Odd scam attempt?

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Discussion

andygo

Original Poster:

6,799 posts

255 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Here's an odd one.

My wife encountered a strabge one today, not sure if it was a scam attempt.

My wife answred the fornt door to be greeted by a scouse lad, who told her he had been sent down from Liverpool (We live in Milton Keynes)to help with a petition for Battersea Dogs Home. Apparently the gov are removing funding for the home.

He then rambled on, asking who owned the Porsche in the drive, how he had been talking to a bloke up the road with a husky, how he ised to own a jack russell, blah blah.

Anyway, he returned to the topic of the petition, all he needed was my wifes name and bank sort code to prove she was over 30!

At that point my wife told him no thanks and he literally ran off down the drive.

She called the 85 year old lady next door tonwarn her, but he hadn't called there, however, the guy with the 'husky' (it's not a husky, but a bit similar) lives past her house, whilst he ran off down the road the other way, ignoring our next door neighbours on the other side to us.

My wife said he had what looked like an official Battersea jacket and ID card with him.

I looked on the battersea website and it gives the postcodes and towns of all fundraising activities in the month and MK wasn't featured. Also the Gov doesn't fund the home, it's all done by private donations.

Can't work out what was the point of this charade. Any ideas?

Nurburgsingh

5,119 posts

238 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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He'd have started with the sort code and then carried on the conversation to extract more and more information until he had want he needed

Knoxville2410

291 posts

59 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Probably rob your wife's bank card out of her hand once she gets it out to show the sort code.

alscar

4,096 posts

213 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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I think his scam needs more work.
Don’t see how even if your wife had given him the details what he could do with just her name and sort code though.

ScoobyChris

1,679 posts

202 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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alscar said:
I think his scam needs more work.
Don’t see how even if your wife had given him the details what he could do with just her name and sort code though.
At a guess, if she was (naive enough) to volunteer the sort code, maybe she would be worth pushing to divulge more...

Chris

JagYouAre

432 posts

170 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Could the bank stuff be a red herring and he was actually scoping out houses with a Porsche on the drive?

alscar

4,096 posts

213 months

Friday 24th February 2023
quotequote all
ScoobyChris said:
At a guess, if she was (naive enough) to volunteer the sort code, maybe she would be worth pushing to divulge more...

Chris
Yup maybe or perhaps Knoxville’s suggestion more appropriate.

Scabutz

7,600 posts

80 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Seems an overly elaborate ploy just to snatch a card from someone, especially as the card will be stopped before he gets near a shop.

Suspect he is scoping out the Porker. Get someone talking, have a look are the keys in sight, is there a Ring doorbell, is there a dog barking its head off etc.



C5_Steve

3,014 posts

103 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Or, he was actually was a volunteer for Battersea but was out getting people to sign up for donations by direct debit......and he was asking for her details to set one up....possibly without her realising.

cossy400

3,161 posts

184 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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We had a new one the other week, MRS400 and i collect Nectar points and use them all at christmas etc.

She went on to check her balance one night after the weekend to find it at zero...

We re in Derbyshire and someone had spent the £45 we had on the card in Hammersmith.

Spoke to Nectar etc they ve sent new cards and replaced the points and given up 2000 extra for our troubles.

No idea how they ve done it as we ve never been to London, closest we get is Sawbridgeworth to her mothers.

Rivenink

3,682 posts

106 months

Friday 24th February 2023
quotequote all
cossy400 said:
We had a new one the other week, MRS400 and i collect Nectar points and use them all at christmas etc.

She went on to check her balance one night after the weekend to find it at zero...

We re in Derbyshire and someone had spent the £45 we had on the card in Hammersmith.

Spoke to Nectar etc they ve sent new cards and replaced the points and given up 2000 extra for our troubles.

No idea how they ve done it as we ve never been to London, closest we get is Sawbridgeworth to her mothers.
Somehow gotten hold of your nectar number and created a fake card. Taken it into the store and used it to pay.

Could be an internal job, someone with access to the accounts and saw yours had points on. Or, you nectar account has been compromised and someone was able to log in, view your card number and point balance.

DickyC

49,729 posts

198 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Diversion? Have a scout round and see if anything has gone from the shed or garage.

We had a bloke at the front door asking about our new fence. While I told him about the company who put it up, his mate was in the garage lifting my power tools.

andygo

Original Poster:

6,799 posts

255 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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He would have had to negotiate our locked side gate which is in full view of the front (well actually its the side) door.

Just worrying these buggers.

CoolHands

18,625 posts

195 months

Friday 24th February 2023
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Just a scumbag, not much else to it. Would’ve robbed your house if you’d all been out.

poo at Paul's

14,144 posts

175 months

Saturday 25th February 2023
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It’s a Nottingham Knocker style scam. They’re just there to glean as much info as they can.
Eg, wife at home on her own?
No dog maybe,
Porsche there on the drive.
Plus lots of other small talk that he will have got stuff from, as well as if yiu have a doorbell cam, security lights and cams etc.
pound to a pinch or st, next day or so there’ll be some burglaries in the street or next one.

steveo3002

10,515 posts

174 months

Saturday 25th February 2023
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maybe was going to rob your house/car if no one answered the door , when people do come to the door they need an excuse to be there

Zarco

17,840 posts

209 months

Saturday 25th February 2023
quotequote all
poo at Paul's said:
It’s a Nottingham Knocker style scam. They’re just there to glean as much info as they can.
Eg, wife at home on her own?
No dog maybe,
Porsche there on the drive.
Plus lots of other small talk that he will have got stuff from, as well as if yiu have a doorbell cam, security lights and cams etc.
pound to a pinch or st, next day or so there’ll be some burglaries in the street or next one.
Was my take too.

Hate those s.

Sheepshanks

32,749 posts

119 months

Saturday 25th February 2023
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steveo3002 said:
maybe was going to rob your house/car if no one answered the door , when people do come to the door they need an excuse to be there
Sounds possible - my brother lived in Liverpool for a while and he said they regularly got people at the door who had some odd story when they answered.

Mr Miata

954 posts

50 months

Saturday 25th February 2023
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I wouldn’t even answer the door to cold callers / salesmen. I don’t know why people even give them time of the day?

Scammers are looking for vulnerable people who listen and go along with their sales pitch. The best way to defeat any potential scam is to stonewall them. I don’t owe them any politeness.

If I wanted to donate to Battersea Dogs Home, then I’d go to them, dont come to me. It’s the same with banks etc etc, I’d contact them using official channels rather than replying to a suspect text message or email.

Edited by Mr Miata on Saturday 25th February 16:08

Scabutz

7,600 posts

80 months

Saturday 25th February 2023
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Mr Miata said:
I wouldn’t even answer the door to cold callers / salesmen. I don’t know why people even give them time of the day?

If I wanted to donate to Battersea Dogs Home, then I’d go to them, dont come to me.
Yeah unless I have ordered an Uber Eats and expecting I dont answer the door. No one I know is visiting me unannounced. I really dislike charity doorstep muggers, I will donate to the charities I want to in my own time.