How's My Driving? Scam WARNING

[G.Uard]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before but...
Apparently there is a notorious gang (working the Reading area at the moment),- the ‘Derby Drivers‘. They drive around in white transit vans, generally making a thorough nuisance of themselves - driving very slowly, pulling out with out indicating, cutting people up on roundabouts etc.

On the back of each van is a ‘how’s my driving sign?’ with a telephone number - be warned, the phone number given is premium rate one and even the shortest call to it will set you back at least £25.

A colleague has also seen these jokers in the Westbury area, so watch out.

[relex109]

ive always disagreeded with those hows your driving things on vans if your driving behind how do you note down the number in a safe and legal way? also delivery drivers often drive slowly to find a property

[mukaumedia]

OMG - what lengths will people go to??  I'm a bit of a scam-buster, so thanks for alerting me to this, will have to keep an eye out for it.

[Btline]

ive always disagreeded with those hows your driving things on vans if your driving behind how do you note down the number in a safe and legal way? also delivery drivers often drive slowly to find a property

Exactly. As well as distracting my eyes from the road!

[relex109]

if your that bothered bout your fleet then livery and a fleet index should be enough... its easy to find the offending drivers employer in yellow pages and remember a fleet number off the van eg '1625'

btw you get a point if you can tell me what that code refers to :-)

[Phil]

Hmmmm... that smacks of an urban legend to me. If I remember correctly, the highest rate "premium rate" phone line in the UK is £1.50 a minute, so you'd have to be serious peed off at someone's driving to rack up a bill of £25.00

edit: Actually Snopes doesn't have this particular one, but a related legend does confirm the £1.50 figure:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/mobile.asp

[moonrakerz]

You beat me to it Phil, there is a similar one on Snopes about being left a postcard regarding a missed parcel delivery - just by dialling the number you ran up a bill of up to £300 - depending on where you heard the story !!!
There was some truth in it originally: you were subjected to a 6 minute recorded message at £1.50 a minute. But of course a £9 scam doesn't sound as good as a £300 one.

[thetrout]

Not meaning to be funny... But G.Uard posted this thread on October 4th 2008...

[Btline]

You beat me to it Phil, there is a similar one on Snopes about being left a postcard regarding a missed parcel delivery - just by dialling the number you ran up a bill of up to £300 - depending on where you heard the story !!!
There was some truth in it originally: you were subjected to a 6 minute recorded message at £1.50 a minute. But of course a £9 scam doesn't sound as good as a £300 one.

Alistair Campbell was caught out by that one!

[relex109]

trout i noticed that last night however the vodka couldnt say no