Scam Warnings

[Buce]

1 minute ago, Innovindil said:

Quick check because this one actually has me stumped. Checked the number online and it's literally split 50/50 whether its a legit nhs number or a scam.   Earlier message mention the local surgery my missus goes to but who knows...Might be important since she's expecting some sort of message relating to the vaccine since she works in a care home. Message reads as follows:

 

To obtain a priority list for the COVID-19 vaccine we are requesting information. If you are a front line health and social care worker reply "yes" AND state your occupation to 07800000199. Please do not ring the Surgery we will contact you in due course. [email protected]

 

Sounds scammy as balls to me, but anyone know for sure please?

 

That's a legitimate app.  https://www.mjog.com/

 

I'd guess it's kosher, just don't hand over your bank details to anyone.

[davieG]

Seems obvious but...

 

[Buce]

 

I don't want to appear unsympathetic but how fvcking stupid do you need to be to fall for this?

Woman loses nearly £113k in dating site romance fraud

A woman says she is facing bankruptcy after losing just under £113,000 to a scammer she met on a dating site.

 

Rachel Elwell, from the West Midlands, said the man, who claimed he lived nearby, told her he had gone abroad for an engineering contract in Ukraine.

He convinced her with documents and pictures he needed money for issues that had cropped up and stated he had been taken captive by loan sharks.

Ms Elwell, 50, said there was no guarantee of any money coming back.

Asked why she had given money to a man she had never met, the export manager, of Brownhills, said: "When he said to me his life was in danger and I didn't hear from him, I thought he'd been murdered.

"Can you imagine feeling you're responsible for whether someone lives or dies?"

Ms Elwell said after he had contacted her on 1 January claiming to live in Cannock, his "picture looked nice", he "seemed to like the same things as me" and "seemed quite an open and genuine guy".

'All a lie'

The man told her they would have to wait weeks to meet as he would need to stay in Ukraine, but later phoned claiming laws in that country had changed due to Covid and he now had to pay tax before any of the engineering work began, Ms Elwell said.

Telling the story to BBC Radio WM, Ms Elwell said she had been told work had stopped on site and matters "appeared very legitimate", but later she had "reluctantly" sent him money.

She stated at one point a supposed tax office had sent a letter to him, which she had a copy of, and added: "They said... 'you need to pay 160 thousand'. So he cashed his pension in, sold his car, borrowed money and I helped him.

"I mean at this point I think it was about £45k I'd sent him to help him with the tax bill."

Continuing the story, Ms Elwell said the man had claimed two "heavies" had turned up and he had been locked in a cellar. He sent her pictures purporting to show him there.

She added he claimed to have been released after money had been sent, but he had told her he would not have his passport, which had been taken from him, until interest had been paid.

On the day the man told Ms Elwell he was due to fly back, 16 March, she went to Heathrow airport and got an email from supposed airport officials saying he had been arrested.

 

She said she had then approached Border Force officials who said, "look, it's a scam".

She went to his supposed house in Coventry to meet his daughter and housekeeper/nanny, but "no such people lived at that house".

Ms Elwell said: "It was in that moment that I knew it was all a lie."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Rachel's case is a prime example of romance fraud, her case highlights how much these scammers affect people's lives."

[filbertway]

9 minutes ago, Buce said:

 

I don't want to appear unsympathetic but how fvcking stupid do you need to be to fall for this?

Woman loses nearly £113k in dating site romance fraud

A woman says she is facing bankruptcy after losing just under £113,000 to a scammer she met on a dating site.

 

Rachel Elwell, from the West Midlands, said the man, who claimed he lived nearby, told her he had gone abroad for an engineering contract in Ukraine.

He convinced her with documents and pictures he needed money for issues that had cropped up and stated he had been taken captive by loan sharks.

Ms Elwell, 50, said there was no guarantee of any money coming back.

Asked why she had given money to a man she had never met, the export manager, of Brownhills, said: "When he said to me his life was in danger and I didn't hear from him, I thought he'd been murdered.

"Can you imagine feeling you're responsible for whether someone lives or dies?"

Ms Elwell said after he had contacted her on 1 January claiming to live in Cannock, his "picture looked nice", he "seemed to like the same things as me" and "seemed quite an open and genuine guy".

'All a lie'

The man told her they would have to wait weeks to meet as he would need to stay in Ukraine, but later phoned claiming laws in that country had changed due to Covid and he now had to pay tax before any of the engineering work began, Ms Elwell said.

Telling the story to BBC Radio WM, Ms Elwell said she had been told work had stopped on site and matters "appeared very legitimate", but later she had "reluctantly" sent him money.

She stated at one point a supposed tax office had sent a letter to him, which she had a copy of, and added: "They said... 'you need to pay 160 thousand'. So he cashed his pension in, sold his car, borrowed money and I helped him.

"I mean at this point I think it was about £45k I'd sent him to help him with the tax bill."

Continuing the story, Ms Elwell said the man had claimed two "heavies" had turned up and he had been locked in a cellar. He sent her pictures purporting to show him there.

She added he claimed to have been released after money had been sent, but he had told her he would not have his passport, which had been taken from him, until interest had been paid.

On the day the man told Ms Elwell he was due to fly back, 16 March, she went to Heathrow airport and got an email from supposed airport officials saying he had been arrested.

 

She said she had then approached Border Force officials who said, "look, it's a scam".

She went to his supposed house in Coventry to meet his daughter and housekeeper/nanny, but "no such people lived at that house".

Ms Elwell said: "It was in that moment that I knew it was all a lie."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Rachel's case is a prime example of romance fraud, her case highlights how much these scammers affect people's lives."

My favourite part is right at the end...

 

It wasn't when the lads at the airport told her "it's a scam"

It was when she then decided to drive to Coventry and realised his make-believe family didn't exist

 

[RoboFox]

Kinda sad, man. 

 

These guys prey on the lonely and desperate. I think you'd be surprised what people are willing to believe. 

 

Not me, though. I've just paid upfront for my date with Jess (25) the horny single in my area. Can't wait.

 

 

[davieG]

[Beliall]

for a long time now me and the wife move our money when we buy online. none of the debit cards we use for purchases ever have any money kept in them. even if someone stole the details it would be worthless to them

[Parafox]

58 minutes ago, Beliall said:

for a long time now me and the wife move our money when we buy online. none of the debit cards we use for purchases ever have any money kept in them. even if someone stole the details it would be worthless to them

 

I don't understand this. How many cards have you got?

 

We'd have 10 by the end of every week if we constantly changed after every online purchase.

[davieG]

11 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

I don't understand this. How many cards have you got?

 

We'd have 10 by the end of every week if we constantly changed after every online purchase.

I'd guess you only need one extra which is normally empty and you transfer electronically into it what cash you need to buy when you need it. 

 

I presume you use your main current account for direct debits etc

[Zear0]

1 hour ago, Beliall said:

for a long time now me and the wife move our money when we buy online. none of the debit cards we use for purchases ever have any money kept in them. even if someone stole the details it would be worthless to them

https://www.starlingbank.com/features/virtual-cards/

 

Ever tried this feature?  Several banks offer it.

 

Has a pot within the account and can generate a unique 16 digit no. CVV for each purchase without the faff.  Is also linked into Google Wallet too so works with day to day stuff.

[Dunge]

1 hour ago, Beliall said:

for a long time now me and the wife move our money when we buy online. none of the debit cards we use for purchases ever have any money kept in them. even if someone stole the details it would be worthless to them

That’s a really interesting idea.

[Beliall]

20 hours ago, Parafox said:

 

I don't understand this. How many cards have you got?

 

We'd have 10 by the end of every week if we constantly changed after every online purchase.

mine hers and the joint account. plus an account we get paid into that we dont connect to anything online

[Beliall]

19 hours ago, Zear0 said:

https://www.starlingbank.com/features/virtual-cards/

 

Ever tried this feature?  Several banks offer it.

 

Has a pot within the account and can generate a unique 16 digit no. CVV for each purchase without the faff.  Is also linked into Google Wallet too so works with day to day stuff.

thanks i hadnt heard of this

[Beliall]

19 hours ago, davieG said:

I'd guess you only need one extra which is normally empty and you transfer electronically into it what cash you need to buy when you need it. 

 

I presume you use your main current account for direct debits etc

yeah exactly

[Silebyfox_89]

On 05/05/2021 at 10:54, Buce said:

 

I don't want to appear unsympathetic but how fvcking stupid do you need to be to fall for this?

Woman loses nearly £113k in dating site romance fraud

A woman says she is facing bankruptcy after losing just under £113,000 to a scammer she met on a dating site.

 

Rachel Elwell, from the West Midlands, said the man, who claimed he lived nearby, told her he had gone abroad for an engineering contract in Ukraine.

He convinced her with documents and pictures he needed money for issues that had cropped up and stated he had been taken captive by loan sharks.

Ms Elwell, 50, said there was no guarantee of any money coming back.

Asked why she had given money to a man she had never met, the export manager, of Brownhills, said: "When he said to me his life was in danger and I didn't hear from him, I thought he'd been murdered.

"Can you imagine feeling you're responsible for whether someone lives or dies?"

Ms Elwell said after he had contacted her on 1 January claiming to live in Cannock, his "picture looked nice", he "seemed to like the same things as me" and "seemed quite an open and genuine guy".

'All a lie'

The man told her they would have to wait weeks to meet as he would need to stay in Ukraine, but later phoned claiming laws in that country had changed due to Covid and he now had to pay tax before any of the engineering work began, Ms Elwell said.

Telling the story to BBC Radio WM, Ms Elwell said she had been told work had stopped on site and matters "appeared very legitimate", but later she had "reluctantly" sent him money.

She stated at one point a supposed tax office had sent a letter to him, which she had a copy of, and added: "They said... 'you need to pay 160 thousand'. So he cashed his pension in, sold his car, borrowed money and I helped him.

"I mean at this point I think it was about £45k I'd sent him to help him with the tax bill."

Continuing the story, Ms Elwell said the man had claimed two "heavies" had turned up and he had been locked in a cellar. He sent her pictures purporting to show him there.

She added he claimed to have been released after money had been sent, but he had told her he would not have his passport, which had been taken from him, until interest had been paid.

On the day the man told Ms Elwell he was due to fly back, 16 March, she went to Heathrow airport and got an email from supposed airport officials saying he had been arrested.

 

She said she had then approached Border Force officials who said, "look, it's a scam".

She went to his supposed house in Coventry to meet his daughter and housekeeper/nanny, but "no such people lived at that house".

Ms Elwell said: "It was in that moment that I knew it was all a lie."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Rachel's case is a prime example of romance fraud, her case highlights how much these scammers affect people's lives."

I guess not all well Elwell?

[Free Falling Foxes]

My wife, born and bred in UK several decades ago, as were her parents and her parents parents and her paren - you get the picture, received a call from 'immigration' on Friday

Her current status is under threat. She was warned not to ignore this call.

She told them to pi$$ off. 

No one has arrived yet to take her away. 

 

Actually, thinking about it, I might call them to check they've got our address. 

Edited 7 September 2025 by Free Falling Foxes

[Grebfromgrebland]

On 06/09/2025 at 08:53, davieG said:

Does anyone know if this is genuine? As in if one of the letters is in a different font it'll take you to a different website? 

[Free Falling Foxes]

2 hours ago, Grebfromgrebland said:

Does anyone know if this is genuine? As in if one of the letters is in a different font it'll take you to a different website? 

I guess you could try it on a website you use regularly, such as FT. Substitute the a in talk for a Cyrillic one and see if it is recognised. If not, it may suggest it would indeed take you elsewhere if such a site used a similar address.

Edited 8 September 2025 by Free Falling Foxes

[FoyleFox]

10 hours ago, Grebfromgrebland said:

Does anyone know if this is genuine? As in if one of the letters is in a different font it'll take you to a different website? 

I'm not certain but it's the sort of thing scammers do, yes. 

[FoyleFox]

I had this warning today, again some clever and little changes some people may not notice with email addresses. 

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/09/paypal-users-targeted-in-account-profile-scam

 

[davieG]

just had a text obviously a scam as I haven’t parked anywhere requiring payment for ages
 

Parking Charge Notice (PCN): The record shows that you have unpaid parking fines. The payment deadline is November 27, 2025. If you still haven't made the payment by then, you may be subject to additional fines and interest. Your driving license may be revoked, which could also have a negative impact on your credit record. After reading this message, please enter your vehicle registration number in the following link to view and pay the parking fine (information inquiry is free).

 

https://p-fines48.top/i

 

Please complete the payment immediately to avoid more legal disputes. Thank you again for your cooperation.

[NAKC20]

Cant even spell Licence correctly 🤣🤣