Mrs Pondo and I popped out for a random Monday night out last night, mid-meal her phone rang, unknown number - she ignored it, and it rang again - no one there, she hung up, Rang again, she answered, no-one there, she hung up. Rang a third time and I answered it, some youngster with a thick accent says me she owes them money and they're gonna knock her old man's teeth out, presumably meaning me. I hang up, phone rings a couple more times and we don't answer it. Didn't really think much of it, tried logging via 101 but got bored and hung up.
Had another call tonight - I answered but didn't say anything (I was looking to find and play Liam Neeson's Taken speech off of You Tube 🙂 ), same voice says "ullo?" and again says we owe money and threaten dental loss, they hang up. I try 101 but big queues there so do an online chat to report it while I'm sorting the washing - when I go downstairs, Mrs Pondo is on the line to the phone provider as she'd had another call and this time they'd used her first name, even though she'd said nowt - bit scarier than the anonymous stuff.
So it's been logged online with the coppers, who are arranging for an officer to get in touch on Friday with a view to meeting up, phone provider has advised on blocking unknown numbers but claim they have no way of identifying unknown callers. Any further ideas from the hive mind? I don't for one second think there's any real threat, but I'd love to find out what the caller's number is and drop them in the poop with the fuzz, maybe even find out why they've picked us for their randomness.
You can set the phone to reject withheld numbers, that would stop them being anonymous.
if they have a mobile contract they can be traced.
if they are using a payg phone they are bound to get fedup buying a new one for every phone call after you’ve blocked the number.
Pretty much all modern mobile phones have a black list feature.
It's probably not malicious per se, it'll just be marketing companies or ambulance chasers, big data etc.
Just block the number.. It won't stop them leaving a voicemail but the voicemail is usually silent anyway. They are just auto dialers looking for people to annoy.
It’s probably not malicious per se, it’ll just be marketing companies or ambulance chasers, big data etc.
some youngster with a thick accent says me she owes them money and they’re gonna knock her old man’s teeth out, presumably meaning me.
Yeah, sounds really plausible, a marketing company...
Selling tooth implants perhaps?
That'll teach me to stop reading after the the first paragraph. Sorry.
But equally you can bar withheld numbers too..
Does she owe anyone money?
If they were really going to knock your teeth out, they wouldn't ring you and pre warn you.
Just block the numbers.
Does she owe anyone money?
Nope, just the usual mortgage (and credit card but don't think you get that kind of personal service from MasterCard..... )
Don't worry, she's probably just being unfaithful.
Don’t worry, she’s probably just being unfaithful.
You understand that your reply is right after hers, right...? 🙂
Get ACR app on the phone, records all incoming and outgoing calls. If they call back again and make any threats then you have a recording of such. Gently inform them you'll be passing the recordings on to the police.....
As an aside, telling ambulance chasers you are recording the conversation for training purposes generally gets them hanging up a bit sharpish
My guess is that it's a wrong number. Someone does owe money but has either given wrong number or moneylender has tapped in wrong number. Unfortunately for you it happens to be your number mrspondo1664.
Don't know if your provider can identify (from times of calls?) and block the number otherwise you'd have to block all withheld numbers?
Thanks psling but I've called my provider and they've just said block it. I was a bit alarmed they used my name but not had a call since so hopefully that's the end of it.
You may have answered an earlier call with your name and not realised/remembered. Or hubby may have said "who is it ……(name)" loud enough to be heard by the caller. Like you say though, hopefully that's the end of it.
My guess is that it’s a wrong number. Someone does owe money but has either given wrong number or moneylender has tapped in wrong number.
That's looking like a strong possibility.
What a set of bastards. Sorry, nothing more constructive to add, I just hate that sort of spineless behaviour. Hope you find a way to permanently block them, or better yet, the police method works.
just laugh it off is all you can do i guess?
Does sound strange, I just figured a wrong number but if they knew your first name that's unlikely to be coincidence/lucky guess. Possibly they've been given the wrong number and done some google searches/ID checks with it? If so then not sure if they can obtain your address that way to - certainly the right thing to do in reporting it to the police.
Not sure what they'll advise but I'd try having a conversation next time (calmly) and suggest they have the wrong number number and ask what they think they owe you money for just to try and get details. I can't see any random scam being related to this.
Does your wife's voicemail message have her name? Could one of their unanswered calls of got it from there?
I'm guessing that somebody with the same name does owe them money, and they've found a number they think is right, maybe now they've realised it's not and given up.
There are apps that allow you to forge the number you're calling from, so I am not sure whether blocking the number is guaranteed to work.
You can get details of incoming calls from your mobile provider but it can be a rigmarole - you normally need a court order.
I've done it on a few occasions in the past and they can identify the incoming number and cell site of the caller.
My nana had a whistle next to her phone. Due to loads of heavy breathingcalls during the 80’s.
That “fettled” them right up.
They've threatened to knock your teeth out. Tell them they're welcome to try and suggest meeting to give them the opportunity. Ask when and where they'd like to meet to give them that opportunity. Invite the police to the party
My nana had a whistle next to her phone. Due to loads of heavy breathingcalls during the 80’s.
Ha - i've just remembered that we had one by the phone in our house for the same reason! At a time when you answered the phone by reading out your phone number 🙂
In more recent times I've had problems with malicious calls on my mobile from some random - ended up blocking all withheld numbers using a 3rd party app, which also lets you keep a blacklist of non-withheld numbers to block.
My mum got ‘heavy breather’ type phone calls for about 20 years, always through the daytime.
one time they called i was in the garden and my mum holds the phone up and shouts me, ‘there’s someone on the phone for you’
i replied ‘who is it?’
As soon as i spoke, they hung up. And never called again.
there are some proper weirdos out there.
"some youngster with a thick accent".
Local kid playing prank.
Friend or enemy of your kid(s) if you've got any?
Either of you a teacher or do club stuff with kids?
i.e. Someone that might have got annoyed by something. Or think they've been "disrespected".
Can’t you ask for their bank details and promise to transfer the money ASAP. Then sell the info on to your next friendly scam artist, or give the info to the police? Or offer to meet up to pay them cash and take da boyz!?
Can’t you ask for their bank details and promise to transfer the money ASAP.
Which does highlight the fundamental flaw in anonymously threatening someone to give you money.
You can get details of incoming calls from your mobile provider but it can be a rigmarole – you normally need a court order.
Ooo, interesting - how do you get one of those? We rang the provider and they were next to no help, advised they are totally unable to see numbers we receive, only numbers that we call (which I don't believe for a second), although they did talk us through blocking unknown numbers which has brought a bit of peace and quiet. 🙂 Police have given us a crime reference number - given what they're having to cope with, I both expect and totally understand if that's the last contact we have with them.