Scammers

OK, not too many details, sorry. I mean privacy and shit, and remote tiny tiny chance not a scam, LOL

We are always aware of scammers, and very occasionally we fall foul of them, but we are always working on improving processes and checks.

If, somehow, this is not a scam, then sorry - but a story of how not to look like a scam.

Because of a recent scam (and you have to love the gaul of the guy calling up to complain his number does not work and he cannot log in) we have been extra vigilant and are all looking closely at an order that came in today.

As I say, not too many details, sorry.

So someone orders a telephone number, and we ask for payment up front. This is normal as we can only get close to checking an order is genuine by leveraging the UK banking system to get someone to send us money, even if only £1. But they refuse to send with order, though eventually, after hassling, they send payment via Trustwise (Both Trustwise and Revolut are listed on our web site as don't send money from them as we have no way to verify or refund).

So they then provide bank details for DD, and a new (company) name, and we check it matches bank details, but really no way to check it is actually them.

So what next? Well check more - this has magically changed from an individual to a company. But not a UK company. Not something we can check in any way.

Maybe check address...

Well, street view is cool, and this is it. This is not close to the company name. Maybe they work from the flat? But that would be [number]A or some such, surely.

So, really, if you are in fact running a non UK company by the name you say, from a flat over a Chinese Restaurant in Belfast, but cannot send any payment from a UK bank account but can quote one that matches your stated company name, well, sorry, we may be at the point of saying no.

And basically, we can say no. We can say we do not want your business.

I am really sorry if that really is you living over that Chinese. Get a UK bank account from which you can send money, and we can talk.

To be clear, I started my business decades ago from a house in Bracknell, and that was registered office address. But it was registered office address, and could be checked, and I could send money from a UK bank account matching my company name. So yes, a new business, and a small business, no problem. We do not want to discriminate. But scammers can piss off, sorry.