Phishing telephone call from 0114 307 3836

[#1]

I have just received a cold call from this number claiming to be Plusnet, and wanting 'to talk to me'.   They already knew my name.  I just happened to be dealing with a social care crisis for my 95-year-old Mother-in-Law, and was caught off guard.  I assumed it was a sales pitch...

The caller began demanding security information, user name - which I gave, phone number (which the idiot had just used to call me) and the first two characters of my password...

I didn't know them off hand, so he asked for my postcode - which I gave.  I then found my password and supplied the first two characters - which didn't match his screen(*)   He then asked for my address, at which point I told him that he had called me, and was asking for an awful lot of information.  I put the phone down.

That is a straight forward phishing call which caught me out. 

I have stopped trying to deal with my Mother-in-Law's social care crisis, to find who this person really was who cold-called me for security information, and it turned out to be a Wendel from a marketing department, or some such (see all the other comments about 0114 307 3836.)

I will now bear this episode in mind.

Apparently, you can 'untick' yourself on the website to avoid Plusnet marketing calls.

(*) Just how many Plusnet passwords are there?  I never access my account from one year to the next, and have one for Plusnet and another for 'Forums'.  Or, so I thought.

Banks will never (or, shouldn't) cold-call and demand security information.

Are customers of Plusnet simply expected to accept a cold-caller's word that they are bona fide Plusnet employees, calling from an unknown telephone number?

Something wrong, here.

[#2]

On the Plusnet portal there should be an option for you to set a pass phrase. Then when they call you they should give you the pass phrase so you know it is a genuine call.

[#3]

Thanks for the reply:-)   That could be quite useful, but there could also be a snag...   If I am not cold-called for a year (or more...) will I remember the phrase?  I was thinking of using "my inside leg measurement is 28 inches" and imagined what the caller would feel?

By-the-way, is there MORE than one password for Plusnet?   I have a SINGLE account, and am registered on the Forum.   I thought I had a password for each?  Is that possible or impossible?

[#4 · Accepted solution]

You should have set up different passwords for your account and forum log ins. It's very easy to confirm your Plusnet account password, it's the one used on your router and also the one you use to log into the Member Centre.

[#5]

Thanks Baldrick1, that is what I thought.

That makes the 'phishing' cold-call even more bizarre and irritating.  The idiot asked for my password - I should have put the phone down at that point, but my head was filled with disturbing news about my Mother-in-Law's social care (it was being reduced immediately without any prior consultation, warning or supplied reason!) - but I located it and thoughtlessly supplied the requested characters.

The cold-caller said they were wrong.   But to which of the two passwords  was he referring?

I had the same issue when I phoned Plusnet Help to find out what was going on.   Plusnet Help also asked for my password without stipulating which of the two they wanted!  Are we expected to be mind-readers?

Do they not know there are two passwords?

Are they incapable of describing which password they want?

Those are rhetorical questions...   I'm just frustrated by this episode...   Thanks for your help:-)

[#6]

In all cases they will be referring to your Account not forum password.