Scammers

[Horus]

Just a quick heads up, it looks like the scammers are at it again with telephone calls to say your 'Visa' card (assuming you have one) has just made a £600 withdrawal then asking you to press a key on your phone. Don't do it as it is just a scam, I have checked with Visa and they confirm that they are aware of it.

[LovelyLadyLux]

So - talking of Scammers - Yesterday I go to Pottery. My routine is to back the car out of the driveway click the remote to lower the garage door and then I put the remote into my purse cause we're experiencing an extreme crime wave of addicts breaking into cars if you leave anything in them.

I get to pottery and a rather scuzzy looking woman walks down to the studio with me and stands waiting for the door to open. Another woman arrives and get we get in. I hang my purse and get my stuff - basically in the same area but I do have to walk in and out of rooms gathering the stuff.

I walk to the farthest storage area to get my box of tools and then when I come back to the same room I see her leaving.

I come home and my REMOTE to the garage door is gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought it odd when I grabbed my purse to leave as it was unzipped but other than noticing I didn't think too much 'til in hindsight I reviewed to myself the events of the afternoon.

I didn't "see" anything but in my mind I'm convinced who knew she only had a few seconds to grab something so unzipped and, of course, the remote was on top so the only thing she had time to grab.

Spent the next hour at home zero-ing out the remote and codes and getting the spare remote and programming it. Now I've ordered a garage door opener that I can put on my key fob and will basically get a chain and wear it about my neck. Definitely not happy at how we're all being forced to live these days.

[Horus]

The thieving swine probably thought they had stolen a mobile phone, scumbags.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@Horus That is what I thought too. She hangs about and knows it is like 30 second or less for me to go out and then come back and she is in my purse. Remote WAS on top so it was just the first thing to grab then stroll out the downstairs door (which is an exit nobody really uses) I've called and told the place and called too 'just in case' my remote was there on the floor or shelf (but it wasn't). I explained to them about it but not being able to point out who was there my report didn't go too far.

Now I've thought to myself I've got to stop even taking my purse out. I'm off to the States next week and I'm going to buy something there that I can wear round my neck full time so that my 'stuff' doesn't leave my body.

We all just got an alert from the RCMP what 'lots' of the lockers at our swimming pool were pried open whilst people were out swimming. LOTS stolen from there and the discussion is now do we need a full time staff IN the locker rooms to prevent this.

Thieving is now so totally rampant here it is bloody awful.

[Kiya]

@Horus that one has been on the go up here for ages.

[Horus]

@Horus that one has been on the go up here for ages.

Yes I know Kiya, but now they are using automated robot voice calls, just a heads up on the problem doing the rounds again.

[FABlux]

We don't get calls from scammers here, as far as I know, but there is no working Telephone Preference Service so loads of sales calls, lots of robot dialled ones. Got thoroughly sick of them as the answerphone system that came with the phoneline always showed 7 or 8 calls a day & although they were usually sales calls you felt you normally had to check them. We got blase & just deleted them after a couple of days away & there were 20+ only to find Barry turned up at a Physio Appt to be told we left you a message cancelling - OOps!

The phone was playing up (probably worn out by all the sales calls!) so we solved the problem by getting a new one with answerphone in the UK with a terribly English voice message & leave that to field all calls & it only shows when someone has actually left a message

Sorry you are having such problems LLL, I presume most of them are drug related?

[LovelyLadyLux]

@FABlux - Yeah - sadly we have the distinction of last year having the largest Homeless Tent City in all of Canada set up here. The Island probably has the best climate in all of Canada, doesn't have the resources really to deal with any level of crime (cause we were all pretty laid back and 'easy' targets) and then the addicts moved in. They were getting FREE stuff. Law Enforcement here is totally overwhelmed, they calling for citizen volunteers (which is why I started to volunteer - not that we really have to DO anything much). We have no jails (we can hold something like 15 people max) and per day we're getting 100+ crimes so ??? It is a catch and release problem which has only allowed the addicts to grow bolder and organized crime to move in. All really sad ........

[Horus]

My phone call problems are of a different nature, I do have my number listed in the 'Telephone preference' list, but to be honest it still does not stop local traders from trying to sell you stuff as most of them are unaware that the list exists in the first place. What does work best is my 'caller display' on all my phones (I have three phones on my land line) so they display the incoming callers number, now that is great as you can ignore the ones you do not recognise, usually overseas calls from scammers so the country code gives it away. Also I can add a sales call or scammers number to a banned list of numbers and that stops most of these type of calls. Part of my problem is that I could block all 'withheld numbers' on my phone, but my daughter has an unlisted number which shows up as 'withheld' so I cannot just do a general block on that sort of number which would be perfect. However most scammers have now changed to making mobile calls, so the number showing can get past your preference settings as its hard to recognise all of the possible mobiles that friends may use to call you, so those I block individually when they do get through.

[LovelyLadyLux]

When I was living in the States there was a national "Do not call" registry that you could add your landline phone number to that stopped 99% of the scammers. They could still get you though on your cell phone however about a year ago another registry was developed for that. I still have a US phone number on a cell. Whenever I go to the States and turn the phone on I can get upwards of 12+ voicemail messages from different advertisers (lots from Amazon or, at least, saying they are from there) just letting me know about this or that product.

I get very few calls here on this landline and if I have to run to answer the phone and then find out it is a scam they usually don't get any level of polite answers if any other than a resounding hang up from me. I don't think my Canadian cell phone has ever gotten any calls robo or otherwise but then I hardly ever ever use it or even give out the number (cause I hardly ever have it turned on - emergency use only).

[FABlux]

When I got nuisance/sales calls in the UK or Egypt I used to just blow a whistle very loudly down the phone. The squeals as the caller was usually wearing a headset were quite entertaining!

Your phone sounds like our new one with the answerphone Horus, it only has 2 handsets but again they show the number & as you say dialling codes show they are either foreign or VOIP. Unless it is a local code we don't answer now.

LLL I'm sorry you are having such a rotten problem with crimes and drug addicts, you must feel so powerless to do anything when the town can't cope.