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"Looking for some extra cash over Christmas?
We are flat out with orders for the Christmas
rush. Big money for hard workers. Earn in excess
of £500 a week... Call Steve now on………
"
The catch is it
takes you up to five costly minutes on the phone
to find out there is no real job on offer.
As mentioned elsewhere,
the use, and high cost, of premium telephone
numbers can be a central feature of a scam.
Fraudsters use these numbers to carry out many
different scams. They include phony competitions,
prize and holiday offers, as well as deceptive
credit card promotions. The longer you stay
on the line the more money the fraudster earns.
The scams may begin with
notification by post, by phone or other means,
claiming that you have won something or have
qualified for a credit card. You might be promised
a product or service, but what you actually
receive, if you receive anything, is likely
to be disappointing.
If you are calling to
get a credit card you might simply get a list
of banks to which you can apply for a card.
If you are told to call because you are the
winner of a prize draw you will receive nothing
at all, except a very large phone bill!
You might call the number
and be required to listen to a long recorded
sales message or answer a long list of questions.
Remember, the longer you stay on the phone,
the higher the charge for the call.
You might even be directed
to a second premium rate telephone number for
additional information or to claim you prize
or order your product or service.
- Premium rate telephone
numbers attract charges by the minute, usually
well above the cost of a local or STD call.
- Don't dial these numbers
unless you are absolutely sure how much you
will be charged and you are willing to pay
for it.
- Be on your guard if,
after dialing one of these numbers you hear
a message asking you to dial a second number.
- Do some research into
the organisation if you have never heard of
them before, and trust your own common sense.
- You can always hang
up.
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