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Possible Scam - Calls from 07458 122813

James_W

Just received a call from 07458 122813.

I never answer calls from numbers I don't recognise, so I rejected the call and searched it online.

On who-called.co.uk/.../07458122813 there are several reports that the caller is claiming to be from the National Autistic Society soliciting donations or Gift Aid details. A user reports: 'Very troubling. Was convinced until background noise got in way.'

The above user's comment suggests that they are autistic, as am I.

It's worrying that we should be receiving this call as autistic people. I just happen to have expertise in infosec and scam-spotting. It may be a coincidence, or it may be that our details have been leaked. I'm not going to make guesses or accusations at this point - I'm just putting this out there for information. Please spread it around. There are many autistic people out there who are very vulnerable to this kind of thing.

  • Generally I don't answer the phone unless it's someone I know or am expecting.

    People will leave a message and if that gives you enough confidence that they're genuine you can call them back.

    In the main, most big firms don't really make a lot from their customers, employing people to call and h"help" them, is an unnecessary overhead .so if "Microsoft" calls to tell you there's an issue on your computer...it isn't them. Also, logically, how do they know? Why have they just fixed it? It'll be a scam.

    As others have said, mobile numbers are an obvious giveaway. So they get ignored.

    When someone calls you, remember, they need to prove to you who they are, not the other way around, if someone calls and says then need details to confirm who you are before they can talk, it's a scam.

    You haven't got any relatives in Africa that you don't know about who've left you millions, so if their solicitors call to say they need a deposit in order to release your estate, it's a scam.

    The worst that can happen is you might miss the odd genuine call, but the majority will be sales or scams, so don't be afraid to ignore them. Just Google the number after and see if it was likely to be genuine, but be aware, it's not impossible to spoof a number, so it can look genuine even if it's not....

    Sorry to feed paranoia, but I hope you'll all be vigilant and careful, I've seen people lose a lot to these scams and also their mental health gets ruined as a result. They prey on the vulnerable, often calling hundreds of people claiming to be one company, until they're lucky to get one of their customers answer. They don't always know, but can have some information up front that can make them sound like they know you or are genuine.

    Stay safe folks!

  • in reply to Autisician

    Yeah, unless I recognise the number (or was expecting the call, for whatever reason), I don't pick up the phone. If it's important, I expect the person to either try again or leave a voicemail.

  • It is good that you have expertise in info security and scam-spotting.

    When I read your post, the phone number used by the scammer was what stood out to me. I tend to think of phone numbers beginning with '07' to be mobile phone numbers. If the National Autistic Society was in the habit of cold-calling people to solicit donations, I'm inclined to think the calls would be made from a landline.


    If I had been on the receiving end of that call and been convinced it was genuine, I think one question I would have felt compelled to ask was how NAS had obtained my phone number. In my case, there is no reason why the National Autistic Society would have my phone number stored on a database, as it's not something I have ever had cause to give them.

  • Thanks for the heads up I love scam callers I wind them up over the phone and then hang up my mum was exactly the same lol. But if it was from the national autism society I probably would have taken the call seriously. 

  • If you are getting unwanted calls you can report numbers on the ICO that is Information Commissioners Office. 

    They also have advice on their website.

  • Hi James_W,

    We are sorry that you are receiving calls from unknown numbers that may be pretending to be The National Autistic Society. You may want to visit Ofcoms page with advice on how to protect yourself from nuisance calls and messages: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/problems/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages/protecting-yourself-from-nuisance-calls-and-messages 

    You may want to look at our Privacy and Data Collection Notice: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/website/privacy/privacy-notice 

    Please see our Supporter Promise: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/who-we-are/transparency-and-regulations/supporter-promise 

    Kind Regards,

    Rosie Mod

  • My PDA kicks in when the phone rings so I only ever managed to answer when it's someone I know well.

    After a lifetime of autism , watching how the world behaves, I tend not to trust anyone either, with very few exceptions.

    It might be one positive of my autism, it stops me getting scammed!

  • Just as well I don't have a mobile phone, let alone a smart phone and the house phone tends to go straight to answerphone. I'm pretty good at spotting scammers and have led them along for ages by pretending to be gullable. I did once tell a genuine caller from paypal that I thought he was a scammer and that I wasn't going to comply with him, because he asked me to divulge details of someone I shared a house with who was the account holder. He asked me to do all the things that banks tell you not to do and was shocked and angry when I refused.