This is NOT an e-mail I've received from someone; this is an account of what happened to me yesterday afternoon (Thurs. 15 Sept, 2011). Do NOT pass this on to "everyone you know", but you might have a few friends -- or maybe elderly relatives -- you can think of who might want to be aware of this...

Yesterday afternoon I missed a phone call. When I dialed 1471 to find out who it was, it gave me the number 02070 603887. This number turns out to be an "echo test" (apparently to check the quality of your phone line).

I thought this was odd and have been doing some searching online. I found reports by many other people of the same thing happening to them.

I also found that people who do answer the call (their caller ID shows the number above) speak to someone (who usually sounds like they may well be calling from an Indian call centre), often from a company called First Call, who may ask for them by name and may already know their address or other personal details. This person says they are due some money (some calls said they were owed PPI*; other calls said they had been in a car accident a few years ago and were owed money; some mentioned a postcode lottery; other reasons were given as well) and asked for personal details like address, date of birth, and bank and/or credit card details.

If you give these details, you may be giving them permission to "charge" you for their "assistance" in helping you get the money that is "owed" to you. Or (even worse) you may be giving them the information they need to simply take money from your account.

My number is already registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which allows you to opt out of receiving unsolicited sales and marketing calls, but there are companies with offshore offices who are not subject to UK law, and this appears to be one of them.

NOTE: Many people said that if they told the caller they were registered with TPS and shouldn't be calling them, they then received many calls a day from them. This also often happens if you hang up on them or are rude, or even if you ask sensible questions (like "Who are you and where did you get my number from?").

I don't know how to make sure they don't call you again. Some people give them false information. Some people (if they have caller ID) answer the phone with something like "Hello, PC Jones, South Yorkshire Identity Theft Task Force," (which seems to be extremely effective [grin]).

The most informative thing I found was a discussion of these calls at:
http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/02070603887/4

If you are not already registered with TPS (Telephone Preference Service) but would like to be, their web address is:
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

Finally, for those who are not familiar with the term, *PPI stands for Payment Protection Insurance, (i.e. loan insurance) which has frequently been miss-sold; recent legislation means people may be able to reclaim large amounts of money. For more information, see:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/ppi-loan-insurance

Good luck, and be alert (Britain needs more Lerts!)

Vikki Fielden