Junk mail - is it seasonal?

[Pete B]

I seem to have been the recipient of an increasing wave of spam and scam emails over the past couple of weeks, with a bit of variety on the usual dubious pharmaceuticals and casino credits....:

I thought they might slow down when no response was forthcoming but no....:

I thought 'Banki Moon' was emailing me for advice on solving the ME problems but I was disappointed.....

Pete

[John F]

I thought mine was bad!! I usually try to ban the recipients with the emaill addresses from some of the more usual suspects such as cnadianpharmacy.com etc, that seems to reduce the amount of crud. The only problem is that these scammers pass working email addresses to other "companies" so you get more and more each month.

[Mowerman]

Luckily the amount of 'spam' i get has reduced over the past couple of years but I am plagued with cold callers on the phone trying to sell various insulation products, most of which I already have and refunds for PPI which I never had. Recently coming home after a week away I found 11 messages on my answerphone all from the same outfit.

I am signed up for the phone preference thingy but still the calls come

Edited By Mowerman on 04/08/2014 10:15:49

[Bob Cotsford]

I've had a sudden surge of junk mail over the last month or so but only on a PlusNet account that I keep on as a backup, currently I only receive legitimate emails from the Lottery and from Plusnet on it, plus 4 or 5 emails offering ludicrous amounts of money, pleas to assist young single African ladies in exchange for shares in their inheritance, security warnings from banks, letters from the FBI inviting me to claim lost funds etc.. Sometimes I'll reply to one if I'm bored but surprisingly these entrepreneurs don't want to take part in my investment schemes or employment opportunities for attractive young ladies. I really can't understand why

[Cuban8]

if you are still getting calls despite TPS registration (providing they're coming from UK companies) do the following...........

When you pick up a call trying to sell double glazing, windturbines, home fusion reactors etc etc allow them two sentences and then politely interrupt them by saying "just a second, I'll need to get a pen", then after a pause, "OK what's the name of your company again, I'll just write it down", (whether you actually do is up to you).

Then continue........."I'm registered with the TPS, please remove me from your call list..........if I receive another call I will definitely report your company to the authorities"

Find it works a treat, and although it's a bit of a bother to go through, they know that they're committing an offense by not using an up to date 'no call' database and risk a hefty fine. Rarely get one call a week now - one too many, but tolerable.

[GONZO]

Or, you could do what I have done when a bit bored and in need of a laugh. They always ask how you are, thats your intro in to a long and involved made up sob story of how ill, depressed etc you are and how glad you are they rang - just see how long you can keep them on the phone before they hang up.

[Daithi O Buitigh]

This guy has the best approach to the telemarketers

[malcolm woodcock 1]

Daithi, heard that one awhile ago, it still makes me laugh, unfortunately all the calls I get are automatic messages. The the thing to do if you get a call with a undisclosed number, don't answer. If you answer that's a result so you get plagued by more calls, just delete.

[Depron Daz]

That is a lot of spam Pete, you been watching Monty Python again????

[Terry Walters]

Posted by Daithi O Buitigh on 04/08/2014 11:14:39:

This guy has the best approach to the telemarketers

LOL !!!!! That is funny!

[Pete B]

Posted by Budgie Daz on 04/08/2014 11:31:16:

That is a lot of spam Pete, you been watching Monty Python again????

Well Daz, up until mid-July things had been ticking over nicely with an average of just one or two casino and betting site invitations every day or so - what anyone with a Hotmail account might expect

Then it started - they were coming in waves - and I hadn't mentioned Jehovah at all, either on the forum or in any emails.... darn, that's torn it!....

Pete

[Daithi O Buitigh]

I always ask first what they're calling about and, depending on what I usually tell them (depending on what they're trying to push)

The house is rented (so I don't want any 'home improvements'

I don't have a mortgage and don't owe any money

I use Linux and not Windows

Works with over 90% of the pests

[avtur]

My problem is that these bogus callers often call from 'withheld' ot 'international' numbers. I have very good reason to have to answer both types of call. For example if our doctors surgery calls their number does not display and comes up as 'witheld', also I regularly receive international calls as a a result of my work; unfortunately many of the calls under these headings are bogus ... It really is a pain and I regard it as a tremendous invasion of privacy ... my number has been ex-directory for all the 30 years I've had a landline. However these days there are so many forms we fill in where providing a phone number is mandatory, as a result the number does get into circulation.

As to whether these bogus calls are seasonal, well my gut reaction is no. However the rate of calls does ebb and flow ... though what the reason is for that I'm not sure.

[Pete B]

Don't know how this thread drifted to bogus phone calls......nothing in my OP about them at all...

Pete

[avtur]

Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 04/08/2014 22:05:09:

Don't know how this thread drifted to bogus phone calls......nothing in my OP about them at all...

Pete

Fair point but I think bogus calls and scam emails are similar problems in different media.

I couldn't say my problems with scam emails are seasonal but they do come and go in waves ... I can't identify a common source for these waves of unwanted activity, I only wish I could

[Spice Cat]

Pete,

Have you ordered something on line recently? I did from a Czech company then suddenly a young Czech lady wanted to be my new best friend. I asked about her laundry skills and she seemed to lose interest after that.....

Unfortunately many companies sell on email addresses.Not quite cricket.

[Pete B]

Interesting thought, SC - the only new dealings using my Hotmail account I had prior to the upsurge was a purchase on Ebay Germany - cannot recall if the seller gets the email addy as a matter of course or whether it goes through Ebay?

Having said that, there can be a delay before the addy gets sold on and used, I suppose, so it could be from much further back.

On my other, French-based account, junk mail is virtually non-existent, although I've had a couple of instances where a friend's contact list has obviously been hijacked and used for spamming everyone on it...

Re cold callers, they are a plague here too. I'm listed on two blocking systems but it depends on whether the companies are signed up to them. It seems the operators must just browse the phone book.... so now I just resort to being unpleasant....

Pete