[WeavingGryphon]

whilst I am tired of the daily calls from HMRC court cases, internet cut off, amazon prime renewal subscription, and the latest 10 free luck dips to some lotto scheme which sounds like  the national lottery??? I was concerned about the TV licence email as it came about 3 weeks after I paid it and it REALLY looked genuine.

thankfully I do internet banking and immediately went online to check that my card details hadn't expired and that the payment had gone though.  obviously it had been paid, but this email did make me promptly check and if I didn't have that resource I may have been panicked into clicking the link.

I sent a message to the BBC licence people and got a long winded message back of how their emails look/read etc, but for those who are not computer savvy it wasn't really reassuring or clear tbh.

so, I suppose. if you really owe someone money, they will still use the old fashioned version of writing to you before they cut you off/end your business.

if in doubt, ask a friend or neighbour to look at any emails you may be concerned about. as for calls, if you dial 1471 and get the number, type it into google and it will probably come up as one of those 'who called me' numbers with ratings about how many people have had these calls from that number and just how big the scam is.

If they don't know your name, it's a scam. Email addresses don't count as knowing your name.
One of the easiest way to tell, although if your details have been stolen they may know your name.

[Growster...]

My dear Growster, it wasn't a phone call but an email and still can't believe how genuine it looked. Having just received last month's bank statement it was paid and just as I thought. Gotcha you little ******! I've set up my emails so I can see the content in a pane below so I don't need to click on them because one never knows where it will lead. I'm not the most computer savvy person in the world by any means but my heart goes out to those people who have been taken in by such a clever scam.

I like reading how stupid the senders of scams are, because my email address is gibberish, with no apparent name indicated! They automatically get into spam and are then binned!

Good on you for having a pre-reader though, it saves a lot of time!

[WeavingGryphon]

Hello I had a call saying the accident settlement had been confirmed and could I give them my card details so that they could deposit it in my bank account (my phone says fraud or scam)  I gave them a card number a very old defunct fuel card that I found in the glove box it seemed to keep them happy they rang back and said that my number had been removed from their system  jezza

"Who told you that I had an accident? I hid the body well and the police haven't found it".
I read someone who recommends that, the scammers usually hang up fast.

[Goosegirl]

WG, you hid the body in the well? You've just let the cat out of the bag because that would never do for someone who loves Poirot! Answers on a white coat please! 

[Growster...]

In an old Enid Blyton story - I think 'The Ring o' bells mystery', the secret passage to some deserted house had an entrance halfway down a well!

This calls for another post!

[mrs bouquet]

This one said I was due a £550 tax rebate  Ha Ha.     Please complete the following form or you will not get it !
Just deleted -  If the Inland Revenue owe me money, they know where to find me.     Take Care,  regards, Mrs Bouquet

[Christine]

Like the one who wanted to review an advantage gas account at an address I moved from nearly 8 years ago. Only answered phone as usually the withheld number is the social housing landlord. Anyways he was going to update my account - I said thank you and put the phone down before he asked for the new address.

We are all a bit too old for that sort of thing round here aren't we?

[WeavingGryphon]

I'm getting lots of blackmail emails today, one was in slovakian. Lots for payments not going through and they need my details to pay me as well. Oh and pictures of Ukranian, Russian and Columbian "beauties" without clothes who want to meet me. 

[Growster...]

"The weather it is cold yes in Moscow, Comrade Gryphon"!

(c'mon, you know you have to answer something like 'No ne v Aberdine, tovarishch")!

Then the photos change hands, and are in the shops by Friday..;0)

[Elaine G]

Worryingly I am also getting a lot of emails from 'beauties' without clothes who want to meet me. 

Elaine

[Goosegirl]

Depending on my mood and what sort of scam it is, I either put the phone down straight away or have them on until they twig it! 

[WeavingGryphon]

"The weather it is cold yes in Moscow, Comrade Gryphon"!

(c'mon, you know you have to answer something like 'No ne v Aberdine, tovarishch")!

Then the photos change hands, and are in the shops by Friday..;0)

When did you retire from being one of the beauties?

[Growster...]

"The weather it is cold yes in Moscow, Comrade Gryphon"!

(c'mon, you know you have to answer something like 'No ne v Aberdine, tovarishch")!

Then the photos change hands, and are in the shops by Friday..;0)

When did you retire from being one of the beauties?

It was when I had to consider the gravity of the situation...

'Gravity' took over so much that there wasn't a pound of me hanging in the right direction...:0(

[Growster...]

Just spotted a new one today, about some bloke in the US National Guard, doing something or other about Covid 19.

It went straight into 'spam', as Gmail does that for you, but I occasionally check that folder as one or two new chums are writing to us!

It asks for a 'click', and may just be genuine, but I think not...

[Mr Dog]

Another coronavirus scam doing the rounds. A phone call comes after demanding payment.