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Call Divert FRAUD suspected

PeterLa_2190512
SMARTY Pioneer
SMARTY Pioneer

A caller phoned me claiming that they had received a missed call from my phone an hour previous; I had not used my phone that morning.  The caller was adamant that they had received a call from my number and wanted to know if I was a business (I am not/never have been) and asked me several times.  Subsequently I am wondering if my number has been copied/cloned and tried seeking advice from Smarty, to no avail as they appear to put profit over security/customer support and hide behind their Kafkaesque website to prevent contacting them.

Any suggestions before I approach Ofcom to complain of Smarty's failure to engage with me?

8 REPLIES 8

SmartyTrousers
SMARTY Centurion
SMARTY Centurion

@PeterLa_2190512 What's most likely happened here is that some overseas call centre has spoofed their caller ID as a UK number to make people more likely to answer their calls, and you just happen to be the unlucky person whose number it happens to be on this occasion. This has got nothing to do with any security failing from Smarty, and the calls will not be coming from your account / through Smarty's infrastructure.

I had the same thing happen to me a while back, but not with Smarty, with my work landline number. A lady called and insisted I'd called her, and demanded to know my name. I told her my name was none of her business as I definitely hadn't called her. She eventually just huffed and hung up.

MSF
SMARTY Guru
SMARTY Guru

@PeterLa_2190512  Straight away with the accusations?? How can Smarty stop some scumbag dialling your number in the hope of scamming you?

Some call centres have machines that auto dial random numbers, in the hope that someone will pick up and present an opportunity for a scam.

One possibility is to not answer calls that are not from one of your contact list.

Ofcom will only get involved in a specific issue where you have no response after eight weeks and preferably have a letter of deadlock on the issue.

@MSF The scumbags have not called him, they have called other people and have spoofed their caller ID as a UK number, which just happens to be his number on this occasion. People are then calling the number back and asking him why he's called them, but he hasn't.

@SmartyTrousers  Yes, that certainly is another explanation. I was thinking that a scumbag, having obtained an answer to one of the myriad calls, would then play the person for any possible information.

PeterLa_2190512
SMARTY Pioneer
SMARTY Pioneer

I appreciate the time taken by respondents to provide answers relating to my concerns about a possible scam attempt to extract personal information from me. The responses have provided reassurance so I very much thank those helpful people. I would have preferred to have raised my concerns directly with Smarty (had it been possible) and engaged their expertise and knowledge of the communication industry in providing a definitive response.

Instead, Smarty appear rely upon the innate knowledge from within a community forum to discharge that function on their behalf. This is probably a cheaper option but it also allows Smarty to dilute its responsibility for customer care. Some may feel that this is acceptable in the pursuit keeping costs low although I question how far organisations should be permitted to go to ignore questions raised by customers.

Personally, I expect organisations to act professionally and with consideration when providing a service rather than relying upon discussion from external parties to provide possible answers to queries raised. I do not intend to cause offence to individuals that offer assistance through their thoughts and suggestions as I appreciate that they provide valuable help to people like myself that have areas of ignorance. I apologise in advance to any who disagree  or are offended with my view. 

@PeterLa_2190512 Thanks for coming back and letting us know you found the information useful, not many people do, so it's always appreciated when it happens.

@PeterLa_2190512  I second the comment from @SmartyTrousers .

I understand that you do not find Smarty’s way of doing business acceptable, but you must also appreciate that it works well for many thousands of customers and presumably makes Smarty a profit in the process.

It may be interesting to see if you get better responses directly from other networks.

Hi PeterLa_2190512,

Here are all of the ways to get in touch with SMARTY directly https://smarty.co.uk/contact