Nov 3

Nov 3 A scam scare and how to avoid becoming a victim

I came within a whisker of being the victim of a scam this week. It was sobering, uncomfortable and, in all honesty, more than a bit embarrassing.

I think of myself as a fairly intelligent person (feel free not to disagree) and also as someone who’s pretty on the ball when it comes to any sniff of a scam in an email or text. And yet, the persistence of this particular group of scummy scammers, and the fact that I let my guard down at a moment when I was busy and distracted, meant I didn’t spot what I now realise were at least two of the red flag scam markers that I should have (more about what those are in a moment).

You read how much more sophisticated and convoluted scams are becoming, but it’s not until you experience one that you realise just what lengths these, did I mention scummy?, scammers will go to in order to make their dishonest bucks.

How I was scammed

Briefly, on account of the aforementioned embarrassment, over a period of a couple of weeks I received several phone calls supposedly from EE, my mobile network provider, offering me a promotional upgrade to my account. Each time I told the caller I was busy and couldn’t talk, and each time they said they would call back at a more convenient time.

When they had rung for the umpteenth time (from a number that showed up as being in Wales, but on an always terrible line with a person on the other end speaking in a strong Indian accent, a combination that made what they said very difficult to understand), I was so exasperated I told them to tell me about what it was they were offering.

They not only did that on the phone, but they also, at my request, emailed me to confirm the offer whilst we were on the call. It was a ridiculously good deal (ahem…..see red flag number 5 below) which was a substantial reduction on my current plan charge, plus a free upgrade of my handset. (Now I look back at the email they sent, I realise it should have raised another red flag as there are several spelling and grammar mistakes in it.)

They said they would send me the new handset (an iPhone 13) the following day. A package duly arrived the next morning and within an hour of its delivery they called back to explain very apologetically, that I had been sent the wrong phone (it was an iPhone 14) and could I please return it straight away as it was for another customer. They assured me I would be sent the right phone instead.

They offered to refund me the return postage cost (when I challenged them as to how they were going to do that as they didn’t have my account details, which they hadn’t at any point asked for, they just kept insisting I would be refunded). And when I said I couldn’t return the phone that day as I was working, but would do it the next day, they were very emphatic that I should be at the post office as early as possible.

It was at that point that I finally rang EE customer service (and I admit I should have done this MUCH sooner, it would have saved me a lot of time and shouting at the phone), who quickly confirmed my suspicions that this was an elaborate scam which, if I hadn’t alerted them to it, would have resulted in me paying for a new handset (they could see the scammers had somehow managed to charge the handset to my account), and the SS (scummy scammers, if you didn’t work that out) with a brand new handset that they would then sell.

The upshot was that I spent another nearly two hours on the phone to EE, reporting the incident and sharing all the information I had with their fraud team (the SS had provided me with a return address for the handset and the number they called and texted from was on my phone, although who knows whether that was a genuine number or not), and feeling like a fool for being so taken in. (To be fair, both the people I talked to at EE were apologetic, sympathetic and very reassuring about how clever and therefore believable the scams are becoming. And how much more alarmingly prevalent. Which did help me to feel a bit less foolish).

The handset is now on its way back to EE, the scammers have been left empty handed, and at least that version of their scummy activities will be tracked down and closed down by the EE fraud team.

How to avoid becoming the victim of a scam

Whilst I’m sure that won’t stop them setting up another version, sigh, hopefully my cautionary tale will alert you if you should be the target for something similar. That plus these helpful tips on spotting and avoiding scams and scammers from consumer protection organisation Which?, which are explained in more detail on their excellent WEBSITE. The red flags they alert you to look out for are:

1. Being contacted out of the blue

2. Being asked to share personal details. Especially if that’s anything to do with your bank account details.

3. Giving you vague contact details

4. Being asked not to share the details of what they’re telling you

5. If the offer seems too good to be true

6. They pressurise you to make a decision

7. There are spelling or grammar mistakes in emails or messages

Sadly it’s almost inevitable you’ll be targeted by scammers at some point, but forewarned is forearmed, and hopefully you’ll be better at spotting a scamming attempt quicker than I was this time.

Have you been the victim of a scam? And do you have any advice to share as a result of what happened to you? Please do share it in the comments.