PC Masters Cold Call?

Chloe_G

I have an intermittant problem with my laptop where I get a Blue Screen shutdown when I shutdown. Then it goes for weeks OK. (But also my toshiba tempro doesn't work??)
On Monday I got the blue screen 3 times and panicked so did a system restore. This ruined my McAfee so I raised an issue with them giving my name and phone number.
Today I solved the McAfee problem myself by redownloading it.
Then I got a phone call out of the blue from a man saying he was from PC Masters and I'd got a problem with my registry and may be one step from a critical error. He said he could talk me through fixing it for free and would I go and switch on the laptop. He said he was nothing to do with the McAfee problem. I said No I didn't know where he'd got my number from. He said he was all above board and PC Masters is based in Bedford. He is going to call back in a couple of days - should I believe him, is he going to fix my computer (which seems OK since I restored it), has he got my number from my Toshiba registration?? (He doesn't speak very good English and the phone number was withheld)
Any advice appreciated!

weegie.geek

Scam. none of these places cold call, if Toshiba were going to call you or get someone to call you they'd tell you beforehand.

fwor

It's a well-known scam. If you had let him, he would have asked to take remote control of your PC, found a "problem" and then insisted on you paying money to "fix" it.

If he does call back, pretend to go along with what he's asking, but invent a series of problems that get in the way and stop you doing what he asks. "Sorry, my pet badger is asleep on the keyboard and I don't want to wake him", etc.

If you start out with believable ones and end up with ridiculous ones he'll eventually get the picture, and you'll have wasted loads of his time and had a laugh in the process...

googler

Try doing a google search for PC Masters. Anything?

'PC masters bedford' - again, anything?

Try directory enquires for 'PC masters' in Bedford.

If all of these draw a blank, it's fairly obvious what you do when they phone back, isn't it?

Richie-from-the-Boro

ditto :

Chloe_G

They are still calling me! Every couple of days they call me from a withheld number. I asked them where they got my number and they say from Our Database. It's driving me mad.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Opt out of cold telephone calls and if you want to do the same for all the spam~on~the~mat opt out of that also

In the meantime just put them on hold for 5 minutes without you speaking one word, do this each and every time until the TPS & MPS list kicks in.

cajef

You made the mistake of talking to them now they think you may be interested, whenever they call again don't talk to them at all, leave the phone on a table or play loud music into it until they ring off, they will soon get fed up.

John_Gray

A referee's whistle blown with some enthusiasm quite close to the telephone mouthpiece would indicate that you are giving them a red card. (Other loud, shrill and inventive noises are available...)

kwikbreaks

Chloe_G wrote: »

They are still calling me! Every couple of days they call me from a withheld number. I asked them where they got my number and they say from Our Database. It's driving me mad.

Both BT and VM offer a (paid) service that blocks anonymous callers. There is also a plugin device called TrueCall http://www.truecall.co.uk/ which does the same sort of thing (£70) or you can just do what I do and look at the callerid (free with BT Privacy £2pcm with VM) and ignore anonymous calls or any you don't recognise outside normal business hours.

Bob_the_Saver

Chloe_G wrote: »

They are still calling me! Every couple of days they call me from a withheld number. I asked them where they got my number and they say from Our Database. It's driving me mad.

Two words to them - one is OFF!