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Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Doorbell Detectives and Scam Interceptors review: These Big Brother-style shows turn daytime TV into long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of terror
You can tell its summer as, despite the downturn in the weather leaving us less likely to head outside, the main terrestrial broadcasters don't seem to have anything new for our viewing pleasure. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Which is how I ended up watching Doorbell Detectives (BBC1, Mon, 8.30pm), which inexplicably was given a prime-time slot this week before retreating to a more usual daytime airing in a terrifyingly Big Brother-style anti-crime double bill with Scam Interceptors (BBC1, weekdays, 2.30pm). Watchdog's Matt Allwright – who has carved himself a niche in these low-budget infotainment shows – hosts Doorbell Detectives, standing uneasily in the middle of a set which is part hay-barn and part GP's waiting room. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What little budget the show has is taken up by a floating screen in the middle of the barn, on which Matt can show us grainy footage from doorbell cameras up and down the country. Matt Allwright in the Doorbell Detectives studio, a 'cross between a hay barn and a GP's waiting room' (Picture: BBC/Objective Media Group t/a Purple Productions) Apparently, one-in-five homes comes equipped with these mini CCTV rigs, constantly texting alerts to phones across suburbia, alerting home owners to the delivery man chucking a parcel on the doorstep, next door's cat relieving itself on the azaleas, or little Tommy from No.35 belting down the pavement on his e-scooter. Matt and his doorbell detectives seem to the think this is a good thing, and brings in Anton, a former police officer with 30 years' experience, to help one Manchester resident previously left severely under-surveilled to fit a camera to her own home. Anton, who seems to think he is testifying in the witness box rather than offering advice on a semi-serious daytime TV show, offers essential advice such as 'make sure the battery is charged', while brushing off concerns about the invasion of everyone's privacy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Some people can get a bit funny about catching what's going in neighbouring properties,' he says, as if the wish to maintain some sort of privacy is the main indicator of a serial killer. Doorbell Detectives features footage taken from doorbell cameras of would-be criminals attempting thefts and burglaries (Picture: BBC/Objective Media Group t/a Purple Productions) Meanwhile, back in the studio, Matt chats to people who caught would-be burglars in the all-seeing eye of their doorbell camera, and finds out what they did next. Mainly, it seems, telling everyone else in the neighbourhood WhatsApp group, so they could check their doorbell cameras as well. That's because 'confronting thieves is dangerous', Matt tells us, before then proving it by talking to homeowner Alison, whose husband was badly beaten up by a fleeing criminal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Understandably, Alison doesn't want to be identified, so Matt ends up talking to a floating phone lock-screen in the middle Doorbell Detectives' luxo-barn. It all gets very tense in the Scam Interceptors HQ. The team are Harleen Nottay, Mark Lewis, Aaron Ng, and Nick Stapleton (Picture: BBC Studios) It's all very low-rent, and frankly very dull, unlike its partner Scam Interceptors, which is Mission: Impossible compared to Doorbell Detectives' Hettie Wainthropp Investigates. Rav Wilding sits in 'Interceptor HQ' in Glasgow, accompanied by a team of black-clad investigators, staring at a bank of screens – all with headsets and flashing lights. Apparently, they have employed the services of an 'ethical hacker' to get into the computer systems of those scam callers who regularly call to warn you that someone has spend thousands of your hard-earned pounds online. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They can listen into the scammers calling an unsuspecting pensioner and – hopefully – warn them they are being scammed. Unfortunately, you wonder how they don't get caught in that Spider-Man meme, the one where several Spider-Men are all pointing at each other, each caller claiming the other is the scammer. Rav is incredibly enthusiastic, the music is pounding and urgent, and the sense of tension is palpable. Both these shows leave you with the uncomfortable feeling of being observed anonymously, distantly by unknown powers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But beyond that, the effect they have must be the opposite of the one required. Far from imparting information that might help keep you safe, far from being an effective crime-busting tool, and very far from giving you a reassuring notion that these criminals are being deterred, these shows can only serve to frighten the viewers at home. Given these are daytime shows, many of those viewers will be the very frail, vulnerable or elderly people they profess to want to protect. And leaving them in a state of fear, unwilling to go out, to engage with the world, to enjoy a full life. Only stuck inside watching TV. Which, as we know, is a problem. Because its summer, and there's nothing on.
Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gogglebox stars rage as 'scum' scammers prey on vulnerable 80 year old woman in care home
In uncomfortable scenes shown on last night's episode of Gogglebox, some of the stars were upset to see a vulnerable pensioner who lives in a care home almost have her bank details stolen by unscrupulous criminals Gogglebox viewers saw some of its stars erupt in rage as they watched a clip of a vulnerable old woman narrowly escape being scammed. On last night's show, Channel 4's current batch of couch critics were shown a segment from Scam Interceptors. Hosted by Rav Wilding, he works alongside "ethical hackers" to break into scammers' illegal call centres to try and stop their selfish and damaging actions in real time. The BBC show saw Wilding and his team observe a conman contact a 80-year-old woman who lives in a care home. He pretended to be from Amazon, and tricked her into downloading software which allowed him to view her computer. To gain her trust, he told her that someone was trying to buy an iPhone through her account. She naively followed instructions to log into her bank account, revealing the details to the crook in the process. He also warned her not to tell a nurse - who was cutting up her lunch - what their call was about. Thankfully, Rav and his team leapt into action, remotely crashing the scammer's computer and then calling the OAP to tell her of her narrow escape. The Goggleboxxers were gnashing their teeth in rage as the scenes played out. Ronnie, who watches TV with his wife Annie in South-East London, yelled, "You scumbag!" Sisters Amira and Amani Rota also watched on in horror, with Amira admitting she'd like to switch careers to become a scam-buster, approaching the crooks with the same menacing air as Liam Neeson in Taken. She said: "I would say to them 'I know your home address... I will find you,' I would Liam Neeson that s***." She added, "You're going to hell." Hull-based Lee Riley, who watches TV from a static holiday home in Hull with his best friend Jenny Newby snarled: "You f*****." There's not always such tension on Gogglebox, and in December Jenny, 66, had viewers giggling when she revealed what she'd rather do instead of the gruelling I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! eating challenges. As Jenny and Lee sat down to watch the much-talked-about ITV series, Jenny confessed: "I don't know if I'd sooner walk the plank or eat c**k."
Scottish Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Gogglebox stars rage as scammers attack vulnerable 80 year old woman in care home and brand them ‘SCUMBAGS'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE stars of Gogglebox were filled with anger watching an 80-year-old woman almost get scammed. On the most recent episode of the Channel 4 reality series, the stars were shown a segment from the BBC programme Scam Interceptors. 5 Ronnie from Gogglebox was disgusted watching scammers defraud an elderly woman Credit: Channel 4 5 Gogglebox stars were shown a segment from Scam Interceptors Credit: Channel 4 5 The scammer asked the woman to download software that allowed him to see her bank details Credit: Channel 4 The BBC show is hosted by Rav Wilding, who along with ethical hackers use technology to hack scammers' illegal call centres, to try and stop being scammed in real time. The segment on Friday's Gogglebox showed how a scammer contacted the elderly woman who was living in a wheel chair in a care home pretending to be a representative from online retailer, Amazon. He managed to convince her to download software onto her computer that allowed him to see her screen after lying that people were trying to buy an iPhone through her account. Then as he gave her instructions to log in to her online banking, the scammer was able to see her login details. But Rav and his team were able to crash the scammer's computer to end the call with the elderly woman and call her to inform her what happened and how she'd just missed out on being defrauded. During the segment, the Gogglebox stars heard how the woman was served her lunch in the care home and asked for her meat to be cut up for her to make it easier to eat. They also saw how the scammer warned the elderly woman to not speak to the nurse in her room about what she was speaking about on the phone. "You scumbag," yelled South East Londoner, Ronnie, in disgust. Other Goggleboxers were also enraged at what they were watching. Sisters Amira and Amani Rota, also voiced their disgust with Amira saying she'd love to be a scam interceptor to stop scammers in their tracks. Gogglebox star reveals horrifying health diagnosis after losing vision while driving "I would say to them 'I know your home address... I will find you,' I would Liam Neeson that s***," Amira said, referring to the actor's action character in the Taken film series. She said of the scammer on the TV series: "You're going to hell." Hull-based, Lee Riley put it simply: "You f*****." Scams cost the elderly an average of nearly £4,000 each, according to 2024 research from older people's charity Independent Age. How to protect yourself from scams BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam: Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is. Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile. Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a 'friend' informing you of a freebie, consider whether it's written in your friend's normal style. If you're invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine? To be on the really safe side, don't click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact. Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware. If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it. If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool. The charity urged banks to do more to protect their customers because its research found around 1.9 million older people in the U.K have been scammed. "This means that people in later life are being defrauded to an eye-watering total of nearly £7.4 billion," according to Independent Age. 5 All the Gogglebox stars reacted in rage to the scam Credit: Channel 4
The Irish Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Gogglebox stars rage as scammers attack vulnerable 80 year old woman in care home and brand them ‘SCUMBAGS'
THE stars of Gogglebox were filled with anger watching an 80-year-old woman almost get scammed. On the most recent episode of the Channel 4 reality series, the stars were shown a segment from the Advertisement 5 Ronnie from Gogglebox was disgusted watching scammers defraud an elderly woman Credit: Channel 4 5 Gogglebox stars were shown a segment from Scam Interceptors Credit: Channel 4 5 The scammer asked the woman to download software that allowed him to see her bank details Credit: Channel 4 The BBC show is hosted by The segment on Friday's Gogglebox showed how a scammer contacted the elderly woman who was living in a wheel chair in a care home pretending to be a representative from online retailer, Amazon. He managed to convince her to download software onto her computer that allowed him to see her screen after lying that people were trying to buy an iPhone through her account. Then as he gave her instructions to log in to her online banking, the scammer was able to see her login details. Advertisement Read More on Gogglebox But Rav and his team were able to crash the scammer's computer to end the call with the elderly woman and call her to inform her what happened and how she'd just missed out on being defrauded. During the segment, the Gogglebox stars heard how the woman was served her lunch in the care home and asked for her meat to be cut up for her to make it easier to eat. They also saw how the scammer warned the elderly woman to not speak to the nurse in her room about what she was speaking about on the phone. "You scumbag," yelled Advertisement Most read in TV Other Goggleboxers were also enraged at what they were watching. Sisters Amira and Amani Rota, also voiced their disgust with Amira saying she'd love to be a scam interceptor to stop scammers in their tracks. Gogglebox star reveals horrifying health diagnosis after losing vision while driving "I would say to them 'I know your home address... I will find you,' I would Liam Neeson that s***," Amira said, referring to the actor's action character in the Taken film series. She said of the scammer on the TV series: "You're going to hell." Advertisement Hull-based, Scams cost the elderly an average of nearly £4,000 each, according to 2024 research from older people's charity Independent Age. How to protect yourself from scams BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam: Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is. Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile. Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a 'friend' informing you of a freebie, consider whether it's written in your friend's normal style. If you're invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine? To be on the really safe side, don't click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact. Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware. If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it. If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its The charity urged banks to do more to protect their customers because its research found around 1.9 million older people in the U.K have been scammed. "This means that people in later life are being defrauded to an eye-watering total of nearly £7.4 billion," according to Independent Age. Advertisement 5 All the Gogglebox stars reacted in rage to the scam Credit: Channel 4 5 The BBC show is hosted by Rav Wilding Credit: Channel 4
The Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Gogglebox stars rage as scammers attack vulnerable 80 year old woman in care home and brand them ‘SCUMBAGS'
THE stars of Gogglebox were filled with anger watching an 80-year-old woman almost get scammed. On the most recent episode of the Channel 4 reality series, the stars were shown a segment from the BBC programme Scam Interceptors. 5 5 The BBC show is hosted by Rav Wilding, who along with ethical hackers use technology to hack scammers' illegal call centres, to try and stop being scammed in real time. The segment on Friday's Gogglebox showed how a scammer contacted the elderly woman who was living in a wheel chair in a care home pretending to be a representative from online retailer, Amazon. He managed to convince her to download software onto her computer that allowed him to see her screen after lying that people were trying to buy an iPhone through her account. Then as he gave her instructions to log in to her online banking, the scammer was able to see her login details. But Rav and his team were able to crash the scammer's computer to end the call with the elderly woman and call her to inform her what happened and how she'd just missed out on being defrauded. During the segment, the Gogglebox stars heard how the woman was served her lunch in the care home and asked for her meat to be cut up for her to make it easier to eat. They also saw how the scammer warned the elderly woman to not speak to the nurse in her room about what she was speaking about on the phone. "You scumbag," yelled South East Londoner, Ronnie, in disgust. Other Goggleboxers were also enraged at what they were watching. Sisters Amira and Amani Rota, also voiced their disgust with Amira saying she'd love to be a scam interceptor to stop scammers in their tracks. Gogglebox star reveals horrifying health diagnosis after losing vision while driving "I would say to them 'I know your home address... I will find you,' I would Liam Neeson that s***," Amira said, referring to the actor's action character in the Taken film series. She said of the scammer on the TV series: "You're going to hell." Hull-based, Lee Riley put it simply: "You f*****." Scams cost the elderly an average of nearly £4,000 each, according to 2024 research from older people's charity Independent Age. How to protect yourself from scams BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam: Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is. Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile. Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a 'friend' informing you of a freebie, consider whether it's written in your friend's normal style. If you're invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine? To be on the really safe side, don't click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact. Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware. If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it. If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool. The charity urged banks to do more to protect their customers because its research found around 1.9 million older people in the U.K have been scammed. "This means that people in later life are being defrauded to an eye-watering total of nearly £7.4 billion," according to Independent Age. 5 5
