Spying of the scammers - Panorama (20:30)

I think Eastern Europeans are very good at this, are they not?

So I have heard

As predicted the Indians are at it. They ran scam call centres in India scamming naive computer users in Australia, USA and the UK claiming their computers were infected with a virus, and they were calling from Microsoft to help them rid the virus and secure their computers back to normal working condition.

These scammers were filmed and recorded in their call centres by fake victims of scammers who turned the table on them eg filming their entire operation on the shop floor, and a meeting between their head honchos about their next possible scam.

A scammer was asked if he knew the name of a restaurant in the town in America he claimed to be calling from; the scammer was filmed frantically 'googling' for a restaurant.

Next time should anyone get a similar call from these Indian scammers just remember one thing ie if they are calling from Microsoft why do they not speak proper English with either a British or American accent? An oversea Indian never loses their original India accent!

What gives them away is that when they phone me they call themselves Dave, Roger, Peter etc, I always ask if they're sure about that.

another tip, when call and say they are from openreach and saying your BT internet is about to go down, openreach do not know who your isp is.

I had one last week, a recorded message to inform me that my internet would be disconnected within 24 hours and I should "Press 1" to be connected to their "account executive". Erm, no thanks. I received the same call several times. Amazingly, my internet connection is still working.

A new scam is to say your Amazon Prime membership will auto-renew at a cost of £79 per month. If you don't want this to happen press 1.
You only need to tell them your Amazon log-in details


Another one is to say an expensive purchase has been made on your credit card and do you wish this to proceed.
All you need do is tell them your bank details and they can sort it out for you

Panorama seems to have upped its game recently

Used to have them all the time . Longest I've kept them talking is twenty five minutes......scum

Knight Commander03 Mar 20 12:19Joined: 05 May 04 | Topic/replies: 87,561 | Blogger: Knight Commander's blog
A new scam is to say your Amazon Prime membership will auto-renew at a cost of £79 per month. If you don't want this to happen press 1.
You only need to tell them your Amazon log-in details


I had this call yesterday. Obviously I didn't press "1"...........

I've also had the same Amazon call.

I've just watched the programme and it doesn't say how it all starts. Is it an email link or a dodgy site? For example, the woman said she was looking for "pet insurance" so how did she end up getting scammed via a simple and often used search, which most of us would have done at some point?

I only saw part of it but assumed the the targets had already had an infected PC - probably by clicking on an email attachment or downloading something that they shouldn't have. I am sure one of them mentioned a pop-up on their PC saying they had been compromised and to call a certain number.

I think with the info supplied by former employees of British companies who'd outsourced overseas eg India these info were sold to scammers or used to set-up scam outfits like those highlighted in Panorama last night.

The South Asians eg Indians and Pakistanis have no qualms doing dodgy activities in the UK thus doing it in their homeland will be a walk-in-the-park as the authorities there are as bent and corrupt as any Nigerian fraudster.

If I received an email or phone call from any South Asian sounding individual I'd either put the hone down or ask the individual for id (and postcode), and then threaten to report them to UK police, if they do not stop - it has worked so far.

Dodgy people do not earn my respect - economic or political.

another scam is an automated call saying £600 has been debited from your Visa card press whatever number if you are dumb mug and like being taken for a ride.

or just put the phone down.

If I don't recognise the number it doesn't get answered regardless. If it is important they have the 'option' to leave a message.

If you answer every call with the mentality that the person @ the other end is after your money (mum/dad/sons and daughters included) you wont go far wrong.

I think most of us learn to tell if our children want money with barely a few words spoken

I haven't had the one lately where HMRC are telling me that there's an arrest warrant in my name. Press 1 to speak to your case officer.

They've not found me yet.

The thing with these people is they always think they are better than you (which they are not), and anything is possible with them to dislodge your wealth regardless. They also believe they have the "right" to your wealth, and is theirs for sharing - a classic case of self-entitlement.

Hence their propensity to do benefit fraud and/or criminal or illegal activities in this country more than any other minority group (with arrogance). If caught they'll always plead innocence or ignorance of the law eg I do not speak English or I do not understand English despite a resident here for years.

I believe they think they are clever (but they are not). As such, they think they are superior, and will be believed and (probably beat the law/justice); just because they think they are clever and superior they think others are stupid.

A very classic case of insecurity with an above-the-law mentality - their downfall leading to utmost shame on themselves and their community.

The best thing to do with any sort of scammer, cold call or nuisance call is to waste their time.  Just say that you're really interested and let them give it the massive sell, whilst you carry on with what you're doing and let them speak to the cat.  Or ask them to send you loads of information but make up an address.

Recently someone was trying to con me for some spurious payment so I made up a bank card number and mumbled the last few digits.  When he asked me to repeat it I did it again but changed the first couple of numbers; I think I got to the seventh or eight reading of it when he realised I was taking the p!ss. 

I once, some years ago, said I was happy to pay some allegedly outstanding tax amount, but that I only deal in cash and I'd be happy to meet their representative to hand over the notes.  Was desperate for them to send someone round so I could get some mates over to give him a kicking, but funnily enough they didn't know my address.

'Jim Browning' has a large number of videos on you tube exposing theses scammers, including an extended version of the Panorama programme. And yes, a large number of these despicable people are based in India.

just because they think they are clever and superior they think others are stupid

Judging by the numbers quoted on the programme, they may have a point

I've an intense aversion to South Asian accent on the phone (a number not recognised) as 1.0000000000000001 it will be financial. As such, I'd put the phone down immediately after they spoke. No comeback nearly very time - treat arrogance with arrogance.

impossible123 • March 3, 2020 4:32 PM GMT
The thing with these people is they always think they are better than you (which they are not), and anything is possible with them to dislodge your wealth regardless. They also believe they have the "right" to your wealth, and is theirs for sharing - a classic case of self-entitlement.

hmmm I don't have much time for HMRC but I think this is a bit over the top.

May I also add Nigerian accent to not want to sound prejudice. These two accents are the most abhorrent accents on the the list of world fraudsters - the cancer of fraudsters.

Always useful to keep a referee's whistle by the phone to blast their eardrums off

If they say they are from Windows, I demand to speak to Mr Gates. Not once did they put me through to Saint Billy.

This has been going on for 10 or more years. I'm amazed that it's only now considered newsworthy.

In the last couple of weeks I've suddenly been inundated with SPAM calls from different numbers, that if I answer always hang up.  Almost like I've pissed a scammer off and have been targeted with pointless calls.

Get them angry enough to repeatedly call you back to swear at you, huge fun if you've a few minutes to spare.

Why doesn't our government say to India no more 100s of millions of aid until these outfits are closed down?

Mar 3, 2020 -- 11:46AM, Knight Commander wrote:

Always useful to keep a referee's whistle by the phone to blast their eardrums off

Did something similar to this last year. Was a bank fraud call, so I spoke really quietly away from the handset. Kept getting asked to repeat and I said I had a problem so he needed to turn the volume up.

Meantime I fished out one of the kids' toys that has this annoying loud whistle and when I knew he'd turned it up I blasted it at him.


Learnt a few swear words in a new language too so win, win.

Amit Chauhan, the call centre owner has been arrested and Indian police are appealing to British victims of the scam to get in touch with them by e-mail. Chauhan will appear in court later today.

Do you have to include sort code, account number and pin in this email?

It's not an e-mail scam lovegod, watch the program.

As I see it, Browning hacked the records of the people his outfit scammed and the amounts they paid. Could the Indian police use his assets to repay the unfortunate victims?

Just had an Indian call to renew amazon prime. I strung him along for some time before he twigged. He used disgusting language about my mother. Then he hung up.

The South Asians are arrogant and rude to the last even on subject they knew little about. It's just typical of the them.

I used to shop in the Coop or Tesco Express now I do not. The staff at the former will follow you; the latter yakking in their own lingo even when you'er being served.

But, you never witness this at Waitrose, Sainsbury and Lidl.