ALERT from a concerned JM

[majm]

   Muss !  That's made my day.   

[Warin]

Mine too 

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I've one relative who has got their mobile phone number blocked - it does not display when they ring me. If that were not the case I'd not answer any incoming call without a displayed number. I'm thinking of buying them a dual SIM phone - so they can have both - one blocked for business .. the other for family/social.

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It has gotten to the stage where I'm ware of answering the door after dark. Not even safe if they appear to be Police officers these days .. I keep the local cop shop on the phone list for neighbor hood watch, I could use that to check.


oh have a recent  email offering fake documents (drivers license, passports .. various countries)  .. would you give your credit card details to people who are obviously criminal?


--------- the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true...

[gazania]

I have admit I am one of the elderly.  Anyway, I have to handle all phone calls as OH is too deaf.  I use a landline phone which has flashing lights for the deaf and a screen showing the caller's number.  I have a mobile but no longer in use as I hardly used it.  I have for years now been plagued by cold calls and scams, despite regularly updating my details on Do not call register.  My family & friends and I have a system plus the incoming call screen on the phone so I know who is a legitimate caller.  Other calls I treat with upmost suspicion and depending on the time or whether I have been woken from my nana nap, with even rudeness.  I mostly hang up.  At the moment I have a regular garbled accented caller using either a private number or an unrecognisable number, and identifying herself as Giselle last time -  regularly wanting to do a charity survey or wanting to know how many solar panels I have.  Recently, I let the calls go to voice-mail but that is no deterrence.

But last week at 5.45pm on a week night, I got a "private" call, I firstly thought was my relative.  It was from someone purporting to be from my bank.  I listened, I was vague, got her name. Hung up.  Went to my bank the next day.  The call was legitimate.  I apologised for my abruptness but in no uncertain manner, I told them of their foolishness in phoning me on a very general matter.  I have never received a phone call from my bank before specially at that time.  What else can you do?

[majm]

Hi Gazania,

Please gently check that your friends know how to handle these phone scammers, and also that your rellies know how well you are handling these calls.   Giselle has not phoned here, as yet.  But if and when, I am now prepared      .  I think I will answer "I have Gazillion solar panels here".   I am sure the bank staff understood why you handled that incoming call in that way.  Perhaps they will now know better for next time.

Keep Up the Good Work.   

Cheers,  JM   

[giblet]

My son and daughter in law are having a difficult pregnancy with the unborn baby been quiet sick. We went last week for daughter in law to have another scan to see how things were progressing and i was to ring my mother when we got home to fill her in on the latest news. While my son and wife were finishing off in the doctors my daughter and i went outside and i used my daughters mobile to try and ring mum. BUT mum wouldnt answer the phone. I had to text her mobile and let her know i was trying to ring.. she then answered the phone  Mum didnt know my daughters mobile number when it showed up so she didnt answer it.

[cocksie]

It's a sad world when the elderly don't feel safe to pick up the phone if they don't recognise the number! I am wondering if I will be able to remember or recognise phone numbers in a few years time - already I forget why I walked into the hallway.
Cocksie

[franh1946]

I was amazed  after I retired to find I was getting 20 or so cold calls a day (in pre do not call days). I then allowed all calls go to "message" and the callers hung up as soon as they heard my recorded "after the beep" message.  Worked well. Now living in the country without a land line and that works too! Fran

[Warin]

It's a sad world when the elderly don't feel safe to pick up the phone if they don't recognise the number! I am wondering if I will be able to remember or recognise phone numbers in a few years time

That is another reason I like my new 'smart phone' .. if the number calling is in my contacts list - it puts up the persons name .. not the number. Just another thing not to remember. It also has a 'sleep' function - turns itself off between my nominated hours .. only bad comment I've had from the relos is - 'but what if there is an emergency?' Don't think I'd be too much use? Oh it also has its own 'phone number bared' function - if there is a number or ten (I don't really know the limit) that are annoying .. you can list them on the phone and it simply won't ring.. or take a message. Land line phones just don't have the facilities that you can have on a cell phone. Pity. Oh .. I am now putting shopping lists on the phone too .. and it does voice recording too.. and takes photos of things before I start work on them, during the work .. that way I 'remember' how it came apart .. so I should be able to put it back together... All I have to do is remember to use it and how to use it 

[deeiluka]

I have had two calls purporting to be from a famous Australian Airline....telling me that as a result of my last flight I have won a ballot for a largish amount of money.

I just go into peals of laughter.....(I can't fly due to an inner ear/vertigo problem)

For some reason the caller just hangs up!