Caller pretends to be a senior citizen to toy with phone scammers for hours
A writer answered a fake Barclays call, posed as an elderly man and kept the scammer on the line for three hours by supplying invented account details.
A routine phishing call claiming a large Argos payment prompted the author to engage the caller as a feigned, bewildered senior. The fraudster, speaking with a received-pronunciation accent, introduced himself as Adam and requested security questions, a PIN, and card numbers. The author supplied invented figures—an £80,000 account balance, a fabricated PIN, and a fake HSBC debit card number—while the scammer insisted on a courier to retrieve the card despite banks being closed.
Throughout the three-hour exchange, the scammer repeatedly verified false address information and attempted to coordinate a pickup that never existed. The author maintained the ruse until ending the call, noting the experience as an entertaining reversal of the usual scam dynamic.
Why it matters
Shows how individuals can turn phone scams into a chance to expose fraud tactics and protect others.
In this story
