Fraudulent phone calls about my "BT Internet connection"

I've had two phone calls today with INTERNATIONAL caller ID about my "BT Internet connection". As we don't use any BT Internet products, it's clearly fraudulent. That sort of cold call where they didn't really seem to know my name would be highly suspect even if we did use BT Broadband or BT Infinity - I'd ask for the department I need to contact, then hang up and call them on a number found on an old bill or their web site, checking that the line has cleared down from the previous call.

When I told the callers, who had Indian accents, that the call was fraudulent, they hung up straight away.


Has anyone else had a similar call today?

Yes, well yesterday. The number that called me was 0208 833 3666. Well known to google.

I played along for a while but could not be bothered to go to my computer, so he gave up and said he would call back. He had an Indian accent. Not unlike many of the BT people I have spoken to.

It's usually Windows Support.

Never had one but would like to just to play along for a laugh

In reply to a post by bobble_bob:

Never had one but would like to just to play along for a laugh

I've done that before; I installed TeamViewer at their instruction (in a virtual machine of course). They spent a while trying to convince me my PC was sick, and that I should pay them £320 for a technical support subscription so they could look after it.

It's nothing short of fraud of course, the PC was fine and they were just lying to get me to buy a technical support subscription. But since they are based in India, using UK telephone numbers via Skype, they seem to be untouchable.

I had 2 the other day as well.

Usually we get a call every so often from them.

Another reason ISP's support needs to be brought back to UK.

In reply to a post by bowdon:

Another reason ISP's support needs to be brought back to UK.

That won't stop people in India ringing people up in the UK. And they don't usually pretend to be from the ISP, it's usually "Windows Technical Support".

New boilers, new windows, new roofs your PPI muppets oh and my windows needs upgrading blah blah

TPS is useless as they originate from abroad.

Yes to your original question.

In reply to a post by derekdel:

New boilers

"Now that winter is here..." - in the middle of summer, in >25 degreesC. AARGHHHH!

I mostly originate calls on my mobile, but the vast majority who want to call me will do so on my landline number. TPS doesn't help much, as the calls themselves come from outside the EU and linking the calls back to EU organisations is almost impossible. Those outfits generating and selling 'qualified leads' via unwanted cold calling (rather than being outright fraud attempts) are sufficiently remote from the users of those leads to create a fair degree of plausible deniability.

I don't think I'd lose anything important by blocking calls with INTERNATIONAL caller ID. Unfortunately, the vast majority of this garbage has unavailable caller ID and, as calls from the hospital and the GP surgery also have unavailable caller ID (so as not to reveal to anyone else that they have called), I can't block those calls.

I find they come in waves. Not had any for a while, then it'll be 2 or 3 a day for a while. Windows Support, Technical Department, etc, etc - even one claiming to be from TPS!
My wife always does the full little old lady bit and denies any knowledge of any computer. If they say they're Windows Support I talk about double glazing until I get bored and become extremely rude.
Sometimes I ask them if their mothers are proud of them - they promptly hang up.

Worryingly, the ones claiming to be from BT seem to know the account number.