Archiv des Autors: Stefan Rick

Über Stefan Rick

I have been involved in online business since 2001 and started my first web projects while studying computer science. In my free time I am looking for the sporting challenge of kite surfing. Contact

(English) Weekly Update on the Top 5 Nuisance Callers

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

Dear friends of tellows,

it has been another week filled with telephone spam calls. As always, we present to you the top 5 most wanted numbers of the past five days. This week the list is dominated by telephone numbers used for telemarketing purposes, but see for yourself:

1. 01143072406 with 5 comments and 4556 search requests. tellows Score: 7
2. 01782747000 with 4 comments and 2613 search requests. tellows Score: 5
3. 01415676218 with 11 comments and 4428 search requests. tellows Score: 7
4. 01133902114 with 4 comments and 3430 search requests. tellows Score: 7
5. 01383620466 with 8 comments and 1921 search requests. tellows Score: 8

The first number this week, 01143072406, is calling from Sheffield and, with a tellows score of 7, is rated as rather untrustworthy by our users. Reporting the calls as telemarketing, user Brian offered further information on the caller:

A woman asked about ‚Free Cavity wall insulation‘, allegedly from British Gas. Just did not seem right. We’re with TPS, and now I’m annoyed. She was not aggressive, or pushy, but I do not want random people ringing me at home.

Similarly, the second place on this week’s list, number 01782747000 has been used for telemarketing calls – this time to bath-related tools and features. Some users, however, question the authenticity of the caller: user Delboy, for instance, wrote:

Can’t see how 01782747000 can be a legitimate company selling bath lifts, because if you phone it they try and sell you legal representation services. I think the previous poster is confused between care-knight and bath-knight. I’m sure batch-knight are a very reliable company, but care-knight are definitely the company behind these cold calls on 01782747000.

Ranking on third place, number 01415676218 is reported for telemarketing and silent calls. Dave commented:

This number rings mobile every night regardless of day. Have not answered it as suspect it is a telesales or something. Never leaves a message

Our fourth number this week, 01133902114, is calling from Leeds and has been reported as a telemarketer. Even though some users question the legitimacy of the calls, others have allocated the number to a well-known UK internet service provider.

Last but not least, number 01383620466 has been keeping the telephone lines of our users busy as well. User Pamela sums up the problem with the number in four words:

Silent calls, constant calling

If you have any further details on this or any other number, don’t hesistate to share them with the tellows community and help others to avoid telephone scams and spams. – It will be very much appreciated. Other than that, have a nice weekend free of telephone scams and spam!

Your tellows team

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(English) The Most Wanted Nuisance Callers of the Week

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

Dear friends of tellows,

with another busy week of nuisance calls behind us, we have a new list of the most wanted numbers to share with you.

1. 01704515444 with 7 comments and 3060 search requests. tellows Score: 7
2. 08000641087 with 9 comments and 9390 search requests. tellows Score: 6
3. 01614867770 with 15 comments and 9205 search requests. tellows Score: 7
4. 01143072000 with 15 comments and 7973 search requests. tellows Score: 7
5. 01616528220 with 6 comments and 2628 search requests. tellows Score: 7

Our first number, 01704515444, holds a tellows score of 7. With calls originating from Southport, a yet to be identified caller has phoned a lot of our users at sometimes even unsociable hours, asking for an unknown person. User Sally voiced concern regarding the intentions and possible costs of the calls:

This number called at 09.19 this morning. When I answered I could hear a ringing tone. A man answered and said that he was looking for Mr and Mrs Smith and apologised for ringing wrong number!? In light of ringing tone, wondering if I’ll be charged for the phone call!

Another unknown caller is phoning from our second number, 08000641087. Keeping people’s phone line’s busy with frequent calls at all hours, the number is rated untrustworthy by most of our users, especially since the caller leaves no messages.

Our third number of the week – 01614867770 – is highly disputed, with scores ranking from 1 (very trustworthy) to 9 (untrustworthy) constituting an overall tellows score of 7 – thus being considered as rather suspicious. However, Contact Centre Manager, apparently in representation of the possible caller, stated:

Action Assistance work in conjunction with numerous key household named Insurers and Insurance brokers and we provide a variety of services including niche insurance and motor management services. We are independent advisors and we are normally prompted to call when the Insurers believe that their clients may not have received all that they are entitled to following an accident.

Ranking on our fourth place this week, the number 01143072000 from Sheffield calls people even outside the country and across the pond, sometimes even trying to reach people in the US or Turkey. Operating similiarly to our number 2, the caller rings frequently but won’t leave a message. User Luke commented:

Based on the experiences of previous posters, this is a pest call. I have had several calls from this number every day since I arrived in the USA. I never answer unknown numbers, I google them instead. How do they know I am in the USA? Orange must have told them. Or maybe one of the USA carriers I’ve connected to? Not pleased.

Last but not least our fifth number, 01616528220, calls from Manchester and is deemed untrustworthy with a tellows score of 7. While the overall consensus of our users‘ comments seems to agree with that notion, suggestions and suspicions regarding who might be calling and why seem to differ. User Fed Up wrote:

This is another company I believe to be cold calling for money management they area a nuisance with constant phone calls. It is time theses people were put out of business

One way to take on nuisance callers and dubious numbers is to report them on tellows and share your expierences with them. That way, other people can be warned against possible spam and scam calls and the various methods and strategies of scammers can be documented and exposed. So don’t hesitate to our tellows community and have a nice weekend.

Your tellows team

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(English) The Top 5 Most Wanted Numbers

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

Dear tellows friends,

another week, another series of nuisance calls. The fact that summer is at its height and people would like to think about other things than a ringing telephone doesn’t defy constant telephone-spammers. We present to you the top 5 most searched for numbers of the past few days:

1. 01234567890 with 3 comments and 2372 search requests. tellows Score: 6
2. 08000641087 with 7 comments and 8745 search requests. tellows Score: 5
3. 01656838051 with 0 comments and 289 search requests. tellows Score: 5
4. 02078909052 with 7 comments and 3230 search requests. tellows Score: 7
5. 02077850257 with 1 comments and 1336 search requests. tellows Score: 5

Ranking on the first place is number 01234567890, which appears to be used for computer scams. User David explained in his comment how the caller tries to gain access to the user’s PC:

Caller spoke very broken English and gave a very English name (who was he kidding!!) Claimed to be from a tech company that had picked up indications that my computer was not operating properly. Wanted me to go to my PC and give him control to fix the problem. Clear scam so i told him to go away and get an honest job. Beware.

While the number 08000641087 that places second raised user’s suspicions with frequent calls, so far no one has any further details on the number. However, user Joe has some theories:

This number called 5 times but leave any message; surely it is up to something bad. I dont how it had number but I have two theories. Either from ITV after submitting an answer to a competition or moneysupermarket.com after buying insurance, the only two companies I have recently given my number.

In spite of rising interest in number 01656838051, users have yet to share any experiences with it. In contrast, our users offer differing information on number 02078909052. Several report that they have been receiving unwanted calls even with ex-directory numbers. Fed Up wrote:

This company makes nuisance calls purporting to act for various companies – including MY bank! They call at unsocial hours and on Sundays. They should be stopped!

Quite a few users were also occupied by place 5, number 02077850257. User Chris commented:

They say that they are payday uk. They asking me about my loan and want to sell me repayment options. I told them that I don’t want to buy anything and that asked them to remove my number from their system.

If you receive any nuisance calls these days, please don’t hesitate to share your knowledge on tellows! Many users have benefited from the comments of others and could save a lot of time and energy by simply looking up a suspicious number on our site. Take care and stay scam- and spam-free!

Your tellows team

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(English) The New tellows iPhone App – The Answer to „Who’s calling?“

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

Dear tellows fellows,

it is done! Finally, the new tellows iPhone app is avaiable for download in the App-store. Brand-new and technically up-to-date the app features a vast database of 10 000 comments on dubious rated numbers and 50 000 users per day on tellows.co.uk. Access tellows effortlessly through your iPhone.

Comment to Go – Search, Type, Send

Submitting queries for unknown phone numbers has never been easier. Just navigate to the query box, type in the number and hit the search button. Subsequently, you will reach the detail page of the wanted phone number. Not only does this page display the tellows Score but also hosts all existing comments on the number and offers, additionally, the possibility to rate the number and to post a comment yourself.

Who’s calling? – The End of Unpleasant Suprises

Due to the apps synchronization with the tellows database, the app will automatically identify the nature of the incoming call and display the imminent threat’s rating with a score of 7 to 9. Save valuable time and nerves by recognizing an unsolicited call at the first ring.

Harassment Protection – Individual Set Up to Your Liking

By activating the Harassment Protection, the app will be able to compare incoming calls with the tellows database and, therewith, divulge the trustworthiness of the phone number. Thanks to regular update your phone will always know the latest scam and spam phone numbers. Choose the score you would like to be warned about.

Features of the Version 1.8

  • categorization of incoming calls according to the tellwos score 7 – 9
  • post a comment
  • query unknown numbers
  • history of last calls
  • history of „Most Wanted“ phone numbers

Download the App for free and check out our support page in order to get more information about the App and receive answers to possible questions that you might have!

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(English) iPhone App: Issues with the Import of Score Lists

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

Issue: The tellwso pro caller recognition app is unable to add the tellows score lists (negatively rated) to your contacts.
In this case you probably use only Exchange-Accounts to synchronize your contacts and never enabled neither iCloud nor t your local iPhone contact list.

Background: The tellows app imports the score lists with negatively rated numbers and adds 3 new contacts by the name of „tellows Score X“ (X equals the score of 7 – 9). There are known issues when importing the score lists using certain Exchange-Servers (i.e. Google) since they can attribute only a small amount of phone numbers to the contacts.

There are two ways to resolve this issue:

1.Solution
To successfully import the lists the local contacts list of your iPhone needs to be addressed manually (the tellows app does not have access to your contacts list). To achieve this, you have temporalily disable the Exchange-servers and add a „dummy“ contact. The screens below offer further information on the procedure.

1. Edit Exchange-Server Settingstemporalily disable the Exchange-servers
2. Disable Contact Synchronization
3. Delete any contacts from the phone to avoid duplicate entries
4. Add new contact

5. Save contact – A name is sufficient

6. Enable contact synchronization of Exchange-servers and keep created contacts on the phone
7. The groups overview now shows the group "On my iPhone" in which the tellows score lists are saved

2.Solution
Apple’s iCloud service provides an additional way for the contact synchronization which also supports multiple numbers per contact. The activation of the iCloud synchronization solves the issue as well and, therewith, allows the tellows app to import negatively rated numbers.
The standard account for maintaining your contacts (create / edit / delete) stays untouched.

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(English) Work Methods of Call Centres – The Importance of Telephone Number Blocks

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

Constant avaiability through our mobile and smartphones has become a part of our daily routine. Although there are, undoubtably, advantages to this avaiability, for some people this benefit turned into curse, especially as far as unsolicited calls are concerned.

One Company, Innumberable Phone Numbers – Thanks to Phone Number Blocks

Who does not know about the problem of being called by unknown phone numbers? Often the perpetrator is only one call centre disguised behind a broad range of phone numbers. How does that work? On one hand, call centres employ the Voice over IP technology to generate random phone numbers to conceal their true numbers, on the other hand, most call centre request vast blocks of telephone numbers from the network provider.

A phone number block contains at least 10 phone numbers which match each other in their initial digits. The public telephone network offers block numbers containing up to 1000 phone numbers. Some companies with a high affinity to telecommunications maintain block numbers supplying up to 10000 phone numbers to support their telephone systems. Another variant of block numbers refers to the bulk of extension numbers to define a telephone systems substations.

The main advantages of number blocks enables companies the use of Direct Dial Ins, that provides the telephone system’s substation to be avaiable directly from internal and public networks without the need of being relayed manually. As far as the consumer is concerned, he or she will be able to skip the company’s or institution’s swithboard and call the desired colloquist directly through the extension number. Additionally, consumers can recognize the number and attribute it to a certain company or institution.

Call Centres Use a Large Variety of Numbers

De facto most call centres use their number blocks to their own profitable ends. Hence consumer will be targeted by various numbers behind which telemarketers and lottery scams lurk. Most call centre expect their numbers being blocked every now and then. In order to avoid any losses call centres draw on a vast pool of numbers, essentially, thanks to the number blocks provided by the nertwork operator. The more number block a company has at its disposal, the more phone numbers it can employ. Although numbers of nuisance callers are blocked not only by consumer on a regular basis but also by official institution – some only after thousands of complaints – the call centres supply of replacement numbers enables the company to go on as if nothing happened.

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(English) A new week leads to a new Top 3!

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Hello tellows-friends! It’s time for a new Top 3 of the most annoying telephone numbers. And here they are:

• 01277897600 from Brentwood with a tellows Score of 9
• 01792455426 from Swansea with a tellows Score of 8
• 01614867770 from Manchester with a tellows Score of 8

Place 1 goes to 01277897600 from Brentwood. Our users evaluated the telephone number with a score of 9 which shows the untrustworthiness of it. The caller is identified as ufindalocal.com. Bert explained the method of them:

I had the same parasites call me my bill went from a couple of hundred to like 6k. They call you back trying to do add-ons and you think they are adding to the same contract! WRONG!! They give you a new one but don’t tell you we have even cancelled our contracts within the 60 days and they still try and get money from you!! Brad who seems to be the very obnoxious and with no people skills is a parasite he really needs help!!!!!

Place 2, 01792455426 from Swansea, seems to be another number from the PPI calling you because of different offers. Our users complained about silence and strange noises at the other end of the line. Like for example Clara L:

calls me a couple of times a week. it always goes dead when I answer it. when called back it’s always engaged

The 3rd place is again 01614867770 from Manchester with a tellows Score of 8. Some users reported that number as one of the Action Claims. Cooper illustrated a possible procedure of such a call:

„jo?“
„Hi, is that Mr Anthony ********?“
„Yes, speaking…“
line goes dead.

That’s it from this week.
Take care, your Tellows Team!

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(English) Spam Numbers Of The Week – The British Top 5

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The most annoying numbers are still the same, though there are some changes on the minor ranks:

1. 01484818084 from Huddersfield with a tellows score of 8
2. 01234945454 from Bedford with a tellows score of 7
3. 07968463380 a mobil phone number with a tellows score of 7
4. 07787225074 a mobil phone number with a tellows score of 9
5. 07787241083 a mobil phone number with a tellows score of 9

This week’s most annoying phone number 01484818084 has been searched more than 5293 times now. Beware! Several stories about what the callers are offering on this number have been reported. The range is very wide, starting off with PI claims, mortgages as well as solar pannels. This does not sound trustworthy at all.

This is what waveylines wrote about this number:

Asian person who rang me wanting my details…for a claim he reckoned i was due….was reluctant to give me any details about the company he worked for -was evasive but eventually told me that hie company was called Talk International and he worked in the CI claims department.

For number 01234945454 we found out that the initial ping calls comming from this number turned into PPI claims spam. We already reported about this method in a previous article:

Main principle of the scam: the caller is trying to convince people that they are owed money for an unclaimed PPI insurance. The method of the fraudulant calls is simple: assuming the called person has a loan, stating exactly how much money the person is owed by the unclaimed insurance and offering their service of getting the client’s money back – after prior payment, of course.

read more

We count on you in the struggle against phone spam and scam!

Your Tellows Team

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(English) Stop The Spam! Top 3 Of The Week

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Actions speak louder than words. Cold calling is more effective than other ways of advertising. Is it? Nothing is more annoying than spam calls in the early morning or at night …

Here are this week’s top three callers:
1. 01143072406 from London with a tellows score of 7
2. 07520905078 – mobile phone number with a tellows score of 6
3. 01477536273 from Holmes Chapel with a tellows score of 7

15 calls a day? No problem! The number on rank 1 is trying to provide dodgy lotteries.

User Richdragon reported:

Caller said he was calling regarding a competition to win iPhone on-line which I may have done as the caller confirmed my email address as well as obviously knowing my mobile numer which I rarely give out and never to online competitions. I asked them to send info in writing. I asked them to stop calling but they still keep calling. These people are a pain, are a pain. Yes I said it twice maybe they read these reports so maybe I can waste a bit of their time too.

phillip watkins reported us further details about this untrustworthy company:

vat number 880231931 customer care number 08448802598 btb european services limited www.eurochance100.co.uk i dunno bout this but sounds to good to be true

The number on rank two is trying to get people to call them back and put them in a queue. Beware – this might be a cost trap! By the American accent of the answering machine it is highly probably that your are calling overseas.

auteurneuf reported:

Got a call, no response when answered. Called back- straight to an American automated message saying I was 2nd in the queue so promptly hung up.

On rank three we have a cold caller with a Holmes Chapel number.

Stu wrote:

Asked for Mr. Rich Lewis. Said not on this number, he said I’m very sorry bye. Quite polite actually! Sounded Northern and like a call centre.

Stay tuned!

Team Tellows

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(English) For a Fistful of Disgust – The Top 3 of the Most Notorious Spam and Scam Telephone Numbers in the UK

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Leider ist der Eintrag nur auf Amerikanisches Englisch verfügbar.

For the first time the UK’s most notorious nuisance callers have their own place among the web on the tellows‚ very own .co.uk blog. Unfortunately, this did not have a major impact on the spammer and scammer community but who knows what the future holds. But for those with fraudulent ambition the last week proved to be most effective. Let’s have a closer look:

1. 01613126506 from Manchester with a tellows score of 8

2. 01614783073 from Manchester with a tellows score of 8

The Manchester fraud lines strike again, but this time double headed! The vanguard is led again by the infamous PPI claims company resulting in over 3500 search requests and over 20 comments by our users. Following suit is ETA Claims which accumulated over 1000 search requests and 7 comments.

lisa reported:

called my mobile today at 6pm i missed call as it didn’t ring long, they called back at 8pm i answered they listened for a few seconds saying nothing then they hung up!! strange

3. 012068884362 from Colchester with a tellows score of 6

The rear is held by a yet to be identified Colchester number calling people several times a day giving nothing but silence after dozens of most disturbing rings. The number ranks with 400 search requests and 5 comments 3rd place of this weeks Top3 of Nuisance Callers.

bud commented:

this no. calls at least 3 times a day and has been for a couple of weeks probably more but no one speaks , what can i do? its really starting to get to me.

Take Care !!!!

Team tellows

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