All my personal telephone numbers have been registered with The Telephone Preference Service for some time, but today I received a recorded advertising message which has just p–ed me off. I’ve reported it to TPS and to ICSTIS (the UK regulator of premium rate numbers) with the following message:
On 15th September 2003 at 19.29BST, I received a recorded (female voice) telephone call to my home residential number (that is listed with the Telephone Preference Service).
The message said I had won a £1000 prize award (well, my telephone number had) and that I had to call 0906 638 9992 at £1.50 per minute (call last 7 minutes) to claim the £1000 award. For terms and conditions, I was to see www.moreflights.net (may be incorrect) or write to PO Box 6017, Basingstoke, RG21 4BZ.
It’s bad enough that I was called whilst my number is listed on the TPS, it’s twice as bad that it was a recorded message that had no human operator at the other end, third that I had just got to sleep after an extremely long and hard shift at work, fourthly that it was advertising a premium rate phone number and fifthly that it’s probably a “rip-off/con”!
I hope this company (which failed to give a name, details of where they had got my number – apart from ‘randomly chosen’ or any other identifying information) gets massively fined and shut down!
473 Comments
It’s not just me then – I feel like a complete idiot making that call! Not looking forward to getting my phone bill, or any future communications from ‘Jackpot Promotions’!!
Those who want a bit of fun, to try to see who is behind some of these scams, try this.
Type in on Google “PO BOX 2087” WREXHAM
2nd result downis for “http://www.magicalgames.co.uk/“
Now in a new brower type”http://www.virtualnames.co.uk/vwhois.php3“
In the who is box type “magicalgames” then in the click box select “.co.uk”
I am not going to list here the full result, but you should have a name and address for the owner of the website, some thing like this, plus address.Domain Name:magicalgames.co.uk Registrant:J Knowles
Now if you check with http://www.192.com
Type in J Knowles and the start of the post code,
it brings up his full address, and notice he has told a few porkys to the website registration company about his address.
I was a Policeman in another life.
I was also Nicky Fishered yesterday – July 1 – msge received at about 12pm. I’m more annoyed by the fact that looking at everyone’s postings here, it seems as tho this scam’s been going on since at least march this year. Since we’re probably the teeniest tip of the iceberg old Nicky Fisher must be bathing in champagne as we speak. Nice to see ‘ICSTIS and the TPS’ are so effective… People here seem to have done more to research into the scam. Think I’d rather waste my time on a call to Nicky.
Theres a new scam now – Jane Howard from Purple Rock Solutions – Extension number 2478 – funnily enough the voice sounds exactly like Nicki Fisher – lets close the net – get a phone number for this guy doing these calls and lets all report him and also call his house at all hours of the night and lets just make his life a misery
…I just got the same call to my boyfriend’s phone! I typed in the phone number at Google and ended up here. Damn, didn’t get a holiday in the Bahamas! ;c) And I also thought it weird that the answerphone service would call up like that… because the call I got started with “You have 1 new message. …Hi, I’m Nicki Fisher, blah blah”. Peculiar.
Just had another call at 17:21 sounded like Ms Fisher.
“you have either one a Med cruise or £1000 cash.
Call 0905 8090799”
No name of company and no phone call prices.
Hiya…got a call from Fishy today (on a business number) – I’ve already done the ICTS thing….
For those of you who were wondering how they got your number, it may well be a random generator, which are legal if used properly. You give it a area code, and the auto-dialling computer will try all possible numbers, avoiding any that would be obviously invalid. It drops unobtainbles, engaged, answerphones (usually if it can detect them) and faxes, and play the message to the others.
What it should do is check against TPS before each dial, but it is easier and cheaper not to. A system like this can generate tens of thousands of calls a day.
I will have to check, but I thought the kind of call I got (where there is no possibility of speaking to a live operator) had been made illegal in the recent Electronic Communications Act – you have to give people the option of connecting to an operator.
Otherwise, for those where they have your name, there are all sorts of ways, including matching between the address the phone is registered to and the electoral roll, data from legitimate competitions, survey forms, store cards, magazine subscriptions, share holdings……
Like anything in life, if it sounds too good to be true, or a company appears to be giving away something, ask yourself (or them!) how they can afford to be in business – if they were not making money somewhere, they would stop. There may be some genuine companies looking to give away prizes for no reason, Bill Gates may really give me $1 for every email I send, and that son of a Nigerian Dictator may really have $30m to smugle out of the country….but I doubt it!
I too have been Nikki Fishered today, fortunately I had a quick search for Jackpot Promotions and got to this site so not wasted my time and money claiming my cruise. Does anyone know what can be done to stop this irritating woman doing this? Alternatively, does anyone know how to set this scam up cos I’d prefer to dial a few numbers and rake the money in than go to work each day!
Guess what i recieved a message from nicki fischer from jackpot productions. Decided not to ring after reading all these comments.
Winning prizes and then having to claim on premium rate numbers are all cons.
I have just received a phone call to my home landline – pre-recorded message (woman’s voice) saying I’d won either a 4day Med cruise pr £1000. She then gave me a number to call 0905 809 0638 and said to claim call NOW! Then the call ends. At no time was there any mention of call costs! I don’t remember hearing any comany name.
Of course the warning bells went off straight away – I’d heard of offshore premium phone numbers that can be set up to charge whatever the operator likes per minute – so thought I’d do a web search and landed here.
Thought it worth posting my message in case anyone else has a similar number.
ive been nicki fishered too.
the mouthwatering prospect of the prizes was too tempting so i called – i won a cruise to bahamas!!!!
obviously i will not be claiming my prize after reading this now.
We have been called by “nicky fisher” about 6 times in about two weeks and even when we hang up it rings again or still engages the phone even when we have put the phone down. I think that it is a terrible thing to do especially since the elderly are more vunerable to this sort of market scam. This thing should be disallowed and put a stop to.
Geri-15
I always tell my Brazilian to ignore those winning texts as they’re a scam but I’ve just been kippered too – for a moment my spirits lifted at the thought of any one of the “marvellous” prizes I’d won but as the machine cut off before a number was given thought that I’d check it out before telling my partner! Glad I did….
Having just had a phone call from Nicky Fisher, I wondered, are all these calls to BT lines? I also wondered if anyone is being bothered by T Mobile calls offering prizes to competitions that you have never entered? Are they in any way related? I think we should be told.
P.S. Good site.
Hi just like Colin March 22nd 2004 same message word for word, I rang them and i have won a holiday in th bahamas lucky me lol then thought check it out and here i am on this site can anything be done with them?
Just been Nikki Fishered, given the number 0906 1119000, thanks to this site I’ve just won £9 – or not wasted it at least. Someone needs to sort her out…
Hi All,
I too received the ‘Nicky Fisher’ call yesterday! I don’t normally respond to these things but thought what-the-hell and called the premium line.
I’ve now got a reference and need to send then a SAE to claim the Bahamas holiday prize.
Has anyone else done this?
Has anyone actually received and gone on the holiday?
Cheers….. Andrew
Yep, Me too. (Nickey Fishy Fisher) Luckily found this site. Who can I report this too and what does TPS stand for?
Same thing exactly happened to us this weekend. We had persistent calls from the infamous Nicky Fisher who failed to leave her number each time and finally left us an answerphone message to say we were a major winner in a competition we had enterered last year! We stupidly dialled the premium rate line and learnt we had won a ‘Cruise to the Bahamas’ which is great as we cannot afford a holiday this year. How I wish that I had waited to look it up on this site as it seems we are one of many many people who have been well and truly CONNED!!
Every cloud doth indeed have a silver lining, I use a company called Universal Telecom for my calls, mainly cos there international calls are cheap, but to my surprise today the phone bill came and for my 6min 35 sec call to Ms Fisher I only paid 97.4p (plus 13% VAT).
It makes me feel a whole lot better about the chapter.
RichieRich
How is Nicky Fisher getting away with all of this?! I too received a message from her at the weekend and the only reason I gave it the time of day was that I seemed to recall having entered a competition to win a VW Beetle last year, and that was the main prize! I tried to do a google search for Jackpot promotions before I rang as obviously I was suspicious about dialling a premium rate number, but it didn’t bring up this page, it was only when I added Wrexham, which was the address they gave to send my SAE to collect my prize of a 7-day cruise to the Bahamas that I finally came across this site! I’ve had loads of automated calls before at home but this one sounded a bit more genuine, particularly as I say because of the prize I’d entered last year. What worries me is how they’ve got away with it for this long – I will definitely be registering a complaint with the relevant bodies and urge anyone else who gets Nicky Fishered to do the same to put a stop to her antics once and for all! Gemskiva
She’s still at it. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME AWARE before I called the number.
Here’s the full transcript of my answerphone message from “Nicky”.
“…..(message missing)…..Nicky Fisher
I’m the claims manager for Jackpot Promotions and you entered one of our competitions last year.
I’m delighted to inform you that you’ve been drawn as one of the major prize winners.
“Now basically, that means I’m pleased to tell you you’ve won either a
42” Plasma Television
a personal DVD Player
£2,500 personal computer
an all expenses paid cruise to the Bahamas
or
£6000 cash
or possibly our star prize, which is a £15,000 Volkswagen Beetle.
“Now in order to claim your prize you can call me, as I’ve said my name’s Nicky Fisher and my extension number is 4344.
Alternatively you can call our automated claim line on 0906 1119000, that’s 0906 1119000.
“Calls cost £1.50 per minute but may cost more from a mobile depending on your network provider,
and if you’re not the phone bill payer you must have a phone bill payer’s permission to call this service.
The average call duration is 5 minutes and 50 seconds and callers must be aged 18 years or over.
The closing date for this promotion is the 30th of November 2004.”
I have contacted WATCHDOG at the BBC since TPS etc. don’t seem to be catching up with them…
Please petition the BBC as well… it might make it happen …
Got Fishered today, glad I did a Google first and found this, THANKS!
Surely the Post Office can tell us who the PO Box belongs to, I’d happily strangle the c*w and I live near Wrexham! 😉
Got Fishered today.. Too bad I just searched for Jackpot Promotions after I called 09061119000 and found out I`ve won a cruise in the Bahamas… Not happy at all!!!!
Nikki Fisher gets about! – Thankfully just missed the call and our anwerphone got it. Putting the premium rate number into google came up with this page. Good Job!
Yep, same message here. Just as well that I am by nature suspicious and did a google search first.
Hi all, sorry to see some of you have phoned the number. I’m on TELEWEST phone service and Vicki phoned me also, but being very wary of something for nothing I ended up here.. Thanks to you all…
ahh niki you are a scamp by all accounts , checked here first thanx boys and girls !
lets hope her next sh*t is a frozen hedgehog eh?!
Me Too. July 05 2004. Found site through… er, Google! I too am either too cynical or too reliant upon the internet, but they didn’t get me. It is really convincing though, isn’t it? Damn good sound editing job, very good production values. I thought autodialers were illegal?
Re: Nicki Fisher / Jackpot Promotions / Chairman of the Board Limited
For your info (having been caught out by this too) Jackpot Promotions Limited changed their name to Chairman of the Board Limited in 1997 and their registered office address is:
26A WINDERS ROAD
BATTERSEA LONDON
SW11 3HB
You may be interested to note that they are registered with Companies House with a status of “Proposal to strike”. However, knowing them they will just start up another company.
Also, (to anyone with a legal brain out there) can they advertise under the old company name as they have not existed as Jackpot Promotions for 7 years (they don’t state “trading as …”).
Re Jackpot Promotions – has anyone actually claimed a “prize” and received nothing? This is the more interesting question rather than saying over and over again “the infamous Nicky Fisher…” which makes her sound faintly interesting. What we could be dealing with here is fraud, not just nuisance calls.
My wife had the same call as Dr Levski on July 5th word for word. Sounded to good to be true !! Did a search on Alta Vista for Jackpot Promotions and heh I find you lot.
Needless to say I will lodge a complaint to ICTIS if I can get through, I have been trying for some time as my by using the web at home I got caught on a couple of occasions by my phone dialling ‘all by itself’ a premium rate number. I complained to BT who did sweet FA !!
So I guess from all the postings that NO BODY has won a prize ?
Oh well I’ll file the number in the round file !!
Cheers All
Nige
What kind of a country is this where scams can go on and on and not being closed down? I had a call today from this fake person ‘Niki Fisher’. I’m always suspicious when getting phone calls and letters out of the blue so checked the number 09061119000 on Google, just to have my suspicions confirmed by this page. It’s a disgrace that nothing is being done. Luckilly for me, I still havn’t fallen for any scams around – and I have received quite a few attempts through sms, letters, phone calls – but I feel sorry for all the people out there who are vulnerable and fall for the scams. My advise, NEVER call a 090……-number!
“What goes around, comes around”
I believe in karma, so eventually the bad guys will loose somehow.
As a few people have already said on this site,
“I AM SO GLAD I GOOGLED BEFORE CALLING”
I too had a call from the lovely Nicky Fisher, Jackpot Promotions. I have either won a,
42″ Plasma screen tv,
DVD player
£2,500 PC
All expenses paid cruise in the caribbean, or
£6000.
Again, I was left the extension “4344” but no other number except the premium rate “0906 119000”.
If you are one of the lucky ones (like myself and a few of the above) who have decided to Google before calling, then well done as we have managed to save ourselves a hefty phone bill.
If not, then i’m sorry….but know you know.
“AVOID NICKY (nikki, nicki niki or whatever) FISHER AND JACKPOT PROMOTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Chairman of the board / Jackpot promotions limited –
These are the directors/ company secretary.This is all public information:
Shame if everyone wrote and claimed a breach of their fiduciary duuties in :
a) not filing accounts for two years
b) Potentially recieving £ through deception of others- I thought Id won: Proceeds of crime act may also help
Perhaps the DTI would also like to know also.
But I can only start the ball rolling.
Hey bet theyd love to be on all these Junk mail bits!
This is all public information:
Details:
HEYES, DEANNA ANNE MRS Company SECRETARY
11 CLEWER FIELDS
WINDSOR
BERKSHIRE
SL4 5BW Appointed: 11/10/1996
Nationality: BRITISH
Date of Birth: 11/08/1941
Company Appointments: 1
HEYES, MARTYN Company DIRECTOR
6 ASHDOWN CLOSE
MOSELEY
BIRMINGHAM
WEST MIDLANDS
B13 9ST Appointed: 11/10/1996
Nationality: BRITISH
Date of Birth: 19/05/1967
Company Appointments: 1
Co: 03262415
Name: CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD LIMITED
Co: 03262415
Changed name:
09/01/1997 JACKPOT PROMOTIONS LIMITED
Address: 26A WINDERS ROAD
BATTERSEA LONDON
SW11 3HB
almost got nicky fishered but googled first
I too had a call from the lovely Nicky Fisher, Jackpot Promotions. I have either won a,
42″ Plasma screen tv,
DVD player
£2,500 PC
All expenses paid cruise in the caribbean, or
£6000.
Again, I was left the extension “4344” but no other number except the premium rate “0906 119000
dont call nicky fisher jackpot promotions
call the ICTIS
Hello all you Fisher victims!
I had the phone calls (in spite of being on TPS) but now I get at least 3 emails A DAY, from a variety of names and email addresses, all with the same rubbish about prizes.
Beware of scratchcards in magazines – I think that’s how they got my phone number as I did phone up after ‘winning’ on a scratchcard. It was in something very respectable like Radio Times. How they got my email address I do not know.
I was really glad to find this site, it makes me feel a lot better to know that there are equally angry people all over the country!
Looks to me like the way to get them is through the premium phone lines, that’s obviously how they make their money – so from now on I’m going to make a note of the number and complain every time. If they keep getting their phone number stopped, in the end they may be as irritated as we are!
Re- Exceptional Promotions
PO Box 6017
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG21 4ZB
What they don’t want you to know.
They are really…
GTEC Information Solutions
Vickers House
Vickers Business Centre
Priestley Road
Basingstoke
RG24 9NP
Director: BUCKLEY, DAVID PATRICK, MR
Appointed: 24/11/1999 Date of Birth: 06/05/1968
Address:
44 REDWING ROAD
BASINGSTOKE
HAMPSHIRE
RG22 5UP
Director: GAMBLING, JASON
Appointed: 24/11/1999 Date of Birth: 05/07/1971
Nationality: BRITISH
12 FIRECREST ROAD
GABRIEL PARK KEMPSHOTT
BASINGSTOKE
BERKSHIRE
RG22 5UN
Had a message on 1571 from yesterday from Nicki Fisher, manager at Jackpot Promotions, saying I have won a, 42″ Plasma screen tv, DVD player £2,500 PC, a cruise in the caribbean, £6000, or the top prize of a VW Beetle.
I googled, found this site and so I haven’t called the number: again, I was left the extension 4344 but no other number except the premium rate 0906 1119000. I can’t believe these people are still operating and I have no idea how they got my (TPS) number.
Are the details left by “curious” on July 6th correct?
Just to say I fell for the scam and the only way they could have got my number was from the TPS as that is the only place that has my ex-directory number.
I won’t be so stupid next time.
I’ve just complained to ICSTIS (link at the top of the page) – but I didn’t call the premium rate number 09061119000. It needs people like Bec, who made the call, to complain to the ICSTIS so these people can be wopped!
we got a lovely call from Nicky… So glad we googled first. Got to hand it to the lady, she’s very convincing on the end of a phone(y)…
Nikki Fisher does get about your right.
Sooooooo glad i searched before falling for that crap.
I’ll be letting peaple know about this site, excellent.
Yup, Nicki Fisher phoned one of my home numbers and also left a message on my mobile number. She sounds very convincing, but it’s a scam and it’s been going on too long. It’s time for action.
Fax your MP now on http://www.faxyourmp.com/
(it’s genuine and free). Demand that ICSTIS takes action to close down the premium rate phone lines operated by this bunch. Also demand that the directors of the company behind it be prevented from starting any more companies here, on the grounds of preventing fraud. Mention this blog too – here’s the URL for convenience –
http://blog.rac.me.uk/archives/000547.html
Oh jeez – it seemsI have upset you all – I just don’t exist – garry gutted!
Have look at my details at:-
http://ws2info.companieshouse.gov.uk/info/info.cgi?cname=JACKPOT%20PROMOTIONS%20LIMITED&cnumb=03300258&status=F&id=b7a22e440545e2254ec8923650a90687
That is the ffing company
It seems that Ms Fisher is very persistant as I have now had 8 phone messages
and now the inlaws are getting them 0906 111 9000
Beware of “Mike Brow”! I received an SMS on my mobile from “0871 240 2982” saying “Please CALL 0871 240 2982 immediately as there is an urgent message waiting for you.” I phoned the number from my college room number (01865-284382) and was told that the caller (“Mike Brow from Prizeline UK”) was on holiday, but that I had been the winner of a lucky draw and that I should get in touch with an “Ian Bellows on Extension 1749”. I could also call the Automated Prize Service number on 09058091843 (repeated it twice) to claim my prize. I apparently won an Audi TT, a Caribbean cruise, a digital camcorder, a entertainment system, or a £2000 cash prize. My college bars ‘090’ calls, so I phoned him again. This time I held on after what I had previously thought was the end of his voice message. After a long silence I was ‘warned’ that it would cost me about £1.50 a minute and that the call would last about 6 minutes. I dialled the ‘090’ number from a coin-operated BT phone and wasted more than £15 to hear an automated voice once again saying what the approximate duration and cost of the call would be. It promised to give my Claim Number at the end. At last my £2000 cash prize was announced and my Claim Number (V2489) was given twice. I was to mail a self-addressed envelope with my name, phone number, and Claim Number to an address (also repeated twice). It was: “AG Promotions, Starworks Development”, and some fast-repeated, inaudible code. The call then came to an abrupt end. Let’s stop this nonsense. I’ve reported it to the ICTIS.
THANK YOU ALL. I never phone back on calls like this but I actually had to listen twice to “Nikki Fisher” from “Jackpot Promotions” twice as she sounded so natural, almost didn’t sound like an automated message. Of course – came straight to google and typed in the phone number only to find this helpful page.
I only registered with the TPS about 4 days ago so I guess it hasn’t taken effect just yet, but I was almost tempted!!!!
one for the log – been “fishered”, googled immediately, found this, will do ictis etc as recommended. thanks, paul
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