Ops-Normal.org

Later ... seems it wasn't my Gmail address password Google were telling me about, but that an ancient - very ancient ! - Yahoo account password has apparently been compromised. So old that I can't even change the password, e.g. I have no recollection of what it was, but would guess that it was an early one that I used when this whole Internet kerfuffle started, and can't use the forgotten / change password option now 'cos the system won't even recognise my e-mail address. Have ditched the whole Yahoo thing. Don't need it.

Sorry for any alarm bells I may have rung, but I got the warning just prior to leaving home for the day and had then no time to follow up, which I've just done.

A WA starting "Please no maxime strategy... " none of which made sense....

I got 'lots of amens' (translated back from the gtranslate version) the other day.

A lesson (hopefully)

Order from Germany, delivery by DHS.

Week later from DHL, check your address. Email from @unitybox.de which happens to be in CZ. URL was teniskisavez.com. The IP address was Lagos, now there's a surprise.
I have reported to SpamCop and also back to the vendor.

From:- custnorplkk5zhxvqdchvzyxtzlaqwpg73@kampretosekal.
(allegedly EE)

͏W͏e’͏v͏e ͏r͏e͏n͏e͏w͏a͏l ͏i͏s͏s͏u͏e ͏t͏o ͏y͏o͏u͏r ͏m͏o͏n͏t͏h͏l͏y ͏s͏u͏b͏s͏c͏r͏i͏p͏t͏i͏o͏n. ͏i͏t ͏a͏p͏p͏e͏a͏r͏s ͏t͏h͏a͏t ͏s͏o͏m͏e ͏o͏f ͏t͏h͏e ͏b͏i͏l͏l͏i͏n͏g ͏d͏e͏t͏a͏i͏l͏s ͏a͏s͏s͏o͏c͏i͏a͏t͏e͏d ͏w͏i͏t͏h ͏y͏o͏u͏r ͏a͏c͏c͏o͏u͏n͏t ͏m͏a͏y ͏h͏a͏v͏e ͏e͏x͏p͏i͏r͏e͏d ͏o͏r ͏w͏a͏s ͏o͏t͏h͏e͏r͏w͏i͏s͏e ͏c͏h͏a͏n͏g͏e͏d

Yea, right . . .

I had one can't remember the message but a similar nonsense address though ending in Gmail.com. I think the Operah.com and. co.uk and the deathly assured.nl have been wrapped up by the Dutch police.

Using Gmail is effective as it is not picked up by spam filters.

I tracked my last through to Lagos.

They never give up. Just Rxd this one:

Dear valued customer

Recent beneficiary inter-payment made to your account required your authentication. Absa customer (the payer) has sent this notification of payment to you. Should you have any queries regarding the contents of this notice, proceed below for more information.

online profile

Kind regards,
Customer Services.
Personal Accounts
Absa idirect FSP

Where 'online profile' was a link to a very suspicious URL.

Oh! and I'm not an ABSA customer!!

Just received a text message scam that I haven't seen before.

It was from a mobile no. - +447554586833

The text read as follows:

LLOYDS ALERT:

You have successfully paired a new device on 16/02 at 14:16PM. If this was NOT you, visit: https://removeunregistered-device.com/lloyds/Login.php

That website does not appear to exist when I googled it.

It immediately jumped out as a scam as I don't bank with Lloyds.

A 'legitimate' webber conned someone on our Neighbour forum of £79 to renew a licence at DVLA.

Odd that a firm in Memphis US would contact me to let me know I've won a Tesco's UK club card. Nice, though!

Just had the dulcet tones of woman telling me they had detected criminal activities on my DOHSS number and unless I tell their case officer my name and DOHSS number I will not be able to use it. Anyone else see something illogical in this reasoning?

Had a couple of recorded messages, purportedly from my ISP, telling me that my internet was about to be cut off, and I should press 1 if I want to keep it, or 2 if I want to cancel it. As this is on my landline which is a decidedly unsmart phone, what happens if I press one of these numbers, other than them deciding that I'm stupid enough to be worthy of further attempts?
Also had one on my mobile purporting from the tax department advising that "a case has been filed against me" and unless I pressed 1 to talk to them I would be prosecuted. Unfortunately, as it's a recorded message, so I can't even tell them to effoff.

The first one, they're trying to determine that there's a real person on the phone, whereupon presumably you'd be connected to a live scammer to either extract the payment needed to keep your internet, or to settle up the amount owed prior to terminating service.

Hydromet, yesterday the head of HMRC said he got one of those calls.

I get about half-a-dozen calls a week that are immediately disconnected if I answer.
Apart from confirming that my number is active, what benefit do they derive as there doesn't seem to be any follow-up with a voice call?

My regular spam calls all have an origin from a call that I answered a dozen years ago with a marketing survey with questions such as what make of household appliances which I answered with false details.
Since then I have moved house but kept the same telephone number. They always ask for me as Mr Sally (my wife's christian name) and declare my old address - so I know it is a scam.

I get requests for insurance renewals for the appliances that I invented in that original call.

My recent series has related to an accident. They are all ears when I say yes, a barrel fell off a SODAP truck and hit my car. They sort of lose interest when I get to the detail that it was in Cyprus in 1972.

What kind of telephone number is 423044159485? - no leading zeros.

I wasn't available to answer the call.

Country code 423 is Lichtenstein

Yet another call to my backup phone this afternoon that my DOHSS number had been involved in fraudulent activity, I had to respond immediately, or it would be suspended so I couldn't use it (how ?) and the police were on their way to arrest me. So far no sign of blue lights or helicopter spookies or police flying down from the UK. One can only hope...