Scammers.

[cruiser2]

Got a text on my mobile phone this morning from my bank. They were querying a charge of £39.99 to one of my credit cards.
I replied with "N" as advised in the text.
Then went to the bank's official web site and phoned the free number. Was transferred to the security department.
After checking my credentials, They said the charge had been stopped, and my credit card cancelled. I will be sent a new card with aq different number.

Took nearly 30 minutes on the phone, but worth it to have peace of mind

It is good to know the bank is monitoring my account and querying any unusual charges.

[Kaz]

The banks tend to pick this stuff up quickly, it has happened to me and Mick, and they were very quick to contact us. Glad all is well.

[Workingman]

First bit of advice:

Never, not ever, never reply to any such text supposedly from your bank, credit card issuer, utility co, HMRC council etc. Don't hit N or Y or unsubscribe or make any sort of reply message, just delete the thing.

Second:

Do as Cruiser did and go directly to the website, find "Contact us" and then report the incident by phone. If that is not available from the web there should be a number on any bill / statement from the "real" people.

This all applies to emails as well.

[cromwell]

We get more scam calls than genuine calls on our land line. The Amazon Prime one, the "Your broadband will be cut off today" one, all sorts. We also get calls regularly for someone called M.ark H.arris
Presumably these are from debt collection agencies. Mr Harris obviously gave false details in the past and one was a phone number that matched ours. usually I'm not too fussed but occasionally I do let them know that no, this isn't M.ark %^&* H.arris. I have lived here since 1991 and I've never met or heard of anyone called M.ark *&^%$ Harris!

[JoM]

Crommers, I had to unplug our phone yesterday - I was so I knew of answering it to scam and silent calls. By lunchtime, when the plug came out, I'd answered it five times.

We had a strange occurrence a couple of years ago. Not phone related but having read Cromwell's post I did wonder if we'd start getting calls from a debt collection agency. We received a letter from HMRC, the address was correct but the name was of someone we don't know and obviously with it being a new build and us being the first occupants it wasn't some who'd lived here previously. It was an unusual name too, I searched online and could find no trace whatsoever of this person.
The correspondence was to do with self assessment and an application to start doing that.
I contacted HMRC but several more letters arrived from them over the course of a few months and eventually they sent me a form to fill out, stating that the person was unknown at our address.
I did worry though that it was someone using our address for dodgy purposes and we'd get a visit from debt collectors at some point.

[Workingman]

I open mail without looking at the address - if it came through my letterbox then it's for me - or so my thinking goes. I have been here twelve years but every April time I get a letter from the Halifax for a Mr A McG even though I do not know him and he has never lived here so far as I know, the landlord does not know him either.

Anyway it is an annual statement of his savings account and for all of that time it has stood at a massive £0.01p.

I once tried to get it redirected or closed down but Halifax told me they needed his permission to do so. It is costing them more to keep the account open that there is funds in it.

[meriad]

The joys of not being at home for most of the day is that I'm not there to answer the phone; the scammers / cold sales people soon learn that the number isn't worth wasting time on.

Frank - I have a similar situation in that I still get letters for the previous owner of my flat; I've been there just over 12 years now. I've returned letters, called them etc and same thing - unless previous owner contacts the bank then nothing they can do. Oh well

[Gal2]

We don't have a handset in the house now, I'm glad tbh when I hear of all the calls people get from scammers.

[TheOstrich]

I open mail without looking at the address - if it came through my letterbox then it's for me - or so my thinking goes.

That is technically an offence, tha knows …….. I certainly wouldn't open a letter not addressed to me and then return it to the sender. Just speaking from something someone I know experienced many years ago, say no more.

[JoM]

I open mail without looking at the address - if it came through my letterbox then it's for me - or so my thinking goes.

That is technically an offence, tha knows …….. I certainly wouldn't open a letter not addressed to me and then return it to the sender. Just speaking from something someone I know experienced many years ago, say no more.

I played dumb and said I hadn't opened the first letter when I initially called HMRC but they instructed me to open it.