Just thought I’d give all the readers of the blog a quick heads up on a Premium Rate Telephone scam that’s risen it’s slimy little head.

You receive an email like the one shown below or at least very similar to the one shown below:

From: charles [mailto:charlesbrown486@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2014 3:33 PM
To: info@xxxxxxx.co.uk
Subject: DPS SHIPMENT

Hi

DPS Shipment Notification

On the 17th of January 2014  a shipment label was printed for delivery.

The shipment number of this package is 91654688.

we tried to deliver to you but were unable to do so .

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

please  telephone to arrange re-delivery,quoting this package number;91654688

OPENING HOURS;08:00-18:30 MONDAY TO SATURDAY

TEL:07030505877

Charles Brown

So you think to yourself of better give them a ring and see about getting it re-delivered , well think again, under no circumstances ring the number, as this is a premium rate telephone number and you will be charged extortionate rates tobe connected, once connected you are put on hold, during which time you are still being charged for the connection, the call only ends when you get bored of being on hold and you disconnect yourself, by which time you’ve run up a very expensive telephone call, that will benefit the owner of this premium number.

This scam was very popular about 7 yrs ago (details here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/6527127.stm ) and it now seems as though it has been resurrected in the hope that people will have forgotten about it, which I’m guessing most people will have, I was only reminded of it because I’m in the habit of googling telephone numbers I don’t recognise and this is what came up for the number 0703050877

You to give you an idea of how much the scam can cost you, Minimum charge on these numbers can be as high as £1.50 a minute, so you can only imagine what the maximum charges will be and this is using information from 7yrs ago.

So please check any numbers that arrive on emails that ask you contact them, before actually calling them

070 Telephone Number Scam