Yesterday I was plagued by calls from this number 08453550305.
An automated system kept calling with a pre recorded message, allegedly from the Co-operative Bank, asking for an unknown lady (not myself or anyone known to me) to press a button in order to speak to an operator.
Not unreasonably I hung up each time, as it bore all the hallmarks of a scam.
However, on conducting some research into the matter I see that in fact this is the preferred means of contact that the Co-operative Bank employs when chasing its customers (I am not a customer of the bank).
The fact that many people have complained to the bank (see this site for examples), telling them that it sounds like a scam, and as such they hang up, appears to matter not one jot to the bank.
They continue to use this system; plaguing their customers and non customers (such as myself) morning, noon and night.
My advice to the Co-operative Bank is simple:
1 Do not use automated systems to contact your customers.
2 Listen to the complaints for your customers, and innocent third parties.
3 Take my phone number off your database.
In the event that you are plagued by calls from the Co-operative Bank, call 0161 837 8769 and ask for the Chief Executive's Office.
HMRC have sent my son a letter telling him he has missed a year in NI contributions, and that this could affect his eventual state pension.
ReplyDeleteHe was at University that year, and still is.
They invited him to make a payment of over three hundred quid.
He lives on beans, for God's sake.
I once heard of another case of a lady being asked to pay several thousand pounds, even though the 'missed years' they mentioned were the years she had been looking after her kids and thus those years 'qualified' towards her pension anyway, without paying the extra money.
HMRC know my son is at University. They MUST also have known that the said lady had kids of 'qualifying age' as they were paying her child benefit and tax credits.
So, how many of these spurious demands for cash do they send out to people who really don't need to pay..... and how many just pay, out of fear of losing their pension rights, or through ignorance of the rules in their own favour (which HMRC are not very forward in pointing out to them in the demand letters)... and then HMRC have a nice little earner going don't they???
If that is the case, then either; HMRC are just LOW LIFE SCAMMERS, or; they are WASTEFUL INCOMPETENT IDIOTS. Crap either way.
Reverting to the co-operative bank, I had just the same experience both last November and last month - they obviously don;t learn, despite my complaining first to their CEO and then to the ombudsman.
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