new "bt" scam in operation

[Agreeable Slick]

If someone calls you the line will stay active until they hang up,this is a well known scam that has been going on for a while.I work for B.T

Ok, just tried it again.

Rang myself, answered, then hang up, kept the other phone connected, tried to dial out from phone I just hung up and it worked first time. Other phone got hang up tone, then kicked back to dial tone.

Either the phones have had a fix or I have unscammable phones

[kittie]

The cutting off of the line is very simple, he stays on the line with the mute button on and you can't dial out - but he can hear you trying (This is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it). When you stop trying he cuts off and immediately calls back.

What a load of sh!t.

If one end of the connection is severed, no matter whether by dialing out or being the receiver the connection is terminated.

No, the person who made the call has to end the connection on a landline, that is how the scam works.

Back in the day of using a landline to call people, it happened to me a few times where someone would call, have a chat, then later you'd try and use the phone only to find it 'dead' because the person who rang earlier hadn't put the phone back in the cradle properly!

[The Mighty Elvi]

You used to be able to do this if you had a phone upstairs as well. Somebody would call and would answer the downstairs phone. I would be upstairs. They would hang up the phone downstairs and I would pick up the upstairs phone and the caller would still be connected.

Go figure.

[R32UK]

You used to be able to do this if you had a phone upstairs as well. Somebody would call and would answer the downstairs phone. I would be upstairs. They would hang up the phone downstairs and I would pick up the upstairs phone and the caller would still be connected.

Go figure.

I think we have just found the scammer..... living upstairs in Mighty Elvi's house

[Dan_GTi8v]

do people still have landlines these days? I havnt had one for years, every now and then I plug the phone in when I have to give a number out for a delivery or something and dont wanna give out my mobile, but the cold calling and saleman crap starts within a few hours and I just disconnect it again

everyone who I want calling me has my mobile number

[kittie]

I have one, it makes a good dog chew toy apparently 

[Tazzy]

its more to do with landline phones that are still connected by wire, i cant see cordless phones or mobiles being affected as these work off a 'hang up' button

i remember as a kid, when we had a phone with cable (before mobiles were really used) if you received a call, and hung up, but the caller didnt, you get still talk to them, and you could have a 3 way conversation if you was upstairs, dont know if you can do this anymore

when my landline rings, i ignore it, itll be nobody for me, and if it is, they have my mobile number

unfortunately, my gf is dumb enough to fall for this! 

[bobotheclown]

Thanks for the heads up. Here is more info from bbc news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8263637.stm

[bobotheclown]

I just ask for a number which I can call the person back on or if it's a bank tell them that I'll call them on the number that's on my statement. That normally gets rid of them sharpish

[damien010685]

The cutting off of the line is very simple, he stays on the line with the mute button on and you can't dial out - but he can hear you trying (This is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it). When you stop trying he cuts off and immediately calls back.

What a load of sh!t.

If one end of the connection is severed, no matter whether by dialing out or being the receiver the connection is terminated.

Not true you can keep a connection live on a landline