Oh goodness - not the same old scam again.

FORMAL AND IMPORTANT WARNING - no one ever got anything for nothing after one of these calls, and the overall winner is the promotion company. AVOID AT YOUR RISKS AND PERILS.

We I did actually win a holiday to Disneyland Paris and got a phone call advising me the Saturday before Xmas. They gave me very little details at all and said they would be posted out, which of course they were, but I did wonder to start with if it was a scam call.

I had to go and rake in the paper recycling bag to retrieve the prize draw form I'd completed to see what exactly I had won!

I've had a couple of these dodgy calls and just hang up as soon as the message starts spouting.

luci

About two years ago, we had a telephone call saying that my other half had won a holiday. We were told that to claim it we would have to go to an office near Gatwick and take with us payslips, utility bills and passports. I told them that 1) we hadn't entered a competition; 2) if we had what competition runner would want to see payslips and utility bills (passports maybe); and 3) if they thought we wouldn't realise that they were either a holiday club or time share company, then they really must think that everyone is stupid. I then hung up.

I'd be quite happy to tell them something similar but the latest ones have all been pre-recorded so I haven't had a chance. If you do get a 'real' person and they ask about your employment you could always say you are a solicitor and at present most of your business is dealing with unsolicited callers trying to persuade people they have won holidays etc.

I've had a couple of these today - both recorded messages - the first one being a cruise. I just put the phone down. Picked it up 5 minutes later and it was still going.

I find these really annoying - I am registered with the telephone preference agency so in theory should not be getting them.

Pippa

I know a person who always tells the sales person on the phone that Mr So-and-so (Whoever they ask for) has been put in jail - that almost ALWAYS stuns the sales person and they usually hang up.

He thought this was a great idea, until a so-called "Sales Person" called one day, he did his usual "Oh, he is in jail" and put the phone down............a few days later he got a letter through the post saying his credit card was now cancelled as they were told he was in jail when they phoned a few days earlier.

Very strange coincidence. After reading this thread yesterday, I answered the phone this morning to a pre-recorded male voice teeling me I'd won 2 tickets for a cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. I put the phone down before I heard anymore.

Another one is the 'you have won xxxmillion €uros on the Spanish lottey'.
My friend had a letter saying that when she returned from visiting me here in spain last week. The phone number is a Spanish mobile, no doubt if she had caled it, they would ask for several thousand euros for admin fees, and that would be the last you would hear from them if you were silly enough to send any money Beware

They are pre-recorded?



I'm really disappointed now.

We have a cockatiel and Senagal parrot who just love chatting to these callers when they ring our house!
(I put the receiver on top of one of their cages and just listen to them let rip! )

Superb, and certainly well worthwhile if there is a real person on the other end.

They are definately doing the rounds again. Had a call today...prerecorded American voice telling me I'd won a 'once in a lifetime prize' and 'just dial 9 to find out what it is'. Needless to say at that point I hung up.

Think I had same on Saturday. Phone rang and I didn't answer but did 1471 when it stopped ringing and the number started with 001 - which is the code for the US.

I know we can't stop overseas calls, but even though I'm registered with the phone preference service I still get more than my fair share. I avoid answering the phone at teatimes and early evening and just do 1471 in case it's someone I know or want to speak to. Some of these companies have random number selectors and once you answer the phone they've got your number stored as in existence so you will hear from them again.

It is the same old same old methods to try and get gullible people to part with their hard earned cash.

many years ago, I was told I had won a 2 week holiday to Portugal..a competition I could not remember entering through raffle tickets I don't remember buying ( although it was quite feasible that i had bought raffle tickets and couldn't remember what I had done with them or what I had bought them for). I was quite thrilled at the thought of that until reality sank in about 10 minutes later when I discovered that to claim my prize I had to go to Birmingham and sign up to a holiday club for 10 years. Told them where to shove it of course.

I am always getting emails telling me I have won the Spanish lottery..well that would be impossible because I have never even bought a ticket...and another common one now is that you have been discovered to be a distant relative of someone in Nigeria/China/Anywhere who has died, there is all this money to inherit and they need your bank account details etc to pay the money in..but to get this money transferred over, you need to pay a handling fee of £ however much..

These sort of practices really should be outlawed. Fortuantely, I have more sense than to fall for anything like this but there are plenty of gullible peopl who aren't and it makes me mad to think that these people are praying on the vulnerable etc.

On a positive note, a couple of years ago while I was actually on a boat somewhere off the coast of Los Cristianos on a dolphin spotting excursion, I received a phone call on my mobile from a woman telling me I had won a TV with a built in DVD player. as usual, couldn't remember buying the ticket and thought it was the usual sc@m but then she said "well your Auntie Angie said you would say that". I had bought some tickets from my Auntie in support of the rehabilitation centre in Worksop she attends after her stroke..and I won first prize!!

I had a letter a couple of months ago telling me I had won 3 million on the spanish lottery - obviously I knew it was a scam but it even had our national lottery logo's all over and registered trade mark numbers etc.

I actually sent it off to our local newspaper telling them to make people aware of it because if my grandad for instance (who had dementia) had received it he would have believed it and sent off the £500 "handling fee"

On top of all that they also wanted you to send copies of your passport, driving licence and utility bills... can just imagine what they would do with all that information..

There is a programme on ITV tonight called the tourist trap about the scratch card scams abroad.

I can't believe people are still falling for the timeshare/holiday club scratchcard scams. I recall telling them all to beggar off in Gran Canaria and Malta way back in the early 90s when I was only 22/23! Maybe some people see more ££££££ signs as they get older or something. I remember one lady in Malta being particularly rude to us as well.........

I get these all the time, the best one though is the one witht he ship fog horn sounding then it goes ........hello this is your captain speaking, you have won a cruise blah blah blah.
What a load of c***.
I dont know how we get this stuff we never give our number out?
I also hate the ones who ring up and ask your personal details to verify who you are ? when they called you? I say look just tell me the purpose of the call, then i say "get lost".
One rang the other day and said "can i speak with the B.T line bill payer", so i just said "no" and put the phone down.

Bunny - We have had the same call re the BT bill payer. And we aren't even with BT. !!!They always seem very surprised when I tell them that. They always reply ' are you sure, you are not with BT!!!!! GRRRR!
Denny

My friend got one - hers was pre recorded and said she'd won an AI holiday to Cancun.

One rang the other day and said "can i speak with the B.T line bill payer", so i just said "no" and put the phone down.

That's the reply I give when someone rings up and says "Can I speak to Mr **** " One actually came back at me with "When will he be home?" to which I replied "I've no idea, he's been gone for over 30 years."