D1.2 Receiving Scam Calls

"Outlaw Zhang San" Clone Shares Story 2

Reminder: It’s not that you won’t receive scam calls with a foreign phone card, but the probability is relatively lower. Alternatively, the accuracy of personal information used by scammers is less precise, making it easy for them to slip up. Generally, new students rarely receive targeted scam calls shortly after arriving in the UK, but they may still get various types of scam calls.

Here’s the story:

It’s 2022. A new student travels to the UK in advance to study and attends a pre-departure orientation before leaving.

The orientation gave out a free phone card as a gift. The student was delighted—no need to apply for a card abroad, and it offered Chinese customer service, which was very convenient.

About a week after arriving in the UK, the new student suddenly received a call, conducted entirely in English. The caller first provided detailed personal information, including the student’s name, passport number, and university, then informed them that "abnormal activity" had been detected after their entry, alleging they were involved in a violation. The caller instructed the student to log onto a "highly imitated" official website and transfer money as directed for a supposed process, claiming the funds would be returned to their account within a specified time.

It was the student’s first time in the UK. Shocked by the caller’s detailed information, authoritative tone, and authentic English pronunciation, they forgot all the anti-fraud knowledge they had learned before. Dazed, they transferred several thousand pounds as instructed.

So the question is: How did the scammers accurately identify that this newly activated phone number belonged to this specific international student?