Call Blockers
Funding has been secured for a limited number of call blockers which can be made available to vulnerable residents of the city who are targeted by scam and nuisance phone calls.
These units would be made available for loan free of charge for an initial period of six months.
Scam and nuisance calls can affect people in many ways, these types of crimes often cause financial loss, emotional distress, social isolation and loss of confidence.
A number of pilot projects were carried out by the National Trading Standards Scams Team and they found that the use of call blockers significantly increased wellbeing. It was estimated that the call blockers saved £20,227,167 during the pilot project.
If you think you would benefit from a call blocker or you are aware of anyone who would, please express an interest by emailing: Public.Protection@stoke.gov.uk
Please provide the name, address and contact number of the person who is making the application.
Please note that there are only a limited number of call blockers available and these will be allocated on the basis of need after an assessment has been made.
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Phone Scams
Attempts to obtain your personal or financial information over the phone is known as “vishing”. It can be difficult to spot a phone scam as the fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated in how they try to steal your information.
Fraudsters are now able to use software to spoof phone numbers so it looks like you are being rang by a genuine caller. Here are some of the common phone scams to look out:
This scams will usually start with a call you were not expecting from your bank. The caller will tell you that your account has been compromised or money has been taken from your account. You will be asked for all your bank details so your money can be transferred into a safe account while the matter is investigated. Whilst the bank scam is the most common, fraudsters have also been known to impersonate the police, utility companies and government departments.
These types of scams start with a phone call and are usually based around you downloading software on to your computer to obtain a refund or to help secure your bank account. Often the software you down load is genuine but it is then used by the fraudster to gain control of your computer and they will then access your bank account and transfer the money into their account. If you are ever encouraged to download software on to your computer end the call, disconnect from your Wi-Fi and delete anything you downloaded.
These types of scams start with a telephone call from “Microsoft” and you are told that there is a problem with your device, sometimes you will be told that you have downloaded a virus. To fix this the caller will ask you to download remote access software to give them control of your device. Once they have control of your device they will either steal your personal information or charge you money to unlock your device.
You will receive a call from someone who claims to be from HMRC and will tell you that you have underpaid tax. You are then directed to a fake website where you are asked to make a payment.
- Investment and Financial Scams:
You will receive an unsolicited call offering you an amazing investment opportunity or the chance to buy shares which will give you an amazing return. You are then asked to pay money over the phone or you are directed to a website where you are asked to enter your financial details. Often the investment opportunity or shares do not exist. It is always important to remember that pension cold calls are banned.
You will be told that you have won a prize or the lottery. You are then asked for your personal or financial information to receive your prize or money.
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Number Spoofing
Technology has allowed scammers to be able to disguise the number there are ringing from by using a company's genuine telephone number. So if you receive an unexpected call, it is always good practice to hang up and then call them back on the official customer service number that you are aware of. Never ring them back on a number they give you always search for it yourself.
Premium-rate Number Scams
This is a scam which is based around “call connecting” where companies buy advertisements on search engines that will appear if you are searching for a government department. These are what are known as “click to dial” adverts which allow you to click on the phone number and be put straight through to what you think is the genuine government department. What actually happens is that you are connected to the scam company who then transfer your call to the genuine phone number, but via a premium-rate number leaving you to pay for a call which should be free, some reports have indicated that these calls can cost up to a £100.
Always be very wary of numbers which start with 084,087,090,091 or 098 as these are premium rate numbers. If you have been charged a premium rate for a call and believe it was not made clear you can report this to Phone-paid Services Authority - The UK regulatory body for phone-paid services (psauthority.org.uk)
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How to prevent being scammed over the phone
- Sign up to the Telephone Preference Service to reduce unwanted sales calls. You can register for free on 0345 070 0707 or go to www.tpsonline.org.uk.
- Consider a call blocker.
- Never disclose your financial details over phone. If you are not sure or feel uncomfortable end the call and then contact the organisation on a known and trusted number which you have.
- If you do terminate the call beware that some fraudsters are able to keep your phone line connected even though you have put the phone down, so always either use a different phone or if you can, wait ten to fifteen minutes to make sure they have disconnected the call.
- You can call 159 if you receive a call claiming to be from you bank, this service will put you through to your bank’s genuine customer service number: The banks who are included in this scheme include: Barclays, Bank of Scotland, Co-operative, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, Metro Bank, Nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, Starling Bank, Tide, TSB, Monzo and Ulster Bank. There are a number of Phone providers who are also signed up to the scheme these include: BT (including EE and Plusnet), Gamma, O2 (including giffgaff), Sky, Three, Vodafone, TalkTalk or Virgin Media.
How to report phone scams
If you receive a scam call on your mobile phone you can report it in one of two ways depending on what kind of phone you have:
- iPhone: send a text to 7726 using the word call followed by the scam number.
- Android: text the word call to 7726 and you will then receive a reply asking for the scam number.
To block a scam number on WhatsApp you have two options:
- Select the chat with the unknown phone number in your chats list, then press Options > View contact > Block > Block.
- Open the chat with the unknown phone number, then press Options > View contact > Block > Block.
Scam Marshalls
The National Trading Standards Scams Team are looking to recruit more Scam Marshals. A Scam Marshall is anyone who has been targeted by a scam and wants to fight back. Scam Marshals do this by sending any scam mail that they receive to the National Trading Standards Scams Team so that it can used as evidence in future investigative and enforcement work. The work by Scam Marshals plays a huge role in helping to stop scam mail.
You can find more information here: www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/scammarshals
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Illegal Money Lending
The England Illegal Money Lending Team investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders and provides support for those who have borrowed money from a loan shark.
If you have been a victim of a loan shark or know someone who may have been a victim then you can find more information here: www.stoploansharks.co.uk
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Take control of who contacts you
Fakes Hotline Number
If you think someone is selling fake goods you can report it by ringing the Trading Standards hotline number: 01782 238444.
When leaving a message please include as much information as you can such as:
- What types of products are being sold and how much they are being sold for.
- The name and address of the seller, if you know it.
- Where the items are being sold, any vehicle being used or a description of where the goods are stored.
- Where the seller can be found.
- Details of any printed advertising, online advertising or social media posts.
If you need advice or want to report a scam to Stoke-on-Trent Trading Standards, please contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on: 0808 223 1133
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