unless they are absolutely certain who they are dealing with.

If there is any doubt at all, a BT employee will be able to give the customer their employee ID number and an 0800 number to call, where the customer can check that they are who they say they are. The customer can also check their identity by calling 0800 800 150.

Beware of similar phone numbers. Fraudsters may for example offer a number which has an extra zero - 0800 0800 xxx has been used by fraudsters - it is not the same as 0800 800 xxx.

UK communications regulator OfCom has also posted a warning to consumers about the scam:

Fraudsters are currently phoning consumers claiming to be from BT or Ofcom. They claim that the consumer’s telephone line needs digital upgrade work. This, they say, will cost £6 and if it isn’t paid within 10 days the consumer’s phone line will be cut off.

In some cases, the fraudster will claim that the line needs testing and they will temporarily disconnect it. When the consumer tries to make an outgoing call they are unable to do so. This is simply because the fraudster is still on the line meaning no outbound calls can be made.

This is a scam. Ofcom and BT have alerted the relevant authorities for investigation.

Phone scammers often pose as staff of companies, government departments or financial institutions as a means of fooling people into handing over their personal details. While this particular instance of the scam targets UK residents, criminals may use similar tactics to steal information from phone consumers in other parts of the world. While telecommunications companies may well call their customers to query an unpaid account, they are unlikely to attempt to prove the legitimacy of the call by disconnecting the line. If you do receive a suspect call, do not provide the caller with any personal or financial details. If you are unsure about a call, the safest course of action is to:

1. Ask for the caller's name and department details and then terminate the call.
2. Find a legitimate contact number for the company either in a bill or other official documentation or a telephone directory. (Don't use a contact number provided by the caller).
3. Call the company and ask to speak to the original caller by name.

This strategy should effectively derail any scam attempts and also allow you to deal with the issue in the event that the call was actually legitimate.

Oh My god....

Thanks mate for the useful info....