Police Warning

[Stanleyguy]

Below are details of a scam currently going the rounds. The police have requested that as many people are alerted as possible.

Unfortunately it is a genuine scam.


Police Report.

The reason this is working so well is it plays on your good will!

Picture the scene:-

You are sitting at home and there is a knock at the door. On answering it
you are confronted by a respectable looking woman in a suit, who is slightly
distressed. She explains that her car has broken down further
down the road and she needs to contact her husband to come to her aid.
Is it at all possible to use your phone to call him?

You allow her to use the phone, but being the suspicious type you stand
with her as she makes the call. She dials the number, and asks to be put
through to Mr Smith / Brown / Stevens (Whatever). She holds the line for
about thirty seconds. She continues, "In that case can you ask him to
leave the meeting for a minute I need to speak to him quite urgently."
She apologies again and explains they are getting him out of a meeting.

A couple of minutes goes by and she starts to speak to her husband. She
explains the situation to him, tells him what has happened to the car,
is annoyed because she now can't get to her meeting, and asks what she
should do now. She listens for a few seconds and then says, "Well as
soon as the meeting finishes can you come to Cardiff Road / Leicester
Road / Surrey Street (Whatever), where the car has broken down. Another
few seconds go by, "OK, I'll see you in about twenty minutes then."

She put the phone down, and thanks you ever so much for your kind
assistance, even offering you a pound for your trouble, but of course
you decline, it's no trouble.

She leaves and everything is fine.

Or is it?

The day or week before knocking on your door she set up her own premium
rate line with a telephone company at the cost of about £150, and she
has dictated that calls to that number should be charged at £50 per
minute. She has dialled that number. The conversation she has had with
her "husband" is entirely fictitious, there is a pre-recorded voice
message on the other end to give you the impression she is talking to
someone. She has been on the phone for about five minutes, that call
just cost you £250, the majority of which goes into her
pocket, and the first you know about it is when you get your bill a month
later.

To rub a bit of salt into the wound,she hasn't even committed a criminal
offence. You've given her permission to use your phone. 5 occasions in
Luton where this has been reported in the last couple of weeks.

Would anyone reading this please pass it on to friends and colleagues etc?

Otherwise it could cost someone a lot of money.

PC Paul Toseland
Corby Business Anti-Crime Network Administrator

[WillowTheWhisp]

Last time this was posted didn't someone say it was a hoax?

[Steven]

So its still good to know

[Stanleyguy]

Can you let me know if it WAS a hoax. It was circulated to everyone where I work by the security section!

[lettie]

I've had this e mail twice this year and once last year. It has been doing the rounds for ages. I hope it's a hoax, but I wouldn't put this sort of thing past some people.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Someone may just have seen it and thought it's a good idea and decide to give it a try so it still pays to be on your guard because you never know.

[entwisi]

Its a hoax. There is a limit to the 'rate' that can be charged for a premium rate call and its no where near £50/minute. IIRC its around £2.50.

At this rate they don't get that much from the call so say she's on for 5 minutes its only going to ge ~a tenner. Not really worth all the hassle it IMHO. You could always ask her for the number and dial it yourself if it was to happen to you. IIRC All premium rate no's are 090

[Acrylic-bob]

I got the trusty calculator out and pressed a few buttons and came up with this...

5 minutes @ £2.50 per minute =£12.50

which gives a possible average of £150.00 per hour

Which in turn gives an average of £1,200 assuming an eight hour day

Which in turn will yield a possible average of £7,200 for a six day week.

Of course you would have to be at it constantly, but I suppose that call times could be adjusted to accomodate the set up time of each separate call.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I think she'd be better off getting a proper job.

[Acrylic-bob]

I don't know... I wouldn't sniff at seven grand a week!

[vorlon24]

It's not the best of long-term careers though, is it?

[Acrylic-bob]

Well of course not, Harrumph Harrumph. Quite naturally I in no way would wish to condone such dreadful criminal behaviour. Still, it makes you wonder though...

[mani]

more than anything

its probably urban legend

[WillowTheWhisp]

You mean like the alligators in the sewers?

[vorlon24]

And bonsai cats