Scam Alert

[Deleted member 4366]

I had a couple of calls today. The first one claimed to be from Microsoft, saying that my computer was sending out malicious code or something and he wanted to help me stop it. I immediately thought it was a scam of some sort, so I decided to see where it would go, thinking at least I'd be holding them from duping someone else, so I did my best to make out I couldn't hear them properly - making them have to keep repeating what they said. I managed to last it out for about half an hour, during which they showed me errors in my event logs (which are quite normal) until they eventually took me to a website Remote Support, Desktop Sharing, Online Meetings | ShowMyPC and asked me to install the software, which would allow remote access of my PC. One can only guess at what would happen next, but I just told him "no". He kept asking me why, so I told him that I thought he was a scammer. I finally got rid of him by asking him to send me an email from Microsoft, and when I confirmed that I got it, he could call me back.

An hour later another guy rang saying that he was from Windows something or other. I was bored with it now, so I just gave him two words to do with procreation and travel.

 

[colonel]

Have the same experience myself every few months.
I do the same as you and stall them for as long as possible.
They often try to convince you that they are genuine by getting you to look into the computer registry setting. They tell you a line of code from the registry, saying they can only do this because they have access to your machine. This is of course total rubbish. The line they give you is common to all computers. The next stage, as you stated, they try and get you to download software that would "really" give them access to your computer.

 

[funkylyn]

You are very lucky Dave if that is the first such call you have had.....believe me....they will continue......I really dont understand why they cant be stopped from doing this.

Im afraid I havent the time or inclination to stall them....I used to swear, now I just put the phone down.

Lynda

 

[muckymits]

we get up to 20 of these type of things every day, so have to monitor the caller display we just totally ignore all international/unknown numbers and also 0800 etc.

 

[smudger1956]

Just tell them..that is strange as I use a Mac...........

 

[funkylyn]

we just totally ignore all international/unknown numbers and also 0800 etc.

Nice one Dave.....I will know not to call YOU from abroad then if Im ever in trouble

Lynda

 

[tillson]

I once kept a caller from a PPI claim firm on my mobile phone for over an hour whilst I built a shed. I put him on speaker phone and then after initial enthusiasm on my part, used delaying tactics to keep them on the line.

Frequently asking the caller to repeat themselves is a good one, as are long silences. Silence worked particularly well with this caller, he would eventually keep saying, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry" at which point I'd say, "You are forgiven." It really threw him. Sometimes, I'd mumble something unintelligible and that gifted me another, "I'm sorry?" And I'd be straight back with a, "You are forgiven." Eventually, they will ask for an address to send you a claim form. Tell them that you are a Gypsy and thay you live in the middle of a field. But be careful to tell them that you have an arrangement with the postman and that if they put a description of the caravan together with a description of the field and its surroundings on the envelope, it will get to you. I had great fun here describing the cows, a gnarled tree, five bar gate with broken spar and my caravan, a Swift Challenger SE (I remembered this type of van because I once had to stare at one from Dumbarton to Skye). Throw in plenty of requests for the caller to repeat themselves, a few silences, a couple of mumbles and a smattering of, "You are forgiven" s and this bit can last for ages.

My wife thinks I am cruel because she says these people are only trying to earn a living and they will be on a pittance boosted only by successfully signing someone up to a claim. She's probably right.

I don't get many of these calls, because I nearly always give out a made up phone number, both landline and mobile. Every Internet form gets a false telephone number even to the point that my bank doesn't have a correct telephone number for me. The bastards sell it on and before long, it's propagated everywhere and you are plagued with calls.

Ps

This isn't my idea, I once heard it on The Jeremy Vine show. If you get junk mail with a pre-paid reply envelope, get a house brick, write a polite reply on it in chalk (brick then becomes your writing medium), wrap it in paper, attach the pre-paid envelope to it and post it. The company pays for the postage! Over the period of a few years, I've posted the entire end section of my kitchen wall (it had been demolished when it was extended). We are virtually junk mail and cold telephone caller free in our house.

 

[grldtnr]

As I work for the 'Post' I like that! charges for a 1lb brick will be quite high, plus you get to clear your garden!!

 

[Kudoscycles]

Hi,I had a great technique to dealing with cold callers....when they rang I would appear very interested but you need to talk with my partner. At that time we had a cockateel,named Chico....he had a wonderful personality sadly missed and a big vocabulary if someone talked to him,but a bit repetitive....I used to put the phone on top of the cage and Chico would happily converse for hours.
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[Kudoscycles]

I once kept a caller from a PPI claim firm on my mobile phone for over an hour whilst I built a shed. I put him on speaker phone and then after initial enthusiasm on my part, used delaying tactics to keep them on the line.

Frequently asking the caller to repeat themselves is a good one, as are long silences. Silence worked particularly well with this caller, he would eventually keep saying, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry" at which point I'd say, "You are forgiven." It really threw him. Sometimes, I'd mumble something unintelligible and that gifted me another, "I'm sorry?" And I'd be straight back with a, "You are forgiven." Eventually, they will ask for an address to send you a claim form. Tell them that you are a Gypsy and thay you live in the middle of a field. But be careful to tell them that you have an arrangement with the postman and that if they put a description of the caravan together with a description of the field and its surroundings on the envelope, it will get to you. I had great fun here describing the cows, a gnarled tree, five bar gate with broken spar and my caravan, a Swift Challenger SE (I remembered this type of van because I once had to stare at one from Dumbarton to Skye). Throw in plenty of requests for the caller to repeat themselves, a few silences, a couple of mumbles and a smattering of, "You are forgiven" s and this bit can last for ages.

My wife thinks I am cruel because she says these people are only trying to earn a living and they will be on a pittance boosted only by successfully signing someone up to a claim. She's probably right.

I don't get many of these calls, because I nearly always give out a made up phone number, both landline and mobile. Every Internet form gets a false telephone number even to the point that my bank doesn't have a correct telephone number for me. The bastards sell it on and before long, it's propagated everywhere and you are plagued with calls.

Ps

This isn't my idea, I once heard it on The Jeremy Vine show. If you get junk mail with a pre-paid reply envelope, get a house brick, write a polite reply on it in chalk (brick then becomes your writing medium), wrap it in paper, attach the pre-paid envelope to it and post it. The company pays for the postage! Over the period of a few years, I've posted the entire end section of my kitchen wall (it had been demolished when it was extended). We are virtually junk mail and cold telephone caller free in our house.

I think we should have a national anti junk mail day,where everbody saves up their junk mail and posts it back through the post office system,that should keep them happy for days and maybe stop the post office from accepting this junk.
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[Scimitar]

I think we should have a national anti junk mail day,where everbody saves up their junk mail and posts it back through the post office system,that should keep them happy for days and maybe stop the post office from accepting this junk.
Dave
Kudoscycles

The only reason I put up with the odd bit of junk mail that I get here, is the PO makes a living from delivering it and without it, the postal charges would be higher.
In the UK, the amount of junk I got through the letterbox was fantastic, though. So much so that I kept a stove reasonably well fed throughout the winter from a year's saved junk.