...if someone knocked at your door and asked to use your phone because they had broken down and wanted to call someone to help. They were perfectly respectable looking and slightly distressed. Would you let them?

This is what might happen..... They ring up the office where their spouse/friend works and asks to speak to them. They are in a meeting so they hold while someone goes to interrupt and fetch them. They apologise to you for the delay. Eventually they start speaking to the person they are trying to get hold of and explain the situation of the car and where they are. The call lasts a few minutes. They put down the phone and are really grateful to you for your help. They leave and you are really pleased that you have been able to help out.

Till you get your phone bill...and find that you have been charged about £250 for a five minute call. Because this person has previously set up a premium rate call and set the charge at £50 per minute. What they called was this number. There was only a pre recorded message at the other end of the line to give the illusion that they were having a conversation with someone.
What can you do about it?............nothing........because YOU gave your permission for this person to use your phone. No crime!!

The only way to fight scams like this is to raise awareness and pass the messages on. Please be aware!
Lara

hi all
thank god that people can not call premium rate from my phone after hearing this. did this happen to you. i cannot belive what people can do

lorraine

what more? does make me wonder?

Julieann :(

I'm a local Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator and we have had this message several times from the Police, this lady is working her way round the country so keep an eye out everyone. Ingrid

Thanks Ingrid. On the news last night here some people are knocking at doors nowing that old lady's live there and are making out they are selling things or wanting to use the phone etc. Makes me so cross :(

Julieann

I'd also heard of this scam via our neighbourhood watch. Its so sad that if someone genuinely needed help, they would be turned away.
Also do you know about the 'Lebanese Loop' scam when using cash card machines. Its been fairly well publicised lately and in our local town there have been a few cases, but now luckily people are wise about it.
Lorna

Hi Lorraine

No this did not happen to me, but there was a thread a while back about a young lad who had asked someone for help - and the general consensus was that there seemed to be a lot of good samaritans who post here. Just wanted to be make people aware of where that could lead :(

Hi Lara heard this before, I would not let anyone in my home ,What a world to be in you just cannot trust people today. But I would agree to make the call for them leaving them on the dooor step .Pat x

I'm with Pat here. Get the number off them and leave them outside while I make the call myself. By doing that, I should be able to tell if it was a 'proper' number or not. If it was one of those high tariff numbers, I would request an alternative number to call or the money up front!

I agree what is it coming too not being able to trust anyone? :( I always jump when my door goes wondering who it will be and what they want? Sad really? Julieann xx

My doorbell has rung more in the last week than the entire time I've been living here. In the last 3 days, I've had:
1) couple asking me to THEIR church
2) Charity selling Christmas cards
3) two German women wanting to educate me on THEIR religion
4) Deu. Telecom asking about neighbor's whereabouts
5) Another couple pressing me to attend ANOTHER church

They only ring when they WANT something, whatever it be. :rolleyes:

I now ask who is it when the doorbell rings. If they do not answer or it isn't someone I know. I say sorry and don't open the door.

Don't see why I should have people I don't know kncoking at my door.

My kids think I am awful, but there is no law says I have to open my door to anyone.

I do the same as Pat said - take the number and ring the person. It does not happen as often now as it used to since mobile phones became more prolific.

Christine

Hi Brainless

This will make you laugh.

I always had people on my door re the local church, going on and on about one thing or another. One day I waiting for husband and daughter to return from Ireland and was at a loose end.

So I thought I would have some fun. I spoke to these people (one man and a lady) and in the end the man was convinced I was right. I told him that his views about not getting to heaven unless you attended church regularly were not true. And if his God was about that then I didnt like him anyway.

I told him that he attends his church for the company of other people and if that is what he needs to get through life then good for him, as for me, I didnt need to prove my faith by doing that.

He was eventually converted, his lady friend kept pulling at his shirt sleeve to leave and I havent seen sight nor sound of this particular church here again. I think I may be on a blacklist somewhere, twas a hoot.

Like you, I do not open the door unless I know who it is.

Companies telephoning me for double glazing etc were asked to wait while I get my husband as he is interested and put the phone on the table, then go about my daily business till they get fed up and hang up.

Ex directory now so the funs gone from that one.........lol
regards
Jackie Dallover

My Dad is rather religious, and has his own take on catholisism! He has scared off all the evangelists that have called, and gets them tied in knots :D :P

LOl your dad sounds like my kind of person. Good on him and he should have a medal for doing so. If we want this sort of thing we can go and get it, not have it knocking on our front door.

Great!!

Jackie

Depite the fact that we have no less than six external doors, we don't HAVE a doorbell ... or a knocker ... or a letter box. We forgot :rolleyes:.

One fortunate aspect of life up here is that you don't really need to lock your doors at all (although we do it anyway, when we're not in). The dogs tend to make us aware of visitors before they get through the garden gate!

We do tend to get twice-yearly visits from the Jehovah's Witnesses, with whom we have fun sometimes!

On one occasion, I asked them whether or not I would get to Heaven if I joined their church. "Oh yes, that's entirely possible."

Then I asked if my dogs would be allowed in, as well. The JW said that they would not :(

When I replied that Heaven without my dogs would be Hell, they decided that I might not be a potential convert after all. :D

Incidentally, according to one JW, on another occasion, all fossils are fakes put there by atheists in an attempt to disprove the Bible - and anything you were taught about prehistoric biology and evolution is a lie.

Oh well, I suppose I'd better resign myself to going to the hot place when my time comes. :(

I note, from this week's local paper, that two offenders have been "tagged" up here - the first ever in the county.

according to one JW, on another occasion, all fossils are fakes put there by atheists in an attempt to disprove the Bible

Oooh, that rates right up there with one of the the phone calls I had from a religious org. saying that once upon a time ALL animals and beasts were vegetarians who were eventually corrupted by man to become carnivores.... I asked how the dinasaurs were tainted by us when humans didn't exist yet.... to received a puzzled reply that "man has ALWAYS" been here on earth :rolleyes:

I suppose I better resign myself to going to the hot place when my time comes

I don't suppose you'll be alone Snorri, if the JW are right about dogs I'd sooner join you
Anne ;-)

I'd rather be there too with my dogs and other doggy people than with the faithful like Jerry Falwell :rolleyes: :P

There are so many advantages to living in the back of beyond with our earest neighbours a quarter mile away at the end of the track!!!!

Mind you, the JW have been known to traipse all the way down to us once -but the couple that came were allergic to cats and when my husband (who often is in a world of his own) invited them in & offered coffee - they were sat upon by about six cats - and then declined the coffee and left! The only reason I knew they had been was because they left a copy of their magazine - came in useful for lining the litter tray :-)

When I moved into our farmhouse, we do live in the middle of no were the Royal Mail could not even find us drove us nutts! Then out of the blue these two very smart men were in my porch knocking on the door and you guest it J W!!!!!! I did have to laugh, the postman can't find me but you lot could um!!! :( :)

Julieann

Same as Snorri- I'll be going no-where without my bitch:)

Stacey x x x x

oh me too wont go anywhere without my Molly :)

This story about the telephones was originally publicised by a crime prevention officer, who had to admit later that it was a hoax!
(I am not an expert, but I have been told that you cannot be charged £50 a minute for calls.)
However, I think it is best not to let other people use your telephone.
another scam is the one where you receive a message giving you a number to call urgently. You call it and hear an engaged tone. You keep calling, but the engaged tone is a recorded message and each time you call you are paying a premium rate.

Michael
10 November 2002

Well, I'll have at least 13, for a start, other half will bring about 55, so we'll have to make arrangements for all the people! :) *

*Border Collies (of course), Cockers, GSDs (or, as they were better known when herself used to breed them, Alsatians) and the occasional "57 varieties"!

:)