"TPPCO" PPI SMS spam

Despite some high-profile recent cases where SMS spammers have been busted by the ICO, the wave of spam seems to be continuing. This one came less than an hour ago from +447729938098.

Unsure if you qualify for a refund of PPI paid on a loan or credit card? Reply PPI and we will run a no obligation check or reply STOP to opt out. TPPCO

I have no idea who "TPPCO" are, but they are a common sender of these spam message. In this case, the spam was sent to a number that is TPS registered, and I believe that the approach is fraudulent in any case - in most cases the spammers will get paid for a lead even if it turns out that the claimant wasn't eligible.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Carriers and the ICO are cracking down on these scumbags, but they need reports from victims to gather enough evidence.

You can also report persistent spam like this via the ICO's page on the subject, which might well end up in the spammers getting a massive fine.

"Unsure if you qualify for a refund of PPI paid on a loan or credit card?" SMS spam

This scumbag scammers are still at it, pumping away lead generation spam to persuade people to make PPI claims to which they are not entitled.

Unsure if you qualify for a refund of PPI paid on a loan or credit card? Reply PPI and we will run a no obligation check or reply STOP to opt out. TPPCO

In this case the scammers used the contact number +447743623103 but they burn through dozens of SIM cards every day with their illegal spamming operations.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

You can also report persistent spam like this via the ICO's page on the subject.  With any luck these spammers will end up on the receiving end of a massive fine.

01530 561700: PPI refund cold callers are also PPI mis-sellers

Quick version:  01530 561700 is a PPI claims company trading as ABC Claims Management, but the people involved have been directors of a firm fined for PPI mis-selling. If you really want to wind them up, say you were mis-sold PPI by a firm called Hadenglen.

Long version:
PPI refund cold callers are annoying, and are almost always dishonest scumbags who claim that you are eligible for a PPI refund, but in fact they have no idea about who you are and nor do they have access to your financial records.

But there's more to the folks calling from 01530 561700 than meets the eye. The claims management company calling from this number is called ABC Claims Management (abc-inc.co.uk) who quote an address of:

York House
Smisby Road
Ashby de la Zouch
Leicestershire
LE65 2UG

A look at the WHOIS details give a nearby address:
Domain name:
        abc-inc.co.uk

    Registrant:
        HADENGLEN PLC

    Registrant type:
        Unknown

    Registrant's address:
        Hadenglen House Marlborough Square
        Leicestershire
        COALVILLE
        LE67 3WD
        United Kingdom

They list the owner as Hadenglen plc. Unlike many PPI claims firms, Hadenglen knows all about PPI.. because it and its boss were fined £182,000 in 2007  for PPI mis-selling. Hadenglen is no longer authorised to sell mortgages and there is a proposal to strike it off the register at Companies House.

The telephone number is closely associated with Hadenglen, both ABC and Hadenglen share the same address of:
SMISBY ROAD
ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH
LEICS
LE65 2UG
..and of course, Hadenglen registered the domain name.

Of course, the real gotcha is that two of the directors of ABC Incorporation Ltd are Paul Butler and Richard Hayes who were both directors of.. you guessed it.. Hadenglen. Indeed, Mr Hayes was fined £49,000 for his part in the Hadenglen PPI mis-selling.

You could argue that poachers make the best gamekeepers, and the directors of a firm that was involved in PPI mis-selling might be the best people to make a claim. Or you might think otherwise. But why pay someone to do it (which could be thousands of pounds) when you can do it for free?

Update:  the scammers from ABC rang me again, and the woman calling identified the company but said she had never heard of her directors of Hadenglen.. which I very much doubt. I advised her to fuck off and leave me alone.

PPI scam: 0843 410 0078

Short version: 
If you're Googling this number to see who is ringing you, then the short answer is that it is a bunch of scammers trying to get you to make a PPI refund claim. If you end up speaking to a human, then you can either ask them to "remove and suppress" your number, alternatively you can just tell them to fuck off (as there's no real reason to be polite with them).

Long version:
Despite a massive fine handed out to some SMS spammers for pushing PPI and ambulance chasing spam, there are still others about.

One particularly common on is to be called with a recorded message about a PPI refund, and then being given the opportunity to press "5" to connect to an operator.

So, I got one of these today from 0843 410 0078, a number allocated to Jtec UK Ltd (although they are probably just the telecoms provider). It seems that this number block is stuffed full of telepests.

Now, this isn't just spam.. it's a scam. Firstly, I'm not eligible for any PPI refunds, but the scammers are encouraging you to make a fraudulent claim regardless. They're just interested in selling your lead on to the next level in this very seedy world of PPI refund claims.

My conversation with the lady scammer went something like this:

Me: So I'm due a PPI refund am I?

Scammer: Yes, our records indicate that you may be eligible for a refund.

Me: Oh yes? You have records?

Scammer: Yes.

Me: So then, please tell me what my name is.

Scammer: We don't have that information for data protection reasons. [Yeah, but you have my financial records and telephone number, so really you are lying, aren't you?]

At which point I got bored and suggested that the woman fucked off and never called me again, at which point she hung up. I really do recommend being rude to these people incidentally. If you can ruin their afternoon and make them feel shitty about themselves then it's a small victory, they are willing participants in the scam after all.

The problem is that the people working at lead generation at this level will NEVER reveal who they are, and by the time the PPI claim has gotten to someone higher up in the food chain then the lead has been laundered through several middlemen.

Registering with the TPS isn't always as effective as you might think. Mobile numbers seem to expire after a year and need renewing (don't forget, the TPS is run by marketers). If you are TPS registered and still get bombarded with PPI scam calls, then you can try filing an ICO complaint. Or you could try doing it this way. But please remember, if you can make the telepests upset for the whole afternoon then it might make them reconsider their bad career choices..

If you find out who these pests are, or come across any other numbers, please consider sharing them in the Comments. Thanks!

These other numbers appear to be related:
0843 410 2215
0843 410 2576
0843 410 4770
0843 410 0269 (claimed to be from a nonexistant company called "PPI Assistance")

This is the same scam, but may be a different outfit:
01277 509018

SMS Spam: "Records passed to us show you're entitled to a refund approximately £2130"

More SMS spam from.. well, I think the ICO will shortly reveal who. It's not just a spam, but it's also a scam because the spammers are attempting to persuade you to make fraudulent claims. Not everyone is eligible for a PPI refund, and I'm certainly not.. no "records" exist, it's just a scammy sales pitch. Avoid.

Records passed to us show you're entitled to a refund approximately £2130 in compensation from mis-selling of PPI on your credit card or loan.Reply INFO or stop

In this case, the sender's number is +447585858897, although it will change as it gets blocked by the networks.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

ppinomore.com PPI SMS spam

These PPI spammers are at it again, this time promoting a website ppinomore.com.

URGENT you are owed £3350 for the PPI you took out, time is running out to claim, please visit www.ppinomore.com to claim, thank you. To opt out reply STOP.

The sending number is +447787446160 although this will change at they get blocked for spamming. If you have any more numbers, then please considered adding them in the Comments section.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

The thing with these spam PPI messages is that they are also a scam. I don't have any mis-sold PPI, so I'm not eligible for anything, but it seems that the spammers are encouraging you to make a fraudulent claim, which is a criminal offence.

So who is behind ppinomore.com? It has anonymous WHOIS details so no clue there. They claim their address is in Pakistan:
PPI-Today
586, Park Towers,
Block 26, P.E.C.H.S.,
Shahrah-e-Faisal,
Karachi

And they're not regulated by anyone..
ppinomore is a marketing agent. Our partners are regulated by the Ministry of Justice in respect of regulated claims management activities - their authorisation number is available on request and their registration is recorded on the Ministry of Justice website 

So who are their partners. Of note, the ppinomore.com site is hosted on 217.23.12.215 which is hosted by Worldstream in the Netherlands, but actually allocated to a scam/spam friendly outfit called YoHost . The following sites are on the same server:

antismsspam.com
birthdaywishlist.net
buyfacebookfriends.info
claimsdirects.com
cpamatch.net
downloads4.biz
easyexplorer.net
englandinsolvency.com
filewizard.net
flywith.org
glasgowtrustdeeds.com
guystube.net
homeworkers.tv
ineedajob.tv
jizzin.me
kimdotcom.biz
liquidationadvice.info
megahost.tv
memorysticks.tv
monstercv.tv
mortgagecharges.info
myppi.org
numbergenerator.info
phoneapps.tv
ppinomore.com
ppinow.org
prepaidcards.tv
protectedtrustdeeds.tv
referafriend.info
rofl.hk
scotlandtrustdeeds.info
scottishdebtinfo.com
scottishtrustdeed.info
smsoptout.com
streamingloads.com
surveymonster.info
textforgold.com
transfermypension.info
txtforloans.com
whatsbetterapp.com
yadoo.tv

Some of these look quite interesting.. they're also using SMS and PPI themed sites. Almost all the sites have anonymous WHOIS details.. apart from myppi.org that is..

Domain ID:D166396094-LROR
Domain Name:MYPPI.ORG
Created On:21-Aug-2012 10:52:54 UTC
Last Updated On:21-Aug-2012 10:52:55 UTC
Expiration Date:21-Aug-2013 10:52:54 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, LLC (R91-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT RENEW PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Status:TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:ADDPERIOD
Registrant ID:CR122029936
Registrant Name:john mcneish
Registrant Organization:surveycentre
Registrant Street1:flat 3 11a whitworth street
Registrant Street2:opal house
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:manchester
Registrant State/Province:lancashire
Registrant Postal Code:m1 3gw
Registrant Country:GB
Registrant Phone:+1.614083744
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:gary@tetr.us
Admin ID:CR122029938
Admin Name:john mcneish
Admin Organization:surveycentre
Admin Street1:flat 3 11a whitworth street
Admin Street2:opal house
Admin Street3:
Admin City:manchester
Admin State/Province:lancashire
Admin Postal Code:m1 3gw
Admin Country:GB
Admin Phone:+1.614083744
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:gary@tetr.us
Tech ID:CR122029937
Tech Name:john mcneish
Tech Organization:surveycentre
Tech Street1:flat 3 11a whitworth street
Tech Street2:opal house
Tech Street3:
Tech City:manchester
Tech State/Province:lancashire
Tech Postal Code:m1 3gw
Tech Country:GB
Tech Phone:+1.614083744
Tech Phone Ext.:
Tech FAX:
Tech FAX Ext.:
Tech Email:gary@tetr.us
Name Server:NS19.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server:NS20.DOMAINCONTROL.COM

John McNeish? So why is his email address gary@tetr.us then? Probably because this is really Gary McNeish who has been involved in offshore SMS spamming before.

So, is Gary McNeish responsible for the ppinomore.com SMS spam? It could just be a coincidence that a server stuffed with dodgy finance and marketing sites contains both a site belonging to Gary McNeish and these ppinomore.com scammers, after all there's no indication that this is actually Gary McNeish's server, just that he has a site on it.

Still, hopefully the recently announced ICO crackdown on SMS spammers might have a positive effect.

Update:
Here is another link between ppinomore.com and Gary McNeish's myppi.org - if you search for the text "ppinomore is a marketing agent. Our partners are regulated by the Ministry of Justice" on Google, it also appears on myppi.org:

Funnily enough, the content for myppi.org has changed to some search engine called "Yadoo" since it was indexed by Google. It must just be a coincidence that the ppinomore text appeared on Mr McNeish's site, yes?

The following numbers also seem to be in use for this spam:
+447867368703
+447780458447 

Please add any more in the comments, thanks!

SMS Spam: "Hi, we think you may be entitled to compensation.."

These annoying spammers (and probably scammers) are back, sending out their scummy PPI spam messages from +447568105443

Hi, we think you may be entitled to compensation of up to £3500 from missold PPI on a credit card or loan.
Reply INFO for more info
Reply STOP to quit

I've never been mis-sold PPI, so this is obviously a generic spam. It also looks like an invitation to make a claim even if you're not eligible. And that would be fraud..

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

"Records passed to us show you're entitled to a refund.." SMS Spam (again)

These spammers are at it again:

Records passed to us show you're entitled to a refund approximately £2560 in compensation from mis-selling of PPI on your credit card or loan.Reply INFO or stop

The sending number is +447876628983 (although they will change this). Bearing in mind that I have never been mis-sold PPI, I can pretty much disregard this as a scam. Except, rather more seriously the implication is that the spammers are prepared to submit a fraudulent refund claim on your behalf, which is something rather more serious.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

"Hi, we think you may be entitled to compensation.." SMS spam

The PPI claim spammers are back again, this time using the throwaway number of +447969662555

Hi, we think you may be entitled to compensation of up to £3500 from missold PPI on a credit card or loan.
Reply PPI for more info
Reply STOP to opt out

Obviously they think nothing of the sort and are just randomly spamming, even to mobile phone numbers registered with TPS. Given that their pitch is based on a lie, it's likely that the whole outfit it some sort of scam in any case.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

"Records passed to us show you're entitled to a refund.." SMS Spam

These scumbag SMS spammers again:

Records passed to us show you're entitled to a refund approximately £2560 in compensation from mis-selling of PPI on your credit card or loan.Reply INFO or stop

This is pure and simple spam, there are no "records" showing any such thing. In this case the spam came from +447790682898 although spammers often change their numbers.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

SMS Spam: "You could be entitled up to £4856 in compensation.."

I really hate these scumbags:

IMPORTANT - You could be entitled up to £4856 in compensation from mis-sold PPI on credit cards or loans. Please reply PPI for info or STOP to opt out. 

In this case, the sender's number is +447436261356 although this will change regularly to avoid detection.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.

"You may be entitled to up to £3000 from mis-sold PPI" SMS Spam

I hadn't heard anything from these scummy SMS spammers recently, I assumed they had been busted in one of the recent crackdowns.

Urgent - You may be entitled to up to £3000 from mis-sold PPI on loans or credit cards. For a free no obligation check reply PPI or STOP to opt out

The sending number was +447866079549, although these spammers change their number more often than their underwear.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Hopefully the carriers will act if there are enough complaints.