Scams
(it started with a Postal Scam but it has grown...)
This the latest!
| Why and How you should lock your car "I locked my car and as I walked away I heard my car door unlock. I went back and locked my car again three times. Each time, as soon as I started to walk away, I could hear it unlock again!! Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two men sitting in a car next to the Store. They were obviously watching me intently, and there seemed no doubt they were somehow involved in this very weird situation. I quickly abandoned my errand, jumped into my car and sped away. I went straight to the police station, told them what had happened, and found out I was part of a new, and very successful, scheme being used to gain entry into parked cars. Two weeks later, my friend's son had a similar experience. While travelling, he stopped at a motorway service area to use the toilet. When he came out to his car less than 5 minutes later, someone had managed to get into his car and had stolen his mobile phone, laptop computer, sat-nav, briefcase and other belongings. He called the police and, since there were no signs of his car having been broken into, the police told him he had probably been a victim of the latest robbery tactic – there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your remote locking device. They sit a distance away and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside the Store, restaurant, or whatever and that they now have a few minutes to steal and run. The police officer said always to lock your car manually with the key when parking in a public area. That way if there is someone sitting in a car nearby watching for their next victim, it will not be you. When you lock up with the key upon exiting, it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the remote button, it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be easily intercepted by the device. This is very real. Be aware of what you have just read and please pass this information on. Look how many times we all lock our doors with our remote just to be sure we remembered to lock them -- and bingo, someone has our code...and potentially whatever is in our car. Please share with everyone you know in the hope that we can frustrate these thieves. |
Can you circulate this around - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail and 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.
and now
Supermarket Checkout Scam
CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS BEFORE LEAVING THE CHECK-OUT
from David Parker
I bought a bunch of stuff, over £150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-back of £40. I told her I didn't request a cash back & to delete it. She said I'd have to take the £40 because she couldn't delete it. I told Her to call a supervisor. Supervisor came & said I'd have to take it.. I said NO! Taking the £40 would be a cash advance against my Credit card & I wasn't paying interest on a cash advance!!!!! If they couldn't delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order & re-scan everything! The second time I looked at the electronic pad before I signed & a cash-back of £20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she deleted it. The total came out right. The cashier agreed that the Electronic Pad must be defective.
Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she NEVER offered me the £40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people went through before me & at the end of her shift how much money she pocketed?
Just to alert everyone. My co worker went to Milford , Sainsburys last week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her along and didn't give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her. My co worker didn't look at her receipt until later that night. The receipt showed that she asked for £20 cash back.
SHE DID NOT ASK FOR CASH BACK!
My co-worker called Sainsburys who investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then called her niece who works for the bank and her niece told her this. This is a new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in the queue.
Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or debit cards! This is NOT limited to Sainsburys; they are one of the largest retailers so they have the most incidents.
Friends were in Sainsburys and paying with credit card when her husband went to sign the credit card signer he just happen to notice there was a £20 cash back added. He told the cashier that he did not ask nor want cash back and she said this machine has been messing up and she canceled it. They really didn't think anything of it until we read this email.
I wonder how many "seniors" have been, or will be, "stung" by this one???? To make matters worse ...THIS SCAM CAN BE DONE ANYWHERE, AT ANY RETAIL OR WHOLESALE LOCATION!!!
BEFORE LEAVING THE CHECK-OUT........CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!!!!
This could happen anywhere. check your receipt before leaving the stand. i've seen people do just that. now i'll start! Pass this on to your friends, kids, loved ones.
Oh dear this list is growing!
PLEASE PASS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY.
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 he said 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.
Dialed 1471 & phoned his fictitious 0800 number - not recognized.
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.
A colleague replied with the following
Real con job, don't get caught (How it was 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.
Andy ORPIN
Police Community Support Officer
Littlehampton Police Station
Neighbourhood Policing Team
Littlehampton and East Team
County Buildings | East Street | Littlehampton | West Sussex | BN17 6AR
Telephone 0845 60 70 999 0845 60 70 999 Ext. 25782 Mobile : 07748 146903 07748 146903
FREE SAMPLE - DIET SUPPLEMENT - SCAM
Last year I was inveigled into sending for a Free Trial of a diet supplement (paying postage only) - DIET MAX (I now learn from Google that this can be any of the following names - ELG Tech, KMAssist, ProCleanse GOLD, Nutura Cleanse, Maximum Burn Xtreme, Weight Loss Nutra, AcaiMax Cleanse, Maximum Burn,Pure Cleanse, even Dermalift Anti Aging Cream - you get the idea......... I am far from being the only one.
This duly arrived from the USA - no paperwork at all, no invoice or instructions. I have now discovered that they have taken more than £111 from me since September. I eventually got through to a UK number which was so noisy I card hardly hear the gruff voice at the other end. He maintains that I should have cancelled the order within 10 days (half that at least must have been taken up with the post from USA) otherwise they were within their T & Cs to continue to take money - all sorts of differing amounts including one over £50 and one over £40 - I have received nothing else.
I contacted my Credit Card Company - RBS who know about this company - but say they can go on charging me legitimately - although I have received nothing else obviously I can now cancel this but I will not get my money back!
Worse still the capsules are Acai Berry and Caffeine - I avoid caffeine as it not only keeps me awake but adversely affects my Arthritis so quite useless.
I subsequently got a Cancellation Form purportedly from 'me' to 'me'! However in the header I found a 'scranbled' email address that I replied to, to say the form was unreadable - none of the pictures displayed. I got a reply to say they did not sell any products! Now I have found a similar sort of Invoice in my system from another of named companies above - oh God! I suspect they just6 pass your Credit Card details to supposdedly another company - the same scam but under a different name?
I may be an OAP but I do know that it is foolhardy to give anyone permission to go on charging your card - so I am quite sure had anything given me the indication that was the case I would not have 'fallen for it'.
My bank must know which bank my money has been paid into and surely they ought to be able to get this bank to stop their client conducting this scam.