Received a call from unknown number

[podgerodge]

So, yesterday, I got a call from someone and the first thing they said was Hello, I'm ringing from "undecipherable company name", am I speaking to Mr podgeandrodge?

As they had my name and phone number, my instinct was that this was a call from some trustworthy company so I acknowledged that I was who they said I was.

They then said that I had a couple of bitcoins I had purchased years ago and they were now worth €70k. At this point I knew something was up as the only crypto currency I've ever had was some free stuff from Revolut worth about €5 and quickly cashed in!

So I asked them again who they thought they were speaking to and when they repeated my name I said "ahh no, my name is" something completely different.

They then hung up.

My biggest concern here is that they had my mobile and real name. I guess that's always possible, could somehow have been left online (from my job or something or they've got a hacked database like Electric Ireland news today) but it's disconcerting that some scammers made the connection to initiate a call.

From now on if I get a call from an unknown number I'll ask who they are first. But callers from electricity companies etc regularly say "this is Bord Gais, am I speaking to"...so not much can be done other than to be very aware that if the call becomes too good to be true it then is!

Just posting in case others have had recent calls like this.

 

[Johnno75]

Thanks for posting.

Obviously some form of scam.

Another thing these folks do is engage in data harvesting on these calls.

I got a call some time ago from a foreign gentleman from an unknown number asking to speak to Johnno75. They asked was I Johnno75 and said they were from some company I didn’t recognise.

I said yes and they immediately asked me was this my mobile number and to confirm my email address and postal address (which they didn’t have) “for security reasons”.

I didn’t give them any details and hung up.

 

[Salvadore]

I love the calls I get from virgin media. They ask me to confirm my name and account number “for security reasons”. When I point out the obvious, they suggest I consult their website instead.

 

[Monbretia]

I get these all the time on my house phone, it's not used for much else at this stage! They always have my first name anyway if I speak as that activates them, some days if I'm in the humour I answer and just get them going and then hang up, mean I know but sure they are hardly the good guys! They are always of the financial nature, saying you lost some money lately on an investment would you like to make it back or the bitcoin type.

Most of the time though I don't even answer as it's very obvious with a house phone anyway that when it rings it's slightly wrong to how a normal call rings, there is a pause between first and second ring that you don't get with a normal call.

It seems to me like someone has an old copy of the telephone directory!

 

[podgerodge]

More concerning for me is that this is my mobile number! And my first and second name.

 

[arbitron]

There is a good chance your details were sold by a website/service you have used in the past or they were hacked from a company database.

I recommend using https://haveibeenpwned.com/

They compare your details to hacking reports and alert you if you have been exposed.

 

[Jazz01]

Thanks @arbitron ...

Just checked some of my internet email account and one has been involved in a number of breaches:

​

Oh no — pwned!​

Pwned in 5 data breaches and found no pastes​

​

Now I know why I get so many matches on tinder, people offering me bitcoin, telling me they've installed a virus on my machine(s) and know everything about me / etc etc... to that account !​

 

[podgerodge]

There is a good chance your details were sold by a website/service you have used in the past or they were hacked from a company database.

I recommend using https://haveibeenpwned.com/

They compare your details to hacking reports and alert you if you have been exposed.

Only email addresses which I was aware of having been thrown around over the years, but no surname/mobile numbers.

 

[podgerodge]

Meanwhile, 5 minutes ago, via text message..sigh!


GOV IE: You are eligible for a discounted electricity bill under the Energy support scheme. You can apply here: https://mygovid-xxxxxxxxxxonline.com/ I added x's

 

[DannyBoyD]

Dont answer unknown numbers and block the scam texts.

 

[joer]

Dont answer unknown numbers and block the scam texts.

The problem is they now come from mobile numbers and lately from ,what appears to be, land line numbers ...so it's not always possible to not answer.. ...
But it is easy to hang up..

 

[Leo]

Only email addresses which I was aware of having been thrown around over the years, but no surname/mobile numbers.

Have you tried submitting all email addresses you have used over the years, work and personal? There are aggregation services operating in the black market that specialise in collating information from multiple breaches to build more detailed profiles of individuals and sell them on to others who leverage the additional data to attempt more complex scams.

 

[AndroidMan]

Dont answer unknown numbers

What if its an emergency? Somebody taken ill? A family member in need of help, lost their phone and needed to use somebody elses phone.

 

[podgerodge]

What if its an emergency? Somebody taken ill? A family member in need of help, lost their phone and needed to use somebody elses phone.

Agreed. The risks or potential important calls or inconvenience from ignoring numbers not in your book is too great.

 

[joer]

Agreed. The risks or potential important calls or inconvenience from ignoring numbers not in your book is too great.

Agreed. You can always answer and if you don't recognize the voice or the reason for the call just hang up..
I get these calls about every second day..

 

[DannyBoyD]

The problem is they now come from mobile numbers and lately from ,what appears to be, land line numbers ...so it's not always possible to not answer.. ...
But it is easy to hang up..

Even easier to reply with a text.

"Can't talk, please text"

Anyone genuine will text you; scam callers wont bother.

 

[DannyBoyD]

Agreed. The risks or potential important calls or inconvenience from ignoring numbers not in your book is too great.

Funny that, have been doing it for years and nothing dreadful has happened.

 

[DannyBoyD]

What if its an emergency? Somebody taken ill? A family member in need of help, lost their phone and needed to use somebody elses phone.

Most genuine people don't block their number.

 

[Leo]

Most genuine people don't block their number.

Scammers know that and most of them now spoof the numbers they call on. There is little point blocking numbers that you receive scam calls on as they rotate them all the time.

I like to answer calls I suspect are scams, I don't really engage much with them but I waste a little of their time, and that's time they then can't spend trying to scam someone else.

 

[joer]

Scammers know that and most of them now spoof the numbers they call on. There is little point blocking numbers that you receive scam calls on as they rotate them all the time.

I like to answer calls I suspect are scams, I don't really engage much with them but I waste a little of their time, and that's time they then can't spend trying to scam someone else.

I heard a story , perhaps you did too , about a guy getting a call from someone telling them that there was a problem with their computer. He engaged in conversation with him. He was asked to open windows...after about ten minutes of talk he said would you mind if I close the windows now as it is getting cold.
The conversation ended