Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Monday, 28th October 2024, at 21:30hrs
You can report scam phone calls to Action Fraud by visiting their website
Housemates on the ITV2 reality game show Big Brother have fallen victim to a scam phone call, costing them some food items and leaving some contestants fuming.
During the show aired on Monday night, Big Brother set a task named Big Brothers phone, “Ringing off the hook.” Housemates had to answer the phone and follow instructions given to them. To enable them to pass the task, they had to complete each call.
During one phone call, housemate Martha, a 26-year-old NHS Administrator who is originally from Margate but now lives in Scarborough, rushed across the room to answer the call. Big Brother said, “we need to confirm some details about your name and shopping list, we think there has been a mixup with your order.” Martha was then asked to clarify some shopping items and was later told to bring the items that included sweets, teabags, and coffee to the diary room.
Once Martha had taken the items to the diary room, Big Brother provided her with an envelope and asked her to open it. Inside the envelope was a note to say, “You’ve been scammed.” Looking on in horror and shock, Martha left the items and stomped back into the house to inform the others they’d been scammed.
Scam calls are on the rise across the country, with victims falling into the trap of scammers targeting their vulnerability and persuading them to hand over their live savings.
What are some common types of phone scams?
It can be hard to tell the difference between a scam and cold calling. But, it’s good to know some common scams so you can be prepared.
Bank scams Watch out for calls supposedly from your bank about fraudulent use of your bank account or bank cards. Scammers might ask you for your PIN and tell you to give your bank card to a courier. Your bank would never do this.
Undercover police scams
These can be calls from someone claiming to be the ‘undercover police’, claiming that they’re investigating a member of staff at your bank and asking for your card details. The police would never ask you to take part in an investigation like this.
Computer or mobile phone repair scams
The person may call and tell you that your device has a virus, and that you need to download software to fix it. This is actually spyware – an unwanted programme that runs on your device and can give scammers access to all your online information.
HMRC scams
You may get a call from someone claiming to be from HMRC saying there’s an issue with your tax refund or an unpaid tax bill. They may leave a message and ask you to call back. HMRC would never contact you this way and would never ask you to reveal personal financial information such as your bank account details.
Council Tax scams
Calls claiming to be about correcting your Council Tax band or giving you a Council Tax rebate. Your council would never call you about a rebate out of the blue.
Compensation calls
This is a call from a company asking about a car accident you’ve supposedly had claiming you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t engage in these calls. If you’ve had an accident, call your own insurance company on the phone number provided on your policy.
Texts with fake links
You might receive a text asking you to follow a link to fix a problem with one of your accounts or to track a parcel. These links will often take you to a fake website and get you to log in, which scammers can then use to access your information.
Telephone Preference Service scams
Watch out for calls asking you to pay to renew your membership of the Telephone Preference Service. The service is free and any calls asking you to pay for it are scams.
Pension or debt management offers
Be wary of cold calls or texts from strange numbers offering products or services, such as pension or debt management.
Sales and investment calls
These are unwanted or pushy sales calls, or investment opportunities that seem too good to be true.
If you or anybody you know have fallen victim to such crimes, you can report it to Action Fraud here 👉 https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
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