Scam

Rhodese

Rhodese

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Can you circulate this around especially as Xmas is fast approaching - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail. The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam:

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at www
icstis.org.uk

Please circulate this to avoid anyone else being ripped off.
 
Sorry - but this is a hoax. It is just not possible to be charged at that rate.

This is based very loosely on fact in that there was a scam some three years ago which involved the highest tariff charge (£1.50 per min) but those lines were quickly closed down. What we are now left with is the chain letter detritus cluttering up the intarwebby.
 
It is partly true IIRC (without checking my trusty snopes).

The £15 is incorrect. ICSTIC (Or whatever stupid name theyve just changed to), have a set maximum amount for premium rate numbers.

There is a scam regarding the "Unable to deliver" card from an unknown delivery company though, I think it's just a marketing scam IIRC.
 
Thats it

Former name : ICSTIC (Sounds official, regulatory)
New name : PhonePayPlus (Sounds like a two bit phone operator where you can call anyone in India or the US for 2p a minute).
 
I was thinking the same thing
 
Sorry folks I should have checked before posting.

A STATEMENT FROM PHONEPAYPLUS ABOUT THE CURRENT
‘POSTAL SCAM’ CHAIN EMAIL
PhonepayPlus, the phone-paid services regulator, is aware that a chain e-mail about an alleged
postal scam is being circulated on the internet. The email refers to the Royal Mail, Trading
Standards and ICSTIS (PhonepayPlus’ former name).
PhonepayPlus appreciates that recipients of the email may want to find out more information
about the alleged scam and has therefore issued the following statement:
The chain email refers to a service that was shut down by us in December 2005.
We subsequently fined the company that was operating the service, Studio Telecom
(based in Belize), £10,000.
The service is NO LONGER running and has NOT been running since December 2005.
The email refers to a £15 charge for simply being connected to a recorded message.
This is NOT TRUE – a £15 connection charge does NOT exist. The service in question
actually cost £1.50 per minute and lasted six minutes, making a total cost of £9 if callers
stayed on the line for the full six minutes.
You do NOT need to contact us, or the Royal Mail, about this service as it was stopped
almost two years ago.
If you receive a copy of the email warning you about the alleged scam, please do NOT
forward it to others. Instead, please forward this statement from PhonepayPlus.
Please go to www.phonepayplus.org.uk/pdfs_news/ConsumerGuide.pdf for useful
information about how to recognise phone-paid services and understand what they cost,
and some simple tips to help you enjoy using services with confidence.
For more detailed information about our work, please visit www.phonepayplus.org.uk.
 
I've been corrected about a mistake I made elsewhere regarding the possible cost of calls to 09** numbers, it used to be that you could be charged a maximum of £1.50 per minute but that is no longer the case. According to phonepayplus (stupid name) there is no maximum limit anymore. My advice would be to avoid phoning ANY number starting 09** since they exist for one reason and that is to take as much of your cash as possible.
 
Steep said:
My advice would be to avoid phoning ANY number starting 09** since they exist for one reason and that is to take as much of your cash as possible.
Click to expand...

I agree. I never phone ANY premium rate number on principle.
And avoid phoning 0870 numbers (saynoto0870.com) if I can help it.

Being tighter than cramp obviously helps me in this respect :D
 
This now very ancient hoax has surfaced again. Not in an email sent by a well meaning friend but printed in the local Liberal Party propaganda leaflet put through the door today.

Good grief!

Where's me rolleyes, mother?
 
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