Scam Alert

[banjo]

An advanced septuagarian aquaintance of mine has just been scammed big style. The M.O. this time has been to target those currently getting a TV license buck-shee and advise that a direct debit can be set up ready for when the temporary moratorium expires later in the year. From what I can gather second hand, they cleaned out his bank account, but I believe after many 'phone calls the bank may be able to help out. I've always felt that there should be a straightforward way to reverse payments in such cases but I guess that's just too simple. They can soon enough take erroneous payments back from their customers!

This particular guy is quite intelligent with received pronunciation and would not be the sort you'd expect to get taken in, so it seems that right place-right time and a plausible pitch is still a tactic that can relied upon to catch out the unwary? New BBC license payers (except at least one stalwart drinker on here ...) please take note.

e&oe ...

[nob]

Ive read about TV licence scams but not how they work. Those people are real vermin.

[duyuthinkysaurus]

I have had several emails saying that my TV licence is about to run out,I know that is total bollox as it is renewed every December and is on direct debit. Each time it gets blocked and reported as a phishing attack. Usually the address sender is from the far east.

[banjo]

Coincidentally, I have just received my latest threatening red letter from those türdz today. I haven't even opened it. They're obviously not furloughed?

e&oe ...

[banjo]

My 40-odd years old nephew just got hosed out of fifty large. The scam was that his Hotmail account had been hacked (or perhaps pwnd?). Instead of causing irritation to the user or changing password and locking him out demanding cash etc, the scumbags just monitor traffic quietly.

Then my hapless nephew enters into the vipers' pit of house purchase. The scammer reads eMail to and from the solicitor, and then at the gravy stroke of transfering the deposit, the sh1tbag jumps in and masquerades as nephew telling solicitor to change where to transfer the funds. Solicitor then queries the recipient, but scammer is monitoring in real time and masquerades the solicitor's eMail to my nephew. He can almost smell that easy money!

Now it's goodnight Vienna for hard earned spondulicks. Nationwide wash their hands of it. Our wonderful Plod couldn't GAF. Solicitor say's "Not me guv- I did query it" The only good thing is that he was going to lay down the rest of their many years of saving while living with the mother-in-law (another 75 grand) but became suspicious because no confirmation of the transfer came from the intended recipient.

You know guys and gals, it all gets a bit close to home? How secure are your eMail accounts? Moral- if you're going to do this sort of thing online, find a way to reset your eMail password beforehand in a manner that doesn't involve using the mail account in question, seize every offer of multi level authentication- however tedious it becomes and ditch kiddie Hotmail accounts in any event.

e&oe ...

[nob]

That's a shocker Steve, they are scum. Why didn't the solicitor contact by phone? That's a lot of cash.

[jal]

Here is a List of the Official ways You can contact TV Licencing

TV Licensing will only ask you to pay using the following options:

• By post using the address: TV Licensing,
PO Box 578, Darlington DL98 1AN

• Online at tvl.co.uk/75pay or tvl.co.uk/75apply

• Over the phone on 0300 790 6151

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This week TV Licensing have started sending letters to anyone aged over 75 asking them to either pay for their TV licence or apply for a free one. I want to make sure you know what to expect when you get your letter, so that if you’re contacted by scammers before then you’ll be able to spot them.

TV Licensing will only ask you to pay using the following options:

• By post using the address: TV Licensing,
PO Box 578, Darlington DL98 1AN

• Online at tvl.co.uk/75pay or tvl.co.uk/75apply

• Over the phone on 0300 790 6151


If you are contacted and asked to pay for your TV licence using a different phone number, a different website or by posting your details to a different address you have been contacted by a scammer.

TV Licensing have also been clear that they will not come to your doorstep to collect the licence fee if you are over 75, so anyone who claims to do so is also a scammer.


If you’re unsure about anything, you can call TV Licensing on 0300 303 9695 to speak with someone who can help.


In the meantime, we’ll be keeping the pressure on the BBC and the Government to come together and save free TV for over 75s. As ever, thanks for your support.

Best wishes

Rosie

[banjo]

My nephew is very like his father- "very careful" ;<D with his money, except this time it seems. His younger brother is completely the opposite. The nephew is degree qualified and his brother is a graduate at the university of life. They've both grown up in the age of the internet. Which one would you expect to get shafted?

The thing is nob, even if the solicitor rings you, how do you know it's the solicitor? You need to instigate communication rather than passively receive it. What a world?

e&oe ...

[banjo]

Best Beloved just had a call from the CCC. Dodgy transactions on card. They asked her for security questions so she accused the guy of brain atrophy and hung up. Looked at caller's number on 'phone log- it was an 0800. Called bank, got transferred to CCC. She apologised for being so rude, but it was as though it was water off a duck's arse for them. Sure enough, £116 fraudulent duly authorised, and two at £43 declined by the bank. Card frozen and new one coming. Authorised payment refunded. All good then? Sure. But- she very rarely if ever uses that card. The bank employee said it had probably been hacked via a third party company being attacked. I thought they shouldn't hold on to card details? If there was a will then it should be traceable due to her scant card useage? Cheaper for them to refund and move on? 10/10 for the bank (building society). Decapitation for all scrotes.

Be very vigilant people.

e&oe ...

[nob]

Result there Steve, they must hang on to card details they auto renew things using my credit card. I got a call from Amazon, someone had bought an Iphone 11 and push button one to refund. As if. Jim Browning on youtube is a good scambaiter.