BT Openreach phone Scam

[MarcD]

There is a BT Openreach scam doing the rounds at the moment. It involves a person phoning from an Indian call centre. They inform you that you are about to loose you internet connection in the next few hours if you don't pay them. This has nothing to do with BT or any other internet provider. We have informed Cumbria police, BT Openreach and our own provider. They are aware of the scam and are trying to sort it.  They are persistent we have had 9 phone calls today. All from different UK numbers. 

 

This is definitely a scam do not give them any personal info and inform them that you know it is a scam and it has been reported to the police. 

 

Marc

[uax6]

I find it's better to start talking to them, and slowly turn the conversation over to their parents, and then ask them if their parents are proud of them, and the job they do. It's amazing how quickly they hang up....

 

Andy g

[John M Upton]

I gave polite but firm instructions to one such caller this morning who, if he followed my instructions correctly, subsequently would have needed to seek medical help regarding the telephone handset now firmly inserted in his rectum - sideways.

[chris p bacon]

I get these all the time.

 

I had "Kevin' today from "BT internet security' telling me I had picked up viruses on my PC, I said I'd visited a GWR site and thought it might be copper and the wrong shade of green, no idea if I confused him as he seemed undeterred and proceeded with his script telling me how he could fix it for me.  I let him carry on for a while until he asked what the key next to CTRL key was, he wants to hear that its the 'Windows' key but I have a Mac. He gave up after I told him to feck off.

[Dava]

BT Openreach is a scam even without this. We are now paying GBP69 a month after they increased the price, for very variable broadband/phone/TV. Every time I watch something on BBC I player it spins wheels then ends after 25-30 mins. I think BT Openreach is gouging its customers [an apt Canadian term] and provides very poor value. I'm also a minor BT shareholder and that's very poor value too.

[kevinlms]

There is a BT Openreach scam doing the rounds at the moment. It involves a person phoning from an Indian call centre. They inform you that you are about to loose you internet connection in the next few hours if you don't pay them. This has nothing to do with BT or any other internet provider. We have informed Cumbria police, BT Openreach and our own provider. They are aware of the scam and are trying to sort it.  They are persistent we have had 9 phone calls today. All from different UK numbers. 

 

This is definitely a scam do not give them any personal info and inform them that you know it is a scam and it has been reported to the police. 

 

Marc

Been doing the rounds for ages, they just change the name of the provider. I just told them fine, cut me off then and post out some information about how to reconnect. Not surprisingly, they just hung up.

[Kelly]

I've had a few of the 'your computer is infected' calls. I usually just hang up, but every so often I am bored and play along, stringing them along asking them how is possible when I'm using a Mac/Linux/Amiga and so on until they get the picture and hang up.

[chris p bacon]

The longest I've tied one up for was 17 minutes, I just carry on working and making out I can't hear/confused while they go through their script.......should have heard his language when he realised...

[mezzoman253]

There is a BT Openreach scam doing the rounds at the moment. It involves a person phoning from an Indian call centre. They inform you that you are about to loose you internet connection in the next few hours if you don't pay them. This has nothing to do with BT or any other internet provider. We have informed Cumbria police, BT Openreach and our own provider. They are aware of the scam and are trying to sort it.  They are persistent we have had 9 phone calls today. All from different UK numbers. 

 

This is definitely a scam do not give them any personal info and inform them that you know it is a scam and it has been reported to the police. 

 

Marc

In our area we are getting this but from an automated caller. Strangely I'm still waiting for my internet to be disconnected after several calls like this. 

 

Rob

[rab]

I had one recently offering cheaper calls than I was getting with BT. I kept him going until he started asking for bank details, then said I couldn't understand why he was asking for all the info as I'm with Virgin.

[Nick C]

BT Openreach is a scam even without this. We are now paying GBP69 a month after they increased the price, for very variable broadband/phone/TV. Every time I watch something on BBC I player it spins wheels then ends after 25-30 mins. I think BT Openreach is gouging its customers [an apt Canadian term] and provides very poor value. I'm also a minor BT shareholder and that's very poor value too.

 

That would be BT Retail rather than Openreach, who are the wholesale side - in theory they are separate companies, except when it suits them not to be...

[APOLLO]

ello ello am I speaking to Mr ******* ?

 

Yes, by gum you're quick, I've only just emailed the Golden River Vindaloo sorebum restaurant only a couple of minutes ago.

 

I'll order a Chicken Rogan Josh with Nan and pillock rice, two twice hot vindaloo's with chips, 26 papadoms with a bucket of brown sticky chutney and four (repeat FOUR) extra strong toilet rolls, you know the ones a golden labrador wipes it's **** on.

 

Beware - The sods never deliver.

 

Brit15

[Brinkly]

Thanks for the info.

 

On the lighter side, my friend hands the phone over to his 3 year old when he receives a 'cold call'. Theo will try and engage the operator on the works of Paw Patrol, or how he doesn't like the new Fireman Sam series - generally they hang up very quick!

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

[chaz]

"Hello, your who? Oh, so glad you called, my company is currently offering an amazing deal on double glazing. Might you be interested? it really is a very good deal. What, my bank account details? No, but if I can have yours our representative will call you back to arrange a site visit. Oh, well then, how about upgrading your kitchen? Our range of fitted kitchens is quite exceptional. My password? Just hang on a minute. Do you have a pencil? Oh, that's clever, you type it into what? Golly! Now are you ready?  F.......U....... Hello? Are you still there?

 

sorry - my posting crossed with Apollo's - who got in first

Edited April 6, 2018 by chaz

[Kris]

Unless I'm in a hurry, I make it a point never to hang up on these people. They called me they can hang up. 

 

The most recent call that I had from them went as followed. 

 

Caller "Hello, am I speaking to the homeowner?"

Me - No you're speaking to an elephant. Am I speaking to an aardvark?

Caller hangs up. 

 

In the past I have asked the callers about:

• their previous criminal offences
• why their name keeps changing
• what's there best price on a product, that's a shame we do that cheaper.
• what are their views on tomato plants
• have they herd of the date protection act, and can I have their full details and those of their data controller.
• septic tank emptying 
• lengths of wood that are available in high street retailers. 
• Methods they could use to cavity insulate a solid stone wall over a meter thick - This was to an insulation salesman who just did not have a clue.

[JJGraphics]

BT Openreach is a scam even without this. We are now paying GBP69 a month after they increased the price, for very variable broadband/phone/TV. Every time I watch something on BBC I player it spins wheels then ends after 25-30 mins. I think BT Openreach is gouging its customers [an apt Canadian term] and provides very poor value. I'm also a minor BT shareholder and that's very poor value too.

 

 

You are paying way over the odds. Renegotiate your contract. We pay BT £52/month for Line Rental, Broadband and two BT mobile SIMs with unlimited calls.

[JJGraphics]

There is a BT Openreach scam doing the rounds at the moment. It involves a person phoning from an Indian call centre. They inform you that you are about to loose you internet connection in the next few hours if you don't pay them. This has nothing to do with BT or any other internet provider. We have informed Cumbria police, BT Openreach and our own provider. They are aware of the scam and are trying to sort it.  They are persistent we have had 9 phone calls today. All from different UK numbers. 

 

This is definitely a scam do not give them any personal info and inform them that you know it is a scam and it has been reported to the police. 

 

Marc

 

This type of scam has been around for a long time now. Neither BT or any of the other companies will ever call you in this way.

 

Either put the phone down immediately or if you are so minded, tell 'em to **** off!

 

And . . .  if you get one of those calls that asks you to "Press 1" or something similar, NEVER do that as you may be making a call to a Premium Rate or International number and will get a large charge on your bill!

Edited April 6, 2018 by JJGraphics

[Kelly]

You are paying way over the odds. Renegotiate your contract. We pay BT £52/month for Line Rental, Broadband and two BT mobile SIMs with unlimited calls.

 

Best looking on somewhere like moneysupermarket.com or quidco etc as they often have rather good deals, and if you go through quidco you can get some good cashback deals (when I signed up for Sky for TV a couple of years ago I got £125 cashback + £75 mastercard).

[Liam]

A tad OT but a few years ago one day when I was at Crewe a bloke phoned up asking why I hadn't bought his cut-price petrol. "Because I haven't got a car numpty!"

Edited April 6, 2018 by SVRlad

[Joseph_Pestell]

I gave polite but firm instructions to one such caller this morning who, if he followed my instructions correctly, subsequently would have needed to seek medical help regarding the telephone handset now firmly inserted in his rectum - sideways.

If that's what you are like when being polite, I wouldn't want to meet you on a bad day.

[Joseph_Pestell]

 

• Methods they could use to cavity insulate a solid stone wall over a meter thick - This was to an insulation salesman who just did not have a clue.

 

 

Insulation and double-glazing companies seem to be particularly thick-skinned.

 

A friend of mine got so fed up with one company phoning him about loft insulation that he finally agreed that their salesman could come and visit. Salesman was rather disappointed to find that David lived in a ground floor flat. But at least they stopped phoning after that.

[PaulCheffus]

Insulation and double-glazing companies seem to be particularly thick-skinned.

 

A friend of mine got so fed up with one company phoning him about loft insulation that he finally agreed that their salesman could come and visit. Salesman was rather disappointed to find that David lived in a ground floor flat. But at least they stopped phoning after that.

Hi

 

We had a kitchen company do the same so in the end I invited the salesman round. Long drive from Peterborough I asked as I greeted him at the door before saying I'm not interested and closing the door. No more phone calls from them.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[kevinlms]

Thanks for the info.

 

On the lighter side, my friend hands the phone over to his 3 year old when he receives a 'cold call'. Theo will try and engage the operator on the works of Paw Patrol, or how he doesn't like the new Fireman Sam series - generally they hang up very quick!

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

The obvious problem with that method, is that the 3 year old could be subjected to some choice language.

[The Stationmaster]

I get these all the time.

 

I had "Kevin' today from "BT internet security' telling me I had picked up viruses on my PC, I said I'd visited a GWR site and thought it might be copper and the wrong shade of green, no idea if I confused him as he seemed undeterred and proceeded with his script telling me how he could fix it for me.  I let him carry on for a while until he asked what the key next to CTRL key was, he wants to hear that its the 'Windows' key but I have a Mac. He gave up after I told him to feck off.

 

I had one of those dumbos a couple of months back so when he asked the CTRL key question I replied 'it's got a sort of squiggly line thing on it', that really threw hime so he asked me to look again and got the same answer.  He then suggested that I was fooling with him and wasting his time so I told him that he was in fact wasting my time and that he should go forth and multiply or word to that effect - he them put the 'phone down on me the cheeky git, just plain rude that was.

 

incidentally the sub-continent bunch, using fake UK 'phone numbers should you do a 1471, are also going round claiming that your Talk Talk connection will be cut off unless .....  I had one earlier this week and told her she was an idiot and that she'd be better employed doing something else with her time.

 

But the problem with all these scum bags and their fake names and numbers is that some poor s*d somewhere will believe them and they'll then create mayhem for them.

[The Stationmaster]

I've had a few of the 'your computer is infected' calls. I usually just hang up, but every so often I am bored and play along, stringing them along asking them how is possible when I'm using a Mac/Linux/Amiga and so on until they get the picture and hang up.

Rule 1 - never tell them what system you are really using.

 

Rule 2 - never tell them who is really your broadband/'net connection supplier.

 

Rule 3 (optional) - always behave in a confused manner when they ask questions and make sure you give them confused or confusing answers.  This helps to keep them on the hook for your continued enjoyment should you be so inclined and in need of an amusing diversion.