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Thread: Amazon Scam Resurfacing

  1. #1
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    Amazon Scam Resurfacing

    I've had the phone calls recently. never responded. Just put the phone down. Strange though as they seem to coincide just after I have made purchases. Is Amazon leaking???
    https://www.tradingstandards.uk/news...cam-resurfaces

    https://who-called.co.uk/Number/01363821212#Video
    Last edited by tixntox; 24th November 2020 at 11:18.

  2. #2
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    Not phone calls,but after placing a recent order I received an email saying my account had been suspended and to click on the link to rectify matters,yea right.

  3. #3
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
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    I doubt it's a leak, just the fact that more people are shopping online these days and so the scammers are busier.

    My Mum, who's never had an Amazon account in her life, gets these calls, so it seems they just phone random numbers.

    M
    Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?

  4. #4
    Master vagabond's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bonzodog View Post
    Not phone calls,but after placing a recent order I received an email saying my account had been suspended and to click on the link to rectify matters,yea right.
    My eldest daughter got stung by the "account has been suspended" email just after placing an order.

    https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...Amazon+account

    Though that one is all sorted now, yesterday she had 2 debits out of her bank account saying they were from "Uber" - which she has not used in 6 months. One was in the UK and the other was in Amsterdam. These debits don't show on the her Uber account (app). She phoned her bank and has cancelled her card plus they have refunded her the 2 payments totalling £45.

    Seems absolutely rife at the moment with all the increased online activity.

  5. #5
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    Same with the "no fault accident" phone calls - just a random try until they hit someone who has indeed had an event and falls for it.

  6. #6
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    My partner was on the phone to them yesterday regarding 2 purchases from them using a credit card that had never been registered with them and that hasn't been used anywhere for quite some time, she had to register the card for them to trace the purchases.
    Turned out it had been used by 2 different people on the same day, both with different surnames to my partner, I'd like to know how this got through security checks that amazon are suppose to carry out, 2 different people using the same credit card with a different name on it.

  7. #7
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    I hate these scamming motherf***ers with a passion. My elderly father-in-law got caught by them not so long ago - they had him on the phone for 4+ hours while they installed software on his laptop and set up various loans in his name for around £20k. Luckily we found out very quickly and were able to go through and sort out all his online accounts/passwords/etc, wipe and rebuild his PC -- and thankfully his bank were on the ball too and froze his account, although that took another 3 hours on the phone to sort out.

    It was a massive PITA for us and very scary for him - there is a special place in hell for these scumbags!

    Sorry that turned in to a bit of a rant. But stay vigilante folks - for every 100 of us who are wise to it, there will be 1 poor soul who gets stung.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil.Ldn View Post
    I hate these scamming motherf***ers with a passion. My elderly father-in-law got caught by them not so long ago - they had him on the phone for 4+ hours while they installed software on his laptop and set up various loans in his name for around £20k. Luckily we found out very quickly and were able to go through and sort out all his online accounts/passwords/etc, wipe and rebuild his PC -- and thankfully his bank were on the ball too and froze his account, although that took another 3 hours on the phone to sort out.

    It was a massive PITA for us and very scary for him - there is a special place in hell for these scumbags!

    Sorry that turned in to a bit of a rant. But stay vigilante folks - for every 100 of us who are wise to it, there will be 1 poor soul who gets stung.
    You just reminded me, my partner was on the phone trying to get through to cancel her credit card for hours last night, finally got through only to be cut off and dropped to the bottom of the list.
    I do get fed up of reading about how much this costs banks etc, maybe they need to improve their security/systems etc so as it shows up random requests and strange behaviour/habits, I'm sure we would all put with a bit of extra security to go through if it stopped horror stories like yours.

  9. #9
    I am new in IT Support and people who are ordinarily aware of such matters get unfortunately caught out. It is usually a momentary lapse in concentration or by coincidence in that they were dealing with organisation X, Y, Z recently and therefore the email it did not raise concerns.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by prexelor View Post
    I am new in IT Support and people who are ordinarily aware of such matters get unfortunately caught out. It is usually a momentary lapse in concentration or by coincidence in that they were dealing with organisation X, Y, Z recently and therefore the email it did not raise concerns.
    You could also blame whoever sells your details to certain companies/individuals, I believe one of the biggest offenders is local authorities, ( I suppose they have to bolster their expense account one way or another ).

  11. #11
    Crap. I’ve just had an email saying some one in russia was trying to use my account. I clicked on it to rectify
    What should I do now ?
    Andy

  12. #12
    Grand Master Onelasttime's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lenlec View Post
    Crap. I’ve just had an email saying some one in russia was trying to use my account. I clicked on it to rectify
    What should I do now ?
    Andy
    Ignore it. Delete it. Panic. Drink a bottle of Scotch and go on a rampage against Russians. Have a lie down.

    Or … phone your bank to check if it's true.

  13. #13
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Weirdfish View Post
    You could also blame whoever sells your details to certain companies/individuals, I believe one of the biggest offenders is local authorities, ( I suppose they have to bolster their expense account one way or another ).
    The NHS is guilty - soon after registering at our GP noticed the wrong spelling of a name on NHS documents, this was quickly followed by quite a few unsolicited mailshots with the same error.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by lenlec View Post
    Crap. I’ve just had an email saying some one in russia was trying to use my account. I clicked on it to rectify
    What should I do now ?
    Andy
    Sign back in and delete any payment cards signed to account and set up multi factor authentication.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by prexelor View Post
    Sign back in and delete any payment cards signed to account and set up multi factor authentication.
    Thanks

  16. #16
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    I thought this was going to be about Amazon offering to tarmac people's drive "cos they've got some left over from a big job".

  17. #17
    Craftsman ELD1970's Avatar
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    A friend of mine who is a very clever teacher almost got stung by the TV license email scam. He’d only renewed his license a few hours earlier and then received the scam email.
    Sometimes the timing can catch you out.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  18. #18
    Grand Master dkpw's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil.Ldn View Post
    I hate these scamming motherf***ers with a passion. My elderly father-in-law got caught by them not so long ago - they had him on the phone for 4+ hours while they installed software on his laptop and set up various loans in his name for around £20k. Luckily we found out very quickly and were able to go through and sort out all his online accounts/passwords/etc, wipe and rebuild his PC -- and thankfully his bank were on the ball too and froze his account, although that took another 3 hours on the phone to sort out.

    It was a massive PITA for us and very scary for him - there is a special place in hell for these scumbags!

    Sorry that turned into a bit of a rant. But stay vigilante folks - for every 100 of us who are wise to it, there will be 1 poor soul who gets stung.
    Sorry to hear that grief. My 86 year old mum gets loads of these calls, as the phone number has been associated with her flat from the time of the previous owner, so it's on every list out there. She's on Virgin Media, so there are less blocking options than if she were on a BT line.

    I've had to drum it into her, that unless it's someone she knows, just put the phone down. The bank, Scottish Power, Virgin, Microsoft have NO reason to call her. Never press any buttons, just put the phone down. Don't speak to them, just put the phone down. If the phone rings again instantly, don't answer it.

    It's an incredible worry that one day she'll forget and do something that opens her up to these bastards.

  19. #19
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    ^ Get a call interceptor box, it only allows incoming from numbers you preset or suchlike.

    Something like this -

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/TrueCall-The-Nuisance-Call-Blocker-White-Silver/dp/B002GP7HQM

    http://<font color="#000000"><span s...nt>Mnc65GLtoHw
    Last edited by GraniteQuarry; 24th November 2020 at 23:38.

  20. #20
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    My mum had a phone call recently from supposedly from virgin saying there was a problem with her broadband luckily she doesn’t have a computer and doesn’t know how to use one

  21. #21
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    Most of the phone calls are automated. If you pick up and don't say anything, the automated diallers just hang up. If it is a real person, they usually will speak and identify themselves. Take care folks.

  22. #22
    Craftsman trott3r's Avatar
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    Some people take them on and keep them on the line pretending to he dumb like were is start button etc then after aN hour or so tell them they use a commodore Amiga

  23. #23
    Master Ruggertech's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trott3r View Post
    Some people take them on and keep them on the line pretending to he dumb like were is start button etc then after aN hour or so tell them they use a commodore Amiga
    Another one is to say "give me a minute please I have something on the grill", go and sit down for half an hour then return to the phone and say "not interested ta".

    Sent from my SM-A105FN using Tapatalk

  24. #24
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    My phones operate off a white-list - if you are not on it - they don't ring.

  25. #25
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GraniteQuarry View Post
    The NHS is guilty - soon after registering at our GP noticed the wrong spelling of a name on NHS documents, this was quickly followed by quite a few unsolicited mailshots with the same error.
    <clap, clap, clap (etc; repeat weekly)>

  26. #26
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    Different kind of scam, but we are currently experiencing people with Amazon and Deliveroo rucksacks attending as though making a delivery. They put any parcels they see into the rucksack and walk off. The thieves wear hi viz and look like ordinary delivery staff.

  27. #27
    Like everyone else, I occasionally get these. I usually try to waste as much of their time as possible. If they're on the phone to me, they're not scamming someone else.
    The last one was Sky.
    Scammer: "Hello Sir, I am calling from Sky, I am sorry to tell you that someone has hacked your Sky router and is using your internet. Can you please be telling me what colour your router box is blinking."
    Me: "Oh dear. I can tell you that it's blinking black. How does knowing that blinking help?"

    Pretending to be deaf is good fun too. The last time I did that, I had the guy screaming down the phone, you could hear the hubub in the scammer call centre fading away as his yelling was affecting those around him.

  28. #28
    Grand Master dkpw's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GraniteQuarry View Post
    ^ Get a call interceptor box, it only allows incoming from numbers you preset or suchlike.

    Something like this -

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/TrueCall-The-Nuisance-Call-Blocker-White-Silver/dp/B002GP7HQM

    http://<font color="#000000"><span s...nt>Mnc65GLtoHw
    Nice that seemingly works on Virgin phones. Thank you.

  29. #29
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    Crazy; seeing this thread after I spent half an hour last Sunday seeing these videos:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpp1sIL1m5Q&t=48s


    This guy is AMAZING!

    Seen this with my morning coffee at 5am; my day was immediately better

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5L3em2cZEM

  30. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by GraniteQuarry View Post
    ^ Get a call interceptor box, it only allows incoming from numbers you preset or suchlike.

    Something like this -

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/TrueCall-The-Nuisance-Call-Blocker-White-Silver/dp/B002GP7HQM

    http://<font color="#000000"><span s...nt>Mnc65GLtoHw
    Unfortunately many essential calls like doctors, social care etc are often anonymous.

  31. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    Unfortunately many essential calls like doctors, social care etc are often anonymous.
    My mum is old and as kingstepper has said various essential services for her come from unrecognised numbers such as the calls that came from the hospital earlier in the week

  32. #32
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kingstepper View Post
    Unfortunately many essential calls like doctors, social care etc are often anonymous.
    Then they should not be. There is no legitimate reason to withhold a number.

  33. #33
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    Then they should not be. There is no legitimate reason to withhold a number.
    Many health and care workers will use a particular phone line for outgoing-only calls and would not want incoming calls on those lines. Perfectly legitimate use.

    Some organisations will present their main switchboard number, but that just leads to lots of incoming "somebody called me from this number but I don't know their name or extension" calls, which benefits nobody.

  34. #34
    Easy to spot when you have been bombarded for decades by simular phone calls and emails.

    BT, Amazon, Gas company, Free insulation, Government grant, do you have a boiler, your internet is being switched off etc, etc....

    There are also facebook scams where your "friend" messages you saying is this video yours. It then sends you to a fake version of facebook and if you type you login into that they have hacked your account.

    The "friend" who sent it was dull enough to fall for it and their account is being used to do the same to others

  35. #35
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipK View Post
    Many health and care workers will use a particular phone line for outgoing-only calls and would not want incoming calls on those lines. Perfectly legitimate use.
    No it isn’t.

    Some organisations will present their main switchboard number, but that just leads to lots of incoming "somebody called me from this number but I don't know their name or extension" calls, which benefits nobody.
    It benefits those who want to whitelist the number.

  36. #36
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    My surgery - in these Covid times - operates a system whereby you can request a telephone consultation with a doctor. These are scheduled in the doctor's diary and the doctor rings the patient back at an appropriate time. This is done, quite correctly, on a separate anonymous line, as that line is designed to be outgoing only. If that number was displayed, then everybody would just ring it directly, which would make the service impossible to operate.

    Another example - many helplines will need to call people back. There are circumstances when they would not want their identity to be know to other people with access to that phone, so they do not display their number.

    Just because you are unable to understand why there are circumstances where it is desirable not to provide a CLIP number doesn't mean that there aren't very good reasons why people need to do it.

    (And a reminder that anybody can withhold their number on any particular call by dialling 141 before the dialled number, which may be of use to some here).

  37. #37
    I had an email from DPD saying that they couldn't deliver a parcel that I wasn't expecting yesterday, and giving a link to arrange a re-delivery, for which there would be a charge.

    The email address was .be, and I"m not convinced that DPD in the UK use a Belgian email address.

    Also, DPD are probably the least worst courier company for sending emails to advise the recipient that their parcel had been despatched, and providing tracking information. This was completely out of the blue.

    So. An email from Belgium, advising me of the failed delivery of a parcel that I'm not expecting, with a link to arrange re-delivery, for which there would be a charge. What could possibly go wrong?
    Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.

  38. #38
    Grand Master Seamaster73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipK View Post
    My surgery - in these Covid times - operates a system whereby you can request a telephone consultation with a doctor. These are scheduled in the doctor's diary and the doctor rings the patient back at an appropriate time. This is done, quite correctly, on a separate anonymous line, as that line is designed to be outgoing only. If that number was displayed, then everybody would just ring it directly, which would make the service impossible to operate. Another example - many helplines will need to call people back. There are circumstances when they would not want their identity to be know to other people with access to that phone, so they do not display their number. Just because you are unable to understand why there are circumstances where it is desirable not to provide a CLIP number doesn't mean that there aren't very good reasons why people need to do it. (And a reminder that anybody can withhold their number on any particular call by dialling 141 before the dialled number, which may be of use to some here).
    There are technical solutions to all these matters that do not require anonymous CLI. “Just because you are unable to understand why” is lovely stuff, though.

  39. #39
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seamaster73 View Post
    There are technical solutions to all these matters that do not require anonymous CLI. “Just because you are unable to understand why” is lovely stuff, though.
    There is absolutely no requirement for a caller to provide a CLIP number - hence the universal availability of the 141 override. There are also many circumstances (I've already mentioned some of them) where a caller will, quite legitimately, not wish to provide a CLIP number.

    The availability of technical solutions to provide a CLIP which is different to the calling number is entirely irrelevant. (Incidently, it is exactly this capability which the scammers exploit.)

    Either you are unable to understand this, or you choose not to understand this - but there are many circumstances in which, quite legitimately, a caller will choose not to provide a number. That may inconvenience you, but it's entirely up to you whether or not you answer any particular call.

  40. #40
    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipK View Post

    (And a reminder that anybody can withhold their number on any particular call by dialling 141 before the dialled number, which may be of use to some here).
    And even less known,1470 will allow the person you're calling to see your normally withheld caller ID. Just tell whomever may be calling you that your number is 1470 + std+ number.

  41. #41
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikeveal View Post
    And even less known,1470 will allow the person you're calling to see your normally withheld caller ID. Just tell whomever may be calling you that your number is 1470 + std+ number.
    Just to be pedantic, if requested most telcos can put a bar on a number so that 1470 is disabled, so this won't work if your caller is using one of those lines. An example where it might be appropriate would be a refuge for abused people, where they wouldn't want the number given out in any circumstances.

    And, of course, the emergency services and your telco can always see the number being used, as (in some circumstances) can the bill payer when you call a free (such as 0800) number. And all bets are off if the call is originated using VoIP (as pretty well all scammers will be doing).

  42. #42
    I've had four calls in the last 24 hours and each one slightly different with different voices giving the message.

  43. #43
    I had the 'cancel amazon prime' call last week - despite not having Prime (press 1 to speak to someone, which i did out of curiosity to understand the mode of phishing).

    She was wanting to give me a 'cancellation code' to go to a site. I politely informed the lady I had removed all my credit card details from my amazon account and she was free to go ahead and charge it, that confused her somewhat . Tried to get more info so I could report it and she hung up. Seemed to be from a call centre in India, pretty well organised these phishers.

  44. #44
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    I just treat all calls and messages as scams.

  45. #45
    Grand Master
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    Simple process in our house..........we don’t answer the phone.

    Job done.
    Cheers,

    Ben



    ..... for I have become the Jedi of flippers


    " an extravagance is anything you buy that is of no earthly use to your wife "

  46. #46
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by crazyp View Post
    I had the 'cancel amazon prime' call last week - despite not having Prime (press 1 to speak to someone, which i did out of curiosity to understand the mode of phishing).

    She was wanting to give me a 'cancellation code' to go to a site. I politely informed the lady I had removed all my credit card details from my amazon account and she was free to go ahead and charge it, that confused her somewhat . Tried to get more info so I could report it and she hung up. Seemed to be from a call centre in India, pretty well organised these phishers.

    I get the odd week when there are around 4 calls: "Thank you for renewing Amazon Prime - your credit card will be charged on **/**/2020"

    I'm sure the rest of the call prompts for a response - I just hang up as soon as the above is read.

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