Just hang up on the bogus callers
Kevin’s advice as scammers target his mother
An Elderslie man has warned pensioners to be on guard after his mother received a series of bogus phone calls.
Kevin Foley, 57, says scammers have repeatedly targeted his OAP mum Christine over the last few weeks.
Crooks claiming to be from Western Union first rang the 77-year-old’s ex-directory number three weeks ago saying £ 600 was about to be taken from her account.
The callous caller asked her to ‘press two to accept’ or ‘press one
If you get a call like this you need to hang up immediately Kevin
Foley
to speak to an operator’.
Christine, from Elderslie, was put through to a woman called Sarah or Susan who spoke with an American accent.
She quickly realised it was a scam call and hung up but Kevin said the bogus calls have continued.
He told The Paisley Daily Express: “The first call was three weeks ago and she spoke to a woman and basically told her where to go.
“The same person called a week or so later and my mum just hung up the phone and the third call came through just this week.
“Thankfully my mum hung up and they weren’t able to get any details from her.”
Kevin, who has a background in IT, has called on phone companies to do more to protect elderly people from these types of calls.
He added: “My mum isn’t listed, she is ex- directory, so goodness knows how they got her number.
“The code on the number said the call originated in London, but it’s likely it originated overseas.
“I think telecoms companies have a big obligation to protect their customer - especially older people who may not be as aware of scams like this.”
Christine checked with her bank that no money had been taken but Kevin fears the caller may have reversed the call charges on her line.
“I’ve told her to check her phone bill because they can reverse the charges on these calls and ring up big bills,” he added.
“If you get a call like this you need to hang up immediately. And check you have a dialling tone because they can keep the line open for a period as well.
“My mum was lucky she never fell for it, but these people are very clever. They change their methods and they prey on vulnerable people.”
If you receive a call like this, police advise that you hang up immediately and do not engage with the caller and then
report it on 101.