Had a scrote tring to scam me out of £$money yesterday - came to the
door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of
my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
(scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).

Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.

He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not £8.50 - £850. Came down to
£350 for cash and no vat receipt...

I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary?
If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and
I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.

OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

On 19/01/2023 22:28, RustyHinge wrote:
>
> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of £$money yesterday - came to the
> door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of
> my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
> (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>
> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>
> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not £8.50 - £850. Came down to
> £350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>
> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
> wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary?
> If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and
> I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.
>
> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
>
>
>

He thought he was dealing with a vulnerable, easily fooled pensioner.

Then he met you!

Tone

In message <tqcg67$1nqui$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge
<rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> writes
>
>Had a scrote tring to scam me out of £$money yesterday - came to the
>door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of
>my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
>(scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>
>Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
>horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
>properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>
>He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not £8.50 - £850. Came down to
>£350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>
>I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
>wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary?
>If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and
>I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.
>
>OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
>
>
>

Not sure what to recommend in this case, but pleased to hear that you
saw though him.

A few weeks back, I had a comedian knock at the door, informing me that
my cherry tree was diseased, and that he would (for an as yet
undisclosed sum) sort it out for me. I don't have a cherry tree.

Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

On 19/01/2023 22:52, Adrian wrote:
> In message <tqcg67$1nqui$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge
> <rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> writes
>>
>> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of £$money yesterday - came to the
>> door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom
>> of my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next
>> door (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>>
>> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
>> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
>> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>>
>> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not £8.50 - £850. Came down to
>> £350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>>
>> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
>> wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding
>> Constabulary? If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him
>> in, innit, and I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.
>>
>> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
>>
>>
>>
>
> Not sure what to recommend in this case, but pleased to hear that you
> saw though him.
>
> A few weeks back, I had a comedian knock at the door, informing me that
> my cherry tree was diseased, and that he would (for an as yet
> undisclosed sum) sort it out for me.  I don't have a cherry tree.

Now that does illustrate the oft-alleged stupidity of most crooks: if
you haven't the expertise, don't assume others are as thick as you.

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

On Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 8:37:51 PM UTC-6, RustyHinge wrote:
> On 19/01/2023 22:52, Adrian wrote:
> > In message <tqcg67$1nqui$1...@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge
> > <rusty...@foobar.girolle.co.uk> writes
> >>
> >> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of £$money yesterday - came to the
> >> door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom
> >> of my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next
> >> door (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
> >>
> >> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
> >> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
> >> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
> >>
> >> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not £8.50 - £850. Came down to
> >> £350 for cash and no vat receipt...
> >>
> >> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
> >> wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding
> >> Constabulary? If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him
> >> in, innit, and I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.
> >>
> >> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Not sure what to recommend in this case, but pleased to hear that you
> > saw though him.
> >
> > A few weeks back, I had a comedian knock at the door, informing me that
> > my cherry tree was diseased, and that he would (for an as yet
> > undisclosed sum) sort it out for me. I don't have a cherry tree.
> Now that does illustrate the oft-alleged stupidity of most crooks: if
> you haven't the expertise, don't assume others are as thick as you.
> --
> Rusty Hinge
> To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

did you ever develop a little bit of liberality in your soul so yule accept more than one newsreader than thunder balls?

have you ever realized that useless net is inconsequential?

On Thu, 19 Jan 2023 22:57:51 -0800 (PST), Don Stockbauer
<donstockbauer@hotmail.com> wrote:

>did you ever develop a little bit of liberality in your soul so yule accept more than one newsreader than thunder balls?
>
>have you ever realized that useless net is inconsequential?

Don, stop beating that particular dead horse. You are becoming tiresome.

Thomas Prufer

On 20/01/2023 02:37, RustyHinge wrote:
> On 19/01/2023 22:52, Adrian wrote:

>> A few weeks back, I had a comedian knock at the door, informing me
>> that my cherry tree was diseased, and that he would (for an as yet
>> undisclosed sum) sort it out for me.  I don't have a cherry tree.
>
> Now that does illustrate the oft-alleged stupidity of most crooks: if
> you haven't the expertise, don't assume others are as thick as you.
>
I have read somewhere the crooks deliberately make stupid errors in
their scam. Only the vulnerable fail to "see" the errors and are thus
targeted.

I have noticed a decline to zero of the number of scrote door knockers
since I installed CCTV[1] that covers the path and front door.

[1]to be effective they don't have to be real but mine are.

--
Nev
It causes me a great deal of regret and remorse
that so many people are unable to understand what I write.

In message <tqcups$1t24n$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge
<rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> writes
>Now that does illustrate the oft-alleged stupidity of most crooks: if
>you haven't the expertise, don't assume others are as thick as you.
>

I still haven't jbexrq out whether he was a con artist or just not very
good at his wbo. It gets back to the old conspiracy v incompetence
thing, in my case, but certainly not in yours.

Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

Crimestoppers if you are worried, but I did it with the cops some years ago,
since although I'm blind, I doubt the average scammer has the stomach to be
seen using violence. Most want to just move to a more naive set of marks,
sadly.
Brian

--

--:
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The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"RustyHinge" <rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> wrote in message
news:tqcg67$1nqui$1@dont-email.me...
>
> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of �$money yesterday - came to the door
> around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of my
> chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
> (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>
> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>
> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not �8.50 - �850. Came down to
> �350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>
> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm wondering
> whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary? If I choose
> the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and I'm in no
> condition todeter reprisals.
>
> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
>
>
>
> --
> Rusty Hinge
> To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the
> BOFH.

Sounds like he was not very good at maths either, considering his cash
offer, and the VAT rate at the moment.
It all sounds a bit like that old Kenneth Williams record, where is trying
to be a robber and gets it all wrong.
Brian

--

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briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Tone" <tone@email.com> wrote in message
news:tqch0b$1num3$1@dont-email.me...
> On 19/01/2023 22:28, RustyHinge wrote:
>>
>> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of �$money yesterday - came to the door
>> around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of my
>> chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
>> (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>>
>> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
>> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
>> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>>
>> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not �8.50 - �850. Came down to
>> �350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>>
>> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm wondering
>> whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary? If I choose
>> the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and I'm in no
>> condition todeter reprisals.
>>
>> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
>>
>>
>>
>
> He thought he was dealing with a vulnerable, easily fooled pensioner.
>
> Then he met you!
>
> Tone

Another thing is a door intercom. If they are too thick to press the damned
thing and start rapping on the door or window, then I imagine they are
hardly brains of Britain and ignore them. This works most of the time, but
you do get the occasional delivery driver who either does not press the
bell, or raps on the door. Sadly most of these either do not know English or
pretend not to and dump anything too big in any place they can photograph it
then piss off.
The fact that I always say leave in porch seems to be totally ignored.
Brian

--

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The Sofa of Brian Gaff...
briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"nev young" <newsforpasiphae1953@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:tqdjom$1vn46$1@dont-email.me...
> On 20/01/2023 02:37, RustyHinge wrote:
>> On 19/01/2023 22:52, Adrian wrote:
>
>>> A few weeks back, I had a comedian knock at the door, informing me that
>>> my cherry tree was diseased, and that he would (for an as yet
>>> undisclosed sum) sort it out for me. I don't have a cherry tree.
>>
>> Now that does illustrate the oft-alleged stupidity of most crooks: if you
>> haven't the expertise, don't assume others are as thick as you.
>>
> I have read somewhere the crooks deliberately make stupid errors in their
> scam. Only the vulnerable fail to "see" the errors and are thus targeted.
>
> I have noticed a decline to zero of the number of scrote door knockers
> since I installed CCTV[1] that covers the path and front door.
>
> [1]to be effective they don't have to be real but mine are.
>
> --
> Nev
> It causes me a great deal of regret and remorse
> that so many people are unable to understand what I write.
>

I had a call from a very distorted weak voice with a thick Indian Accent
yesterday claiming to be from the O2 service centre and saying that there
was an issue with my broadband. I said to him, so? I've on Virgin. Now I
know that the two are linked these days, but it seems he did not, instead
bumbling on about his offer etc and to be honest I had no real idea what he
was saying, so I said I don't believe a word you say and put the phone down.
I do sometimes have a little sympathy with call centre workers whether they
are scammers or just cold callers, but I would expect the guy should have
some credible script or make more sense.
We used to call such people Doombrains when I was young.
Brian

--

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briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Adrian" <bulleid@ku.gro.lioff> wrote in message
news:6XQqMQFI$lyjFwQQ@ku.gro.lloiff...
> In message <tqcups$1t24n$1@dont-email.me>, RustyHinge
> <rusty.hinge@foobar.girolle.co.uk> writes
>>Now that does illustrate the oft-alleged stupidity of most crooks: if you
>>haven't the expertise, don't assume others are as thick as you.
>>
>
> I still haven't jbexrq out whether he was a con artist or just not very
> good at his wbo. It gets back to the old conspiracy v incompetence thing,
> in my case, but certainly not in yours.
>
> Adrian
> --
> To Reply :
> replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
> Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
> Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

On 20/01/2023 09:56, Brian Gaff wrote:
> Another thing is a door intercom. If they are too thick to press the damned
> thing and start rapping on the door or window, then I imagine they are
> hardly brains of Britain and ignore them. This works most of the time, but
> you do get the occasional delivery driver who either does not press the
> bell, or raps on the door. Sadly most of these either do not know English or
> pretend not to and dump anything too big in any place they can photograph it
> then piss off.
> The fact that I always say leave in porch seems to be totally ignored.
> Brian
I've ad stuff 'delivered' - usually by Herpes, or whatever they are
calling themselves today - claimed to have been left in my porch. I
don't have a porch, and as for knocking, I usually hear - my bed is
about a yard from the front door.

Does your intercom incorporate a latch-release?

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

On 20/01/2023 09:46, Brian Gaff wrote:
> Crimestoppers if you are worried, but I did it with the cops some years ago,
> since although I'm blind, I doubt the average scammer has the stomach to be
> seen using violence. Most want to just move to a more naive set of marks,
> sadly.
Contacted Pudding Constabulary through their wibble (took an age to find
the right way) and had an acknowledgement this ack emma.

Will await developments.

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.

RustyHinge said:
>
> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of £$money yesterday - came to the
> door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of
> my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
> (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>
> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>
> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not £8.50 - £850. Came down to
> £350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>
> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
> wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary?
> If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and
> I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.

You're not necessarily the only one he's tried it on with ? If he's
looking for someone to scam and failed with you, are there any other
houses nearby he could try again with ?

[embarrassed] I fell for one of those once. Offered to clean the dead
leaves out of the gutters while he was down the street with a ladder;
next thing I knew he's seen "problems", taken up some tiles to
"investigate" and there's a hole in the roof that needs fixing before it
rains ... cost me a few times the 50 he originally quoted to make him go
away. Sadly, it was before I had a camera.

> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.

Definitely.

--
Richard Robinson
"The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem

My email address is at http://qualmograph.org.uk/contact.html

I have a feeling that the next person who puts a foot on my roof will end up
in the loft space. Some years ago I had some of the stringers wot the tiles
hang on replaced near the eaves as they had gon brittle and white from the
birdies poo. However not looked at the rest, but seeing as mine is one of
the last in the road to have the 1939 original, it is a worry, but it
survived the recent gales so I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Brian

--

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briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Richard Robinson" <richard@qualmograph.org.uk> wrote in message
news:tqe9nr$23kcp$1@dont-email.me...
> RustyHinge said:
>>
>> Had a scrote tring to scam me out of �$money yesterday - came to the
>> door around 18.30 offering to fix the lead flashing round the bottom of
>> my chimbly stack, claiming to be one of the scaffolders from next door
>> (scaffolding is in fact next-door but one).
>>
>> Showed me a snap on a phobile of someone-else's chimbley with really
>> horrid damage to the flashing. Good wbo Vince repointed the chimney
>> properly, with lime mortar, so the deceit was evident to me.
>>
>> He wanted 'eight fifty' to do the wbo - not �8.50 - �850. Came down to
>> �350 for cash and no vat receipt...
>>
>> I said I'd get *my* builder to look at it and he went away. I'm
>> wondering whether to report the attempt to MI5 or Pudding Constabulary?
>> If I choose the latter, he's going to know I dobbed him in, innit, and
>> I'm in no condition todeter reprisals.
>
> You're not necessarily the only one he's tried it on with ? If he's
> looking for someone to scam and failed with you, are there any other
> houses nearby he could try again with ?
>
> [embarrassed] I fell for one of those once. Offered to clean the dead
> leaves out of the gutters while he was down the street with a ladder;
> next thing I knew he's seen "problems", taken up some tiles to
> "investigate" and there's a hole in the roof that needs fixing before it
> rains ... cost me a few times the 50 he originally quoted to make him go
> away. Sadly, it was before I had a camera.
>
>
>
>> OTOH, someone should put a spoke in his wheel.
>
> Definitely.
>
>
> --
> Richard Robinson
> "The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem
>
> My email address is at http://qualmograph.org.uk/contact.html

On 20-Jan-23 11:04, RustyHinge wrote:
> On 20/01/2023 09:46, Brian Gaff wrote:
>> Crimestoppers if you are worried, but I did it with the cops some
>> years ago,
>> since although I'm blind, I doubt the average scammer has the stomach
>> to be
>> seen using violence. Most want to just move to a more naive set of marks,
>> sadly.
> Contacted Pudding Constabulary through their wibble (took an age to find
> the right way) and had an acknowledgement this ack emma.
>
> Will await developments.
>

Can you identify the caller? Name? phone number? Photo?

Not sure the constabulary can/will do anything unless you can place the
whole thing into their lap - tied up with a pretty pink bow.

--
Sam Plusnet

On 20/01/2023 18:52, Sam Plusnet wrote:
> On 20-Jan-23 11:04, RustyHinge wrote:
>> On 20/01/2023 09:46, Brian Gaff wrote:
>>> Crimestoppers if you are worried, but I did it with the cops some
>>> years ago,
>>> since although I'm blind, I doubt the average scammer has the stomach
>>> to be
>>> seen using violence. Most want to just move to a more naive set of
>>> marks,
>>> sadly.
>> Contacted Pudding Constabulary through their wibble (took an age to
>> find the right way) and had an acknowledgement this ack emma.
>>
>> Will await developments.
>>
>
> Can you identify the caller?  Name?  phone number? Photo?
>
> Not sure the constabulary can/will do anything unless you can place the
> whole thing into their lap - tied up with a pretty pink bow.

I expect I could if the scaffolding firm cooperated. No-one but the
ecilops would have access (at 03mumble) to messages to the County
Farce's wibble..

--
Rusty Hinge
To err is human. To really foul things up requires a computer and the BOFH.