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[Ju Ju]

We're ex-directory, but have just been bombarded by telephone calls and even a message left when the phone wasn't answered. The caller had a foreign accent and was in what sounded like a call centre. He knew my name and said he was calling about my asking for my mother's medical records. Which I haven't. DH answered another time and questioned him about where he was from. He said he was from the NHS at the hospital in the nearby town. This is so laughable as this town is small and certainly hasn't a hospital! Smell a rat? Not sure what, but the phone calls have stopped. Perhaps he couldn't cope with being called a moron by DH. Very confused about what he was after.

[Pennyfarthing]

Several years ago my Mum had a call from what she understood was the health service and since she had just come out of hospital after a knee replacement op that seemed feasible. They chatted to her for ages about how she was, what medication she was on, what aids she had in the house etc. And then told her she could have an all singing all dancing new bed!

By the time I got to hear about it a rep was coming from the other end of the country who just happened to be in Mums area that day.  . Turned out they were selling beds at thousands of pounds and nothing to do with the health service.  I couldnt be there that day as I had a hospital appointment but I told her she was NOT to let them into her house and that they were to ring me.  I never heard from them.  My friends Dad in another part of the country had dementia and he signed a form with the same people agreeing to buy a bed for aomething like £4000!! She had a real battle getting it cancelled.

Maybe your phone call is similar?

[CLKD]

One has to be quick off the mark with these: Tell them that you are on the Telephone Preference Service and that they are breaking the Law by phoning you.  Regardless of whether they are abroad/not.    Usually by the time I get to 'Preference Service' they have rung off.  Currently it's   a recorded message offering double glazing or roof insulation  but pressing '5' makes no difference.

They get details from the Council Election List.  Then use 'local hospital', 'in your area', 'last chance' - he was after bank details probably.  Why would any of us have relative's medical records anyway 

Whatever: it *will* be a scam!

[JaneL]

One of the things that made my blood boil at the end with my Mum was that although we'd done TPS, she kept on getting nuisance calls to the extent to which she stopped answering the phone - infuriating because we couldn't get through when needed. They weren't all scams but also pressuring sales calls from companies/charities she'd done business with and hadn't told them not to call her.

I do hope that the GPDR regulations have put an end to this.

[Ju Ju]

It was the persistence of the calls is what surprised me. Normally putting down the phone ends it. This went on. For an hour. A phone call every few minutes. Still DH had some sport with him, tripping him up with simple facts eg hospital in the nearby town and initially doctor's surgery there. Mum lives elsewhere. He didn't learn anything about us, even if I had a Mum! If my circumstances were different I might have been vulnerable. Mum and Dad are coming over today. At least I've got a story to distract mum from her usual tales of woe!

[ariadne]

 We had BT Call Protect where some known nuisance callers are already filtered out and you can add your own should you still get some. But you can only add 100 and soon I had added that amount and it was a real pain trying to delete older ones in order to add new ones. It was free at first but then BT began to charge for it so we have bought new home phones that can block numbers instead. It's rather fiddly to block them though - apparently its something else that only I can do....according to my husband 

I'm currently fed up with some woman calling from ever different numbers asking me to confirm my no fault accident she has information about. I reply that if she has information already why does she want me to tell her about it ... she can tell ME!

Ariadne xx

[CLKD]

Ariadne - my response to that is "I have had a head injury so can you tell me more about this accident as I have no memory".  They are paying for the call  and I did work for a Head Injury Unit years ago.

[dulciana]

Ariadne - my response to that is "I have had a head injury so can you tell me more about this accident as I have no memory". 

Oh, that's a good one!   

[JaneL]

Nice one!

I've also seen the suggestion that you say you'll go and fetch the person, then you just put the phone aside and leave it - they're paying for the call and have to make the decision when to hang up.

[ariadne]

Ariadne - my response to that is "I have had a head injury so can you tell me more about this accident as I have no memory".  They are paying for the call  and I did work for a Head Injury Unit years ago.

Ive tried a similar one a few times. I confirm that I did have an accident.......where I was decapitated!

Ariadne xx

[Pennyfarthing]

There is even a scam going around where you receive a call saying it is The Telephone Preference Service and offering to stop nuisance calls for you! Cheeky beggars.

[Shadyglade]

Best call blocking phones are Panasonic. Had a BT one for a while but it was so complicated I nearly through it out the window. 

[CLKD]

I think any more technology would fry my brain cell 

I find these calls fun: unless they happen during MotoGP, Antiques Road Show or le Tour etc.  then the air is blue.