Watch out for telephone ‘disconnection scam’ warns Highland Council Trading Standards
Highland Council Trading Standards have issued a
warning of a new twist on previous cold call telephone scams, which has been
termed as the ‘disconnection scam’. This recent type of scam can affect both
businesses and consumers.
So how does the ‘disconnection scam’ work?
A cold call telephone scam caller contacts an unsuspecting householder and
claims to represent their telecoms provider (or telephone company). The caller
states that the householder or bill payers account is in arrears and that an
immediate payment has to be made in order to prevent the telephone line from
being disconnected. The scammer may even offer to demonstrate that they have
the ability to disconnect the telephone line using a ‘disconnection scam’. This
simple trick involves the scammer pressing the mute button which stops the dial
tone and prevents the recipient of the call from dialing out. However, the
phone is still in fact connected to the scammer, even though it appears that
the line is ‘dead’. The fraudster then calls back after this demonstration in
the hope that they have convinced the bill payer that the call is from a
genuine telecoms representative with the ability to disconnect the
householders’ access to a landline telephone service. At this point the scammer
then makes a further demand for payment either by credit or debit card.
A previous quote from BT Group about this particular telephone scam has advised
that they may have to contact a customer about an outstanding debt, but they
will never disconnect a phone line during the call. Website advice and guidance
from OFCOM (the Telecoms Industry Regulator) on disconnection issue states that
if a bill is unpaid; a telephone company will issue reminders in the form of
email, phone calls (with voicemail messages left), SMS and letter. If no
payment is received, a telephone company may restrict customers' outgoing calls
to emergency calls and calls to the service provider only, leaving incoming
calls unaffected. Usually such restrictions are in place for a limited time and
will be followed by disconnection if payment remains outstanding.
Telecoms providers have specific protocols relating to certain groups of
consumers, for example those who are chronically sick or disabled. Additional
effort is made to contact these customers before their service is restricted or
disconnected.
If you are in dispute with your Telecom company you can also contact OFCOM
(Office for Communications) for general advice and guidance either through the
OFCOM website at: http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/
or by telephone on 0300 123 3333 or 020 7981 3040 (Line are open from Monday to
Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm). You can also contact OFCOM by writing to:
Ofcom Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA
The ‘disconnection scam’ has also been used by fraudsters claiming to represent
other organisations such as banks, utility providers as a way of persuading the
recipient to give out bank details, pin numbers and sometimes getting consumers
to hand over cash and payment cards. Advice from Highland Council Trading
Standards to householders is to ‘hang up the telephone’ on these telephone
scammers and check with their own telephone/bank and utility provider.
Where a bill payer has been tricked into giving out bank, building society
credit or credit card account details or their payment card pin numbers then
they should contact their financial provider immediately and seek their advice
and assistance.
If you believe you have become the victim of fraud contact Police Scotland on
101.
Concerned consumers can also contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service for
further advice on 0345 04 05 06 or by going to http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland/consumers.htm
or visit or write to: Highland Council Trading Standards Service, 38 Harbour
Road, Inverness or on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/HCTradingStandards
For further Highland Trading Standards news please go to www.highland.gov.uk/tradingstandardsnews
or follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/HCTradingStandards