Strange conversation with a Bank

[silentC]

Yesterday afternoon, the phone rang. I was in the kitchen and the missus was outside, so I answered it (it's usually for her anyway).

Me: Hello
Him: Hello, can I speak to Leanne please
Me: She's not here at the moment, can I help?
Him: Would I be speaking to Darren
Me: Yes.
Him: This is Brad from the National Australia Bank. I'm calling about an account that you both share. Can I start by asking you your date of birth.
Me: Hang on, if you are calling me, you know what my date of birth is.
Brad: Yes, I have your date of birth here. I need you to tell me what it is so that...
Me: Yes, but you called me.
Brad: Let's take a step back here. Due to the privacy legislation I need...
Me: But you're the one who called me, I didn't call you.
Brad: Well, I'm not prepared to go any further with this call until you can give me your date of ...
Me: [click]

I mean, how stupid does he think I am? Someone rings out of the blue, introduces himself as "Brad from the National Australia Bank", and then starts asking me to supply my personal details; the same personal details that anybody who had a phonebook could put together with my name, address and phone number in order to masquerade as me.

I have no doubt that it was Brad from the National and I also have no doubt that he was calling to let us know that our credit card is overdrawn, but we already knew that :D

Banks: 10,000,000 - Me: 1

[bennylaird]

Well done, luv your work:D :D :D

[keith53]

Onya Silent, you crafty devil.:D

[Rocker]

SilentC,

You could have had a little fun by asking him what his account number and date of birth were. Then, if he refused, suggest that you are as unwilling as he to give out personal details over the phone to unknown strangers. Perhaps the banks need to develop a procedure to enable people to know for sure that they are not being scammed when their bank contacts them. I can't see why the bank could not have sent you a letter anyway.

Rocker

[silentC]

That's what I said to Leanne. If they want to contact us, let them send us a letter.

It'll probably backfire and he'll just pass it on to debt recovery, but I've had my fun with him :)

It is a serious issue though. I get many emails purporting to be from banks wanting me to click on a link and enter my personal details to confirm them. Even if only 1 out of every 1000 people who receives one of these emails follows the link, it's worth it from the criminal's point of view. The upshot is that even legitimate emails are no longer trusted, so it's a real problem for these organisations. Now with the privacy legislation, they're not allowed to discuss personal banking matters over the phone with you unless they establish your ID, even if they called you. I have no sympathy though, because they shouldn't be phoning people to bother them anyway. If they want to contact me about it, they can write me a letter.

I'd better get that order in to Timbecon in before they put my card on the negative card list :eek:

[Buzzer]

I too had a similar conversation, but with someone claiming to be from Telstra, asking me for personal info. But I did not give it too them and hung up on them.

This call was strange considering I am with Optus.

Cheers.

[keith53]

I too had a similar conversation, but with someone claiming to be from Telstra, asking me for personal info. But I did not give it too them and hung up on them.

This call was strange considering I am with Optus.

Cheers.

Might have been one of those 'tell them anything so long as you get the business back' call centres that Telstra use.

[Rocker]

It'll probably backfire and he'll just pass it on to debt recovery, but I've had my fun with him :)



I believe banks charge you a hefty fee, if you exceed your credit limit, so they may have the last laugh.

Rocker

[Wongo]

And after the conversation Brad opened your record and commented Darren as “The smart ars e”.:D

Lovely work though.

[Groggy]

Next week Darren receives a letter from Bank advising of suspension of account. Any questions please call "Brad" during business hours.

Following day problems begin appearing due to questions over your credit status . . .

I'm reminded of that movie "Meet the Fokkers"

[Gumby]

Next week Darren receives a letter from Bank advising of suspension of account. Any questions please call "Brad" during business hours.



and don't forget to have your birth date handy :rolleyes:

I don't think it's unreasonable for them to ask your details even if they ring you. What if somebody else answered your phone and they gave away some of your private details. You'd be pretty I think.

[Wongo]

Darren: G'day Brad, hows going?
Brad: Yeah whatever
Darren: Do you want to know my birthday.

..
Darren: C'mon mate don't act like that. Say something.
..

:D

[Groggy]

and don't forget to have your birth date handy :rolleyes:
yep, that brief warm feeling you get from having a win actually originates from the testes; as hot bankers hands are positioned ready to squeeze... :(

[bitingmidge]

Before I tell you we never let them go that easily, let me say that as a shareholder of NAB, Brad is an employee of mine, and I can't condone that sort of treatment of my staff!!

However, when dealing with other banks, as Rocker says, we ALWAYS ask for name, date of birth, position, employee number (all call centre employees seem to have them) and a return number.

This causes a bit of angst, but usually we do call back to confirm, then ask them to call us back!

We had a nice one recently, paying off a loan we'd had for 20 years. The bank refused to deal with Mrs Midge (who has been their sole contact point for all that time) because she wasn't "authorised".

She told them using what we refer to as "tone", to check the copy of the trust deed they had on file (in another branch in another city, and probably in another country) to confirm that as a director of the trustee company, she did indeed have the authority, and if they wanted to get me down to the bank to verify this we would be invoicing them for my time at my current charge-out rate of $275.00 per hour, could she have an order number please?

I'm not sure if there were too many big words used or if it was too hard to get authority to spend the $275.00, but it was all miraculously fixed without any further conversation.

Mind you, I think she has a "be scared of this woman" mark on our accounts, ever since the day she held up a teller for over an hour trying to fix a 25c anomoly.

Good luck with Brad, glad to see he's looking after my interests as a shareholder. Hope the penalty's a biggie! ;)

P
:D :D :D

[MurrayD99]

Mr C, it could be he was going to offer you a significantly higher credit limit. Then again, "a banker is a man who will lend you an umbrella on a day when it is not raining..." Yer did right.

[silentC]

I don't think it's unreasonable for them to ask your details even if they ring you
No it's not unreasonable to ask, but it is unreasonable to expect me to give it to them. If it's good enough to identify me to them over the phone, then it's good enough to identify anyone pretending to be me too.

[Gra]

I'm not sure if there were too many big words used or if it was too hard to get authority to spend the $275.00, but it was all miraculously fixed without any further conversation.

:D :D :D

Being an employee (and a shareholder) of one of those organisations (Though not in the retail end of the market).... I am guessing it was too hard to get the authorisation to spend $200....

I am also with Silent, how do you know Brad was from the NAB and it wasnt some scam.

[Tex79]

I don't blame you at all Silent, I probably would have done the same thing as you can never be too careful these days.
I had one of those typical calls you get at around 8pm from a person with a "Non-Australian" (not trying to be racist) accent telling me that a brand new mobile phone was going to be sent to me!! I told them that I wasn't interested and didn't want a new phone, They were very suprised and said all I had to do was confirm my name and inform them where I worked????? What did that have to do with receiving a mobile phone I asked, They advised me that this was very important information and I had to tell them, I informed them that it wasn't going to happen and hung up. Muppets!! I often wonder how many people get sucked into traps like that.

[AlexS]

Pre-emptive stike time, Darren.
Ring the bank's head office and tell them you've had what you believe was a phishing phone call, from someone calling himself Brad. Be really helpful & friendly to them, and ask them to drop you a line and let you know the result of their enquiries. Might also be worthwhile alerting the community via your local talkback to the latest "phone phishing" scam. All in the community interest, of course.:D

[bennylaird]

Are you using the navy definition of Muppets by chance?

[Gra]

Pre-emptive stike time, Darren.
Ring the bank's head office and tell them you've had what you believe was a phishing phone call, from someone calling himself Brad. Be really helpful & friendly to them, and ask them to drop you a line and let you know the result of their enquiries. Might also be worthwhile alerting the community via your local talkback to the latest "phone phishing" scam. All in the community interest, of course.:D

Alex, Well thought out response, good working of the system.... I am impressed.

[silentC]

I thought of doing just that, Alex (except the local talkback bit - we don't have one!). Trouble is, they might take the opportunity to ask me what I was going to do about my outstanding balance!

[bitingmidge]

Gulp!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

What if he was phoning to telly you he'd won Lotto!!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

P (who can't be overdrawn, we've still got two cheques left!)
:D

[dazzler]

We had similar problems with TELLLLLLSTAA always calling trying to get our business back. As my partner has severe anxiety she is unable to argue with people and just accepts what they say.

They had been told never ever to ring and to add that to the field on the computer with our account details. "yes sir, we wont ring again":rolleyes:

Twice more they rang and each time were told bluntly to look at the text and then explain why they were ringing.

Third time they managed to convince my partner to change back which suspended my internet from another carrier and all sorts of issues.

Got it changed back eventually and told them to add that any future calls will be met with abuse.

Fourth time they rang and were met with a torrid of my most fluent abuse :D

After this I sent them a letter stating that if they call again that i will initiate harassment charges under the Telecommunications Act.

havent heard back yet :)

Plicks

[havenoideaatall]

I don't think it's unreasonable for them to ask your details even if they ring you. What if somebody else answered your phone and they gave away some of your private details. You'd be pretty I think.

Have to admit, you've got a point. After all, you could be pretending to be the person who should be picking up the phone, but aren't. (I mean you are picking up the phone, but's its not yours to pick up.....)

The fact that someone may have or know your DOB is another matter...

[Gumby]

If it's good enough to identify me to them over the phone, then it's good enough to identify anyone pretending to be me too.

:confused:

[bennylaird]

Actually I'm not sure if I should be talking to you lot unless you quote your DOB, your account numbers, your pin numbers etc with every post.:cool:

Have to be careful don't we?:p

[Driver]

Several years ago (before we decided to get a silent number), my wife was accustomed to receiving two or three calls per week, asking for charitable donations.

She answered the phone one time and the following conversation ensued:-

Caller: "This is the Hodgkinson's Disease Society. Is that Mrs Driver?"

SWMBO: "Yes it is but look, we donate quite frequently to various charities..."

Caller: "Yes, I realise that, Mrs Driver, but ..."

SWMBO: "And really, I think it's a bit much being pestered at home like this."

Caller: "Well, I'm sorry if you feel that you're being pestered..."

SWMBO: "I mean, I think a person is entitled to a bit of peace and quiet in her own home."

Caller: "Yes, but Mrs Driver ..."

SWMBO: "Especially when they are quite generous with their donations. I think, in fact, that I bought a ticket for one of your raffles the other day."

Caller: "Yes! Mrs Driver..."

SWMBO: "Did you say the Hodgkinson's Disease Society? Yes, here it is on the fridge. I mean, pestering me when I've already made a contribution. It's a bit much..."

Caller: "Mrs Driver! Please stop talking! I'm calling to tell you you've won second prize in the raffle! You've won $1,000!"

SWMBO: "Oh! Er .... thank you very much."

[Gumby]

Several years ago (before we decided to get a silent number),

If it's a silent number, how do you know when somebody is calling ? Surely you don't sit there watching for a flashing light to go off or something ? :confused:

It's always intrigued me so I have to ask.

[Rossluck]

You make a good point, Silent. I mean, if an email or even a snail mail letter arrived asking for your details, you'd be suspicious, so why is a phone call presumed to be innocent? With the plethora of nuisance calls hassling us these days, it wouldn't seem like a big step for telemarketers to gain info using such a ploy. You done good, played strong.

[bennylaird]

It just vibrates, thats why they take so long to answer and sound relaxed when they do?

[Driver]

If it's a silent number, how do you know when somebody is calling ? Surely you don't sit there watching for a flashing light to go off or something ? :confused:

It's always intrigued me so I have to ask.

Good question. :)

It was originally a problem :confused: so I got them to wire the phone in to the electrical supply next door.:cool: Now when someone calls, next door's lights, television, burglar alarm, washing machine, etc, all turn on and off until the bloke next door attracts my attention to let me know that someone's trying to ring me. Quite effective really.

[silentC]

Gumby, what I am saying is that if my DOB is enough for them to be satisfied that they are talking to me, it is all that a crook needs to masquerade as me. Here's a scenario:

Brad rings, I give him my DOB, he writes it down. He got my name out of the phone book, so he now has my name, address and DOB. He rings NAB (now that he knows I have an account there) and asks to change his (my) address. He gives them my name, my old address and his new one. They ask for my DOB and he gives it to them. Presumably they are satisfied with that, so they change my address to his and now he gets my statements. See?

[Cliff Rogers]

Yeap, could be a scammer. ;)

I had a call from a Gubment Dept who stores all sorts of info about Australians.
It came up as PRIVATE on the caller ID.
The caller would only give me her first name but wanted me to identify myself.
I told her that I wasn't going to give out that info if I didn't know who I was talking to.
She said her first name & the name of the Gubment Dept again to which I replied "How do I know that for sure?"
She got her supervisor.:rolleyes:
I explained that since I had not made the phone call, I had absolutely no way of knowing who was on the other end of the phone asking me to give out private info so I wasn't going to.
She actually said that she was the supervisor & that she could personally vouch for the caller. :eek:
To which I said "How do I know who you are?"
She said "Because I'm telling you"
So I said "Well I'm Cliff Rogers, because I'm telling you"
She said "Under the privacy blah blah blah blah blah"
I said "Unless you can prove who you are, I'm not giving you anything"
She gave me a direct telephone number to call back on & told me the name of the first caller to ask for.
I said "Yeah sure, what does that prove, we hang up, I call back, you answer the phone & we go throught the same silly conversation at my expense. You'll have to think of something better than that.":cool:

Then I said, "How about I look up your Gubment Dept in the phone book & ring the 13xxxx number & ask for you?"
She said "That may not work 'cos the 13xxxx number could go anywhere in Oz."
I said "If you give me some more details about where in Oz you are, I'll ask whoever takes the call to put me through"
She agrees, I wait 10 minutes & ring the 13xxxx number, when they find where she is in Oz, she is on another call so somebody else asks if they can help. :D
I tell them the story, they check my ID, pull up the file & tell me what it was all about.
I said, no problems, put it in writting & post it out to me. ;)
"OK" says them, call ends.
20 mins later, original caller is back on the phone....
"Mr.Rogers, you didn't call me back like you said you would."
"Oh, but I did" Says I, "You were on the telephone so I spoke to another person about it"
"Well, you need to speak to me about it because I am managing this." She says "But first, I have to check your ID. :D :D :D
Roars of laughter.
"OK" she says, "call me back, I won't take any other calls, I'll be waiting."
I wait 15 mins & call back. :p (now having a ball with this)
I get through to her this time.
"OK Mr. Rogers, just for blah blah blah, I need to ask you your DOB?"
"Yeap, no problems" says I & give it to her.
"Now," she says, & rattles off her big speal.
"Have you got my file open?" I asked.
"Yes"
"What does the last entry say?"
"I'm not at libity to tell you that" She says.
"Well just read it so you know 'cos I know what it says" Says I.
"Yes"
"Well" says I, "Do you see what the arrangement was that I made with the other person I spoke to?"
"Yes" she says.
"Good." Says I, "In future you will save a heap of time & money if you just put it in writing. Don't bother calling back 'cos I'll just waste some more of your time. Goodbye"

I got the letter, wrote them a reply & they haven't called me since. :D

[baxter]

Silent, presuming that you did not answer the phone with your mouth full, then Brad should have realised that he was speaking to a person of the masculine gender. So why didn't he ask if you were Darren instead of asking if Leanne was there? Easier to hassle a lady than a gent?

I have a hearing difficulty with higher pitched female voices (for real not just selective hearing) and it is particularly so with female Asian voices. So aren't I lucky that I'm not a customer of the Westpac Bank?

[Sturdee]

We get a lot of spam calls and I answer as follows:

Caller : Can I speak to Mr Sturdee.

Me: Depends if you are on the list of approved callers, can I have your name and where you are from?

Caller : I'm not trying to sell anything but it is urgent that I speak to Mr. Sturdee.

Me: I'm sorry but "not trying to sell anything" is not on my list of approved callers so Mr. Sturdee will not talk to you. Goodbye.


Seems to work as they don't call back.:D


Peter.

[dazzler]

I love that logic cliff :D

Morons are fun to play with. One week after a loooong nigtshift we were having the usual nightshift drinks when a nightshift patrol turned up to say hello. ;)

A particularly nasty and aggro radio operator (secure network) was giving the patrols a hard time so one of the off duty blokes grabbed the radio and said to the operator;

##### is the 'F' word

Bloke: "Give em a break will you stupid."

Operator: "Last member repeat"

Bloke: "I said, give em a break stupid."

Operator: "Last member identify themself"

Bloke: "Do you know who i am?"

Operator: " No"

Bloke: " Well you can get #####"

Operator: " Last member identify himself immediately"

Bloke: "Do you know who I am"

Operator: "No"

Bloke: "Well get ##### then."

Radio Sgt: " That last member will identify themself"

Bloke " Do you know who I am"

Radio Sgt: "No"

Bloke: "Well you can get ##### too"

Radio Sgt: "You will identify yourself immediately" (:mad: voice)

Bloke: "Why"

Radio Sgt: "Because I will have you charged, now identify yourself"

Bloke: "Do you know who I am"

Radio Sgt: "No"

Bloke: "Then go and get #####"

Supervising Superintendant: "This is alpha seven, I order that member to identify himself"

Bloke: " Do you know who I am"

Supt: "No"

Bloke: "well go and get truly ####"

Ahhhhh Morons......good entertainment, specially with a melbourne bitter in the hand:p

[clubbyr8]

I just ignore any caller ID that is Private or Out of Area.

Out of Area usually means an overseas call centre and if I'm feeling "playfull" I answer the call then hang up before the auto call generator can switch the call to an operator. Let's them pay for an unsuccessfull call.

Bob

[Bleedin Thumb]

yep, that brief warm feeling you get from having a win actually originates from the testes; as hot bankers hands are positioned ready to squeeze... :(

LOL Groggy couldn't let that go without a comment!:D

[Rocker]

If I conclude that a caller is a telemarketer, I put the phone down without engaging them in conversation.

Rocker

[Auld Bassoon]

I too had a similar conversation, but with someone claiming to be from Telstra, asking me for personal info. But I did not give it too them and hung up on them.

This call was strange considering I am with Optus.

Cheers.
That's a bit odd as even if Telstra Wholesale had sold one or more services to Optus for re-sale (as happens quite a fair bit), Telstra Retail aren't permitted any access to that information (other than that a service, cable-pair, etc) have been sold and are in use (no end user details whatever).

[journeyman Mick]

About 15 years ago, some low-life stole my wallet whilst I was in the bank. I spent the rest of the day cancelling everything and getting replacements. When I went to renew my driver's license I fronted up with absolutely no ID at all, no cards, nothing. Gave them my name and address and all the license classes I held and they took my photo and issued me with a new one, it was suprisingly easy. So I asked them what was to stop the person who stole my license from claiming to be me and needing a new license. They could give all my details and even use some of my other (non-photo) cards to back up their claim to be me.They would then get a new license in my name but with their picture on it.
Them: "Oh no sir, it's never happened"
Me: "How would you know?"
Them: (with puzzled look on face) "Oh I'm sure it's never happened, we've never heard of it happening"
Me: "Proves my point doesn't it, they must have gotten away with it"
Them::confused: :confused:

Mick (pretty sure now that it didn't happen, but you never know, do you?:p )

[Gumby]

I just ignore any caller ID that is Private or Out of Area.

Out of Area usually means an overseas call centre and if I'm feeling "playfull" I answer the call then hang up before the auto call generator can switch the call to an operator. Let's them pay for an unsuccessfull call.

Bob

So do I now. If it's private, I don't answer. Overseas calls come in on the display as 'overseas' so they get answered and immediately hung up on. Just to cost them the call.

[ozwinner]

About 15 years ago, some low-life stole my wallet whilst I was in the bank. I spent the rest of the day cancelling everything and getting replacements. When I went to renew my driver's license I fronted up with absolutely no ID at all, no cards, nothing. Gave them my name and address and all the license classes I held and they took my photo and issued me with a new one, it was suprisingly easy. So I asked them what was to stop the person who stole my license from claiming to be me and needing a new license. They could give all my details and even use some of my other (non-photo) cards to back up their claim to be me.They would then get a new license in my name but with their picture on it.
Them: "Oh no sir, it's never happened"
Me: "How would you know?"
Them: (with puzzled look on face) "Oh I'm sure it's never happened, we've never heard of it happening"
Me: "Proves my point doesn't it, they must have gotten away with it"
Them::confused: :confused:

Mick (pretty sure now that it didn't happen, but you never know, do you?:p )


Sooooo........... Mick!!

Or is it JOE!!!.
Ya covers blown buddy, time to fess up.

Al :mad: :p

[Barrie Restall]

I like to play with these callers, too. If they are silly enough to start by asking "How are you today", I launch into a long sad story of woe and strife that would bring tears to your eyes. Once, a young caller asked me "Is all that true?".

An Indian call centre person once claimed to be Optus, so I said they couldnt be Optus as Optus wouldnt call from India when they were just down the road. They gave up.

Most local pests hang up quick when I interrupt them and ask "Have you accepted Jesus as your personal saviour today?"

I look forward to these calls.

Barrie

[E. maculata]

Got one tonight, Bloke from dowtown Bangaldesh, asked if
"this was the Smith household?"
I quickly replied, sorry mate no-one by that name here, you must have dailed the wrong number & hung up.


Bruce C.

The names have been changed to protect the identities of the innocent.......me

[Bob Willson]

I have been the subject of a crank caller for some time now. I work nights and every two or three months I will get a series of phone call at about 10.30 or so in the morning and this lasts for several weeks before stopping for a while. Just enough to wake me up and then they ring off.
This has been happening for about seven or eight years now.
At one time I bought a caller ID thingy but it only showed the number calling me as being private.
Occassionally I am up at that time anyway and manage to pick up th ephone on the second or third ring. I don't sat anything, I just listen. After a couple of seconds the line goes dead.
Apart from getting in touch with the phone company, does anyone have a good way of dealing with this? How can I find out who is harassing me? If I rout the call through my computer (using a modem as an answering machine) will it give me the number ringing?
I would love to able to phone this moron straight back and let them know that I am on to him/her.

[Cliff Rogers]

If caller ID doesn't show the number, nothing will.
1.You could have Telstra intercept all calls.
2.You could take the phone off the hook whil you are asleep.
3.You could put a fax machine on the line & let it answer the phone while you are asleep.... it will pick up after 2 rings & squeal in their ear.

[Groggy]

In the states you could hit *69 and it re-dialled the last person who called. It was quite funny when they answered with their name - once you had their name and phone number - you owned them.

My neighbour got a few irate calls in the middle of the night and dialed the *69 the next day. His (other) neighbour's wife answered, using her name. Big Bill confronted little Joe in the driveway that evening - it weren't pretty. Joe was apparently ticked off about Bill's noisy ute, but didn't want to confront him over it.

[Bob Willson]

<!-- / message -->
This bit should be completely ignored, although I know that despite this warning, you will read it through to the very end.

Barrie

No I didn't. Doh!

[Cliff Rogers]

....*69 and it re-dialled the last person who called. .... ...

Like *10# here?
But it doesn't work with blocked numbers. :(

[Bob Willson]

If caller ID doesn't show the number, nothing will.
1.You could have Telstra intercept all calls.
2.You could take the phone off the hook whil you are asleep.
3.You could put a fax machine on the line & let it answer the phone while you are asleep.... it will pick up after 2 rings & squeal in their ear.

I would rather do it without involving telstra et al. I know that when somebody dials into a modem then their number is registered in a log (leastways, that happens when using FreeBSD) so I wondered if the same was true if they dialled into an answering machine on my computer?

[Ashore]

I have been the subject of a crank caller for some time now. I work nights and every two or three months I will get a series of phone call at about 10.30 or so in the morning and this lasts for several weeks before stopping for a while. Just enough to wake me up and then they ring off.
This has been happening for about seven or eight years now.
At one time I bought a caller ID thingy but it only showed the number calling me as being private.
Occassionally I am up at that time anyway and manage to pick up th ephone on the second or third ring. I don't sat anything, I just listen. After a couple of seconds the line goes dead.
Apart from getting in touch with the phone company, does anyone have a good way of dealing with this? How can I find out who is harassing me? If I rout the call through my computer (using a modem as an answering machine) will it give me the number ringing?
I would love to able to phone this moron straight back and let them know that I am on to him/her.


If you get to the phone say nothing but tap the reciever with a pencil 3 times loudly, do this every time, they don't know what the noise is and worry its being traced.


Rgds

[Cliff Rogers]

...when somebody dials into a modem then their number is registered in a log (leastways, that happens when using FreeBSD) so I wondered if the same was true if they dialled into an answering machine on my computer?

Only 2 ways that can happen....
1. caller ID from the telephone network & the crank caller can block that by using a private number, a payphone or dialing an ID blocking prefix.
2. the computer device from the calling end provides it to the computer device answering at your end & I doubt a crank caller would be using a computer to call you.

[Bob Willson]

Only 2 ways that can happen....
1. caller ID from the telephone network & the crank caller can block that by using a private number, a payphone or dialing an ID blocking prefix.
2. the computer device from the calling end provides it to the computer device answering at your end & I doubt a crank caller would be using a computer to call you.

Oh, OK, that explains why the modem supplies the calling number when they connect via a modem. :(

[silentC]

So why didn't he ask if you were Darren instead of asking if Leanne was there? Easier to hassle a lady than a gent?
That's what I thought. Another reason I took a dislike to him.

[Bob38S]

Many thanks for the extra excellent ideas. Luv your work!
I will add them to
"You want me to what" [in a rising crescendo] followed by hysterical laughter and a hang up.
"Hang on while I grab a pen" then go and have that coffee or polish that bit of wood.
"You have reached a secure line and you are required by law to declare your name and number"
"As this call has been logged and you have been identified - please confirm your supervisor's details, age, sex, status"
"As you have breached my privacy it is a necessary requirement for you to connect me to your supervisor's supervisor"

If it has been one of those daze and I don't really want to play then -

"Listen, if you are selling, sueing, soliciting or interested in sex and travel - then F off"
Regards,
Bob
:D:):D

[Eddie Jones]

I have been the subject of a crank caller for some time now. I work nights and every two or three months I will get a series of phone call at about 10.30 or so in the morning and this lasts for several weeks before stopping for a while. Just enough to wake me up and then they ring off.
This has been happening for about seven or eight years now.
At one time I bought a caller ID thingy but it only showed the number calling me as being private.
Occassionally I am up at that time anyway and manage to pick up th ephone on the second or third ring. I don't sat anything, I just listen. After a couple of seconds the line goes dead.
Apart from getting in touch with the phone company, does anyone have a good way of dealing with this? How can I find out who is harassing me? If I rout the call through my computer (using a modem as an answering machine) will it give me the number ringing?
I would love to able to phone this moron straight back and let them know that I am on to him/her.

Organise for a new, silent number. Usually you have to pay for this, but - not sure here - if you have a reason like harassing or obscene calls, it may be free.

Otherwise, have a whistle handy next to the phone.

[Barrie Restall]

Hi Bob,

I had a similar problem, many calls with no-one there when answered. I got Telstra to put a trace on them and they said it was an automatic dialing from some company and that it would switch the call to any available operator if it was answered. If there was no available operator it just hung. Telstra can get you off the company's list (I have had no more trouble). They also told me to leave the phone off the hook for 5 minutes as the company pays for the time, just a little revenge.

Might be worth a try if all else fails.

Regards,

Barrie

[Terry B]

I have had a silent number for years and almost never get telemarketing calls. ~1/year. The problem is that if I phoned any of you guys that don't pick up the phone if it says "private" then I wouldn't have the joy of talking about woody things.:D :D
I have to answer the private calls as I am on call for my work(a BIG govt organisation) and their phone always comes up as private.

[Auld Bassoon]

Like *10# here?
But it doesn't work with blocked numbers. :(

The carrier will still have the 'A' party number though - so, Bob, get onto the carrier and have them set up an automated trace.

[AlexS]

Had a telemarketing call this afternoon from the local office of a private audiometry provider trying to flog a 'free' hearing test for people over a certain age. They asked for either SWMBO or me by name. Told them I wasn't interested & hung up, then rang their national office to find out where they got our names from. From a previous phone book says the spiv on the end. Ordure of the oxen, says I, our names aren't in the book. Spiv tries to change the subject, tells me what a great free service they are offering, blah blah blah.

What concerns me is that we have both recently reached 'a certain age' and have applied for Senior cards, so I'm wondering if this information is being given to them by a government department. In any case, I've written to the company, my state & federal politicians and the state & federal privacy commissions. If I don't get any answers from the company, I might just have to enquire in person at their local 'surgery', and you can bet it will be at a very busy time....:mad:

[Driver]

Alex

Push a bit harder.

The place to start is with the CEO of the private audiometry outfit. I recommend that you ring him and tell him, politely but firmly, that you are very, very angry at the entire notion your names should have become available to his organisation and you absolutely demand to know how he (emphasise 'he' because he is ultimately responsible) came by them and who gave and/or sold him your names and details. Tell him your privacy has been invaded, this is illegal and you will be pursuing the matter with the intention of taking legal action against him and his company if he doesn't cough up the identity of the source of his information.

Then sit back and watch the fun!

These bastards are getting away with some highly unethical practices and they need to be jerked around a bit.

Col

[Ashore]

Recieved an e-mail today with this link
http://h20271.www2.hp.com/SMB-AP/cache/394101-0-0-14-121.html?jumpid=em_au1to1_sotsep/article

This taken from the article

"You have reached accounts. Please enter your 16-digit credit card number."
Sounds okay. And let's be honest, you are responding to that 'official' email you've just received from your bank.
Apparently your account has been locked – do you remember unsuccessfully trying to login three times last week? You're not sure, but it is possible. Now an email from your bank is asking you to call a particular phone number so that you can have your account unlocked. All you have to do is verify your account and identity.
So, do you enter your credit card number?
Maybe you'd better think about it just a little bit longer. If you do pass on your details, you might just be one of many who are falling victim to the latest type of fraud, vishing.
Specifically a form of hi-tech crime, vishing is little more than 'voice' phishing. It can come from a simple phone call directly to you home, from that phone number listed on the email you just received, from an auto phone-dialling process, or even through your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.
In fact, it's actually VoIP that is proving to be a true boon for vishers as callers are able to remain anonymous as they generate massive volumes of calls for little – if any – costs. Once the call is made they can then fake their identity as it comes up on your call display, making their name and number appear to come from a legitimate source, such as your credit card company or bank.
There's plenty of vish in the mainstream
With VoIP increasingly moving into the mainstream, there seems little doubt that fraudsters will be increasing their attacks.
So what can you do to protect yourself? While various VoIP providers, such as Skype™, currently block outgoing caller IDs on their communications to effectively ensure fake details cannot be sent, many other providers don't provide this service.
And while companies are also working on specific filters to help block such phone messages in similar ways that spam is blocked, there is currently little hardware or software in place to help protect people; and until specific protection such as online banking authentication systems are adequately used and available, many people will fall victim.
Don't be a vish out of water
Today, even as many and varied forms of protection (http://h20271.www2.hp.com/SMB-AP/cache/127272-0-0-14-121.html) are being developed to help ensure your data, software, and hardware remains safe and secure, when it comes to vishing, a little common sense might just go a long way.
If you can't identify the caller from their caller ID, let your voice mail pick it up. You can decide later whether to call back.
Never reveal your personal information – a tactic that works in every fraud attempt. You wouldn't disclose the same information when you receive an unsolicited email from your bank, why would you to an unsolicited phone call?
When you receive any call purporting to be from your credit card provider that you're not one hundred percent sure of, simply hand up and call the phone number on the back of the credit card. If it turns out this was a fraud attempt, you can then report the vishing attempt to both your VoIP provider and your bank.
And when worse comes to worse and you feel you've been successfully stung by a fraudster, make sure you contact your bank or credit card company immediately and that you report you card number as stolen.
Answering a call can be a great thing, but sometimes it's nice to get a close call, instead.



Was your call realy from the bank Darren ?

[woodsprite]

This is a great thread! I get about 3 calls a week from people from phone companies I have never heard of speaking in a language sort of like English. One caller actually told me they were calling from India and seemed to know a fair bit about my personal details - I asked how come they knew so much and this idiot said they had checked my credit standing through the national credit rating organisation (can't think of its proper name right now)! She was probably right as she knew details your general telemarketer would not know.

If I am feeling a bit frivolous I let them go through all the guff, tell them I will consider changing over if I can speak to the supervisor, and when it gets to the crunch where they start recording the voice contract I give them a mouthful of unpleasant language.

Have at times asked if the caller is interested in phone sex, buying my car, moving in with me if I send them some money, etc.

As a last resort I put my 17 year old son on - he has a computer file with stock quotes from movies etc and he can summon up a response appropriate to their questions very quickly from the file - they get the idea sooner or later and hang up. Love helping htem spend their money! Mongrels!

[baxter]

Still like the Seinfeld response "Can you give me you home phone number so that I can ring you when it is inconvenient to you?"

They seem to hang up quickly after that.

[Cliff Rogers]

....I'm wondering if this information is being given to them by a government department.......:mad:

I got a letter today, Addressed to my full name at the street address, & using the techo name of the suburb.:confused: (Hardly anybody ever uses the techo name for our suburb, we all just say Cairns 'cos it is close enough & everybody knows where that is.)

It starts out.... Dear Clifton. :cool:

Now I know this has to have come from a Gubment Dept file 'cos only me Mum & the policeman call me Clifton. :rolleyes: :D

I also know that there are only about 3 or 4 Gubment Depts that insist on using the street address & not our PO Box.
All our bank statements, magazines subscriptions, telephone accounts, electricty accounts, council rates notices, Dr.s, Dentist, even me Mum knows to use the PO Box.

It is titled "This is your Fugwitz (Not there real name:rolleyes: ) Travel Ticket to the World"

And it goes on to say... "This letter is your personal invitation to a lifetime of holidays."
Blah Blah Blah Blah Waffle Waffle Waffle... within 72 hours to receive a fantastic reward for spending some time with us. (BTW. There is no date/time on the letter. :rolleyes: )

You can choose between either:
Fugwitz Holidays Accommodation Certificate for 2 adults & 2 children valid for:
-2 nights at the Gold Coast
-3 nights at Cairns (Beauty says I.)
-4 nights at NZ, Fiji, Phuket, or Penang.
Or
A $75 Coles Myer Voucher. :eek:

Strewth, what is second prize? :cool:
Bloody hell, who thinks up this crap.... {insert shake head smiley}

Signed by the Senior Vice President of Marketing.
Underneath it says that there is no obligation to purchase anything but...
On the back it tells you how much the booking administration fee is. :D

Anyway, back to the chase, whenever I subscribe to anything or give my details out, I address it to Cliff Rogers at the PO Box.
I never use the address they used.
Now I know from dealing with a couple of Gubment Depts (see earlier post) that they are somewhat reluctant to part with any info so this narrows it down to the State Dept of Motor Transport (why the Copper calls me Clifton :rolleyes: ) & the electoral roll.
I just checked my driver's license & it says Cairns so it must be the electoral roll..... bugger.:mad:

[Sturdee]

I just checked my driver's license & it says Cairns so it must be the electoral roll..... bugger.:mad:

Must be the electoral roll. This is freely available for perusal by anyone without charge at the electoral office.

May even be available on line now.


Peter.

[Bleedin Thumb]

"Do you have flybuys sir?"
Why do we give information on our spending habits to a marketing organisation for the reward of a free T Shirt after you have spent $10,000

[baxter]

I just checked my driver's license & it says Cairns so it must be the electoral roll..... bugger.:mad:

I think that you will find that some local councils sell a list of property owners which would have your full name etc. I have heard of Real Estate Agents using them and they are on disc and not a hard copy.

[AlexS]

These bastards are getting away with some highly unethical practices and they need to be jerked around a bit.

Col

I agree Col, and what fun it can be!
I had intended to do what you said with the CEO (& other directors), but you now have to pay to get that info from ASIC. That's why I've sooled the local pollies on to them. After all, you don't keep a dog and bark yourself, do you.:D

[Cliff Rogers]

I think that you will find that some local councils sell a list of property owners which would have your full name etc. I have heard of Real Estate Agents using them and they are on disc and not a hard copy.
My name is not on the property at the street address.

[cub3]

Interrupt spiel, sorry some one at door, very interested please hang on.
leave off hook 10/15 min's. their cost. :)

[Eddie Jones]

What I've never been able to understand is why all these telemarketers talk exactly like Peter Sellers.

???????? Goodness gracious me!

[Auld Bassoon]

Alex

Push a bit harder.

The place to start is with the CEO of the private audiometry outfit. I recommend that you ring him and tell him, politely but firmly, that you are very, very angry at the entire notion your names should have become available to his organisation and you absolutely demand to know how he (emphasise 'he' because he is ultimately responsible) came by them and who gave and/or sold him your names and details. Tell him your privacy has been invaded, this is illegal and you will be pursuing the matter with the intention of taking legal action against him and his company if he doesn't cough up the identity of the source of his information.

Then sit back and watch the fun!

These bastards are getting away with some highly unethical practices and they need to be jerked around a bit.

Col

Quite so: One wonders just where and through which channels this information is made commercially available. It erks me no end :(

[AlexS]

Well, today I received a letter from the company, addressed to Mr., but with my wife's given name. Thanked me for speaking with them, but said nothing about where they got our names from. It was just their standard advertising spiel.

I shall retire tothe workshop to consider my next move.:D

[Driver]

I agree Col, and what fun it can be!
I had intended to do what you said with the CEO (& other directors), but you now have to pay to get that info from ASIC. That's why I've sooled the local pollies on to them. After all, you don't keep a dog and bark yourself, do you.:D

Alex

I agree that you don't want to waste money on ASIC just to get the CEO's name but you probably don't need to. I've found the simplest way to get the name is to call the company and just ask. Something simple, like this:-

"G'day, can you please tell me the name of your CEO or general manager or chairman? I want to write to them and I think it's important to get their name right."

Most switchboard operators / receptionists will give you the name (and the correct spelling and title) without demur. If they ask for your name - and, in my experience, that's very rare - give it to them by all means. If they ask if you would like to speak to the relevant PA or secretary, accept the invitation. This may give you an opportunity to speak to the head honcho so have your complaint ready and give him or her both barrrels.

When I ran a biggish organisation, I used to insist on taking any call of this kind myself. I trained switchboard operators always to try to put such callers through to me directly or, if I was unavailable, to get a name and number so I could call back. The thought was that you never know how important these things are until one blows up in your face. Roughly 80% of such calls were a fair dinkum waste of my time but I was pretty good at getting rid of those calls - better than my switchboard operators, I reckon.


Well, today I received a letter from the company, addressed to Mr., but with my wife's given name. Thanked me for speaking with them, but said nothing about where they got our names from. It was just their standard advertising spiel.

It's obvious that the CEO of the mob you're dealing with isn't in touch with what's going on in his own outfit or they wouldn't be stuffing up your name and your wife's like this. Pretty sloppy. I'll bet they're not a big outfit so it wouldn't take a lot of effort to get these things right.

Give 'em hell!

Col