Possible Phishing alert - New Type - BT landline!

Good afternoon

Not strictly "photographic" but many people connect to the internet via their telephone landlines!

You have all probably heard about the telephone calls from “Microsoft Technical Support” saying that there is a problem with your computer and that the person needs to connect to it to fix something, and which then turns out to cost people an infected computer and probably then a lot of money – but the following is a new one on me!

This morning I got a call from “someone” appearing to say that he was from some sort of BT “Technical Support” about “your BT Landline” – I got him to confirm that he was talking about a BT Landline, and then said “Sorry, we don’t have a BT Line” (which is true – it is a dedicated, not leased, Virgin landline!) and put the phone down! He never called back!!!

This seems to have been pretty obviously a “phishing” call because, had he been a genuine BT Tech Support guy, then he would have known that we did not have one of their lines and would not have called us – but it could easily catch out someone who does have a BT line (which is most people because they either have BT lines, or lines which are leased from BT, or don’t actually know who supplies their landlines). I don’t know where such a call might lead, but it could turn out to be very expensive if you get “caught”!

Therefore I suggest that if you do get any calls like this then do what I did (even if you do have a BT Landline then just make up something if you must), and/or if you know someone who has/might have one then maybe warn them of the possibilities. Perfectly happy for you to pass this on.

All the best.

John

Thanks for the alert. I am sick and tired of the "Microsoft tech" calls, and of the offers of professional oven cleaning, and of "we are not trying to sell you anything - we just want to survey your opinion" etc etc. I deal with the latter by telling them that I charge £200 per hour for giving my professional opinion on anything - that usually baffles them.

Sometimes I just pretend to be deaf and stupid.... not much pretence there, really.

Martin

I have had the same allegedly from TalkTalk, which is odd because I do have a connection through them. I just tell them to email me, oddly enough they don't. Thing is, if there is really a problem with the landline, how do they get through? Must think we are really stupid. As for the Microsoft scam, I usually say 'that's funny, your office called yesterday to fix it, is it still not right?' Line goes dead.

When I worked in an office we were always getting calls saying they could give a better telephone deal. They perked up when I said I was transferring them to telephone accounts, who in reality was an old chap who loved to chat Inconsequentially, and was fascinated to hear what the weather was like in India! Sometimes the call went on for half an hour and I could just picture the exasperation at the other end. They stopped after a while though.

That this goes beyond BT does not surprise me - as for people being "stupid", I think it's not so much that but that almost everyone would be surprised to get such calls and then many respond without thinking the situation out and so get drawn into the treacle of the scam before they realize what is happening.

That's why the issue needs to be drawn to as many other people as possible in order to alert them to risks.