warning about call

AJHaHa

Yeah, just received a missed call from these guys. Must still be going strong. Why would someone answere a call that comes up as originating in Texas? That just raises all the red flags.

kermit2601

They're obviously back hitting the UK. I just ignored a call from this mob to my mobile. It really does my head in. I tend not to answer unknown/withheld numbers. I heard somewhere that there are ways that they can still charge you a premium rate phone call if you answer. It might be a load of bull but I don't want to take the risk.

I like the fog horn idea for those calls that come through on the house phone! :-)

Gylly

Thanks for the heads up. I just received such a call and googled the number, before calling back (I received it on my business phone!) damned good job I checked... could've been expensive!

I-Owe-You

Just as a heads up, if you're using an iPhone click the circled 'i' in your recents calls list, scroll to the bottom and you can click 'block this caller' so the number can't call you again.

(Obviously ensure it's definitely not a legit company calling about a comp win first though!)

Hope that helps!

piratesu

The wait between picking up the call and someone speaking is always a bit of a giveaway that it's not going to be the sort of call you want to take.

mrc1978

Just missed one now, must have blocked it a while ago as it didnt even ring lol.:T

The_3rd_Zebu

I have had dozens of these 'Microsoft' calls going back about five years now.


Without exception they have always been Asian voices.


Occasionally I have got them to tell me their names and those are usually very English like "Peter" or "Robert" etc.


I try to get them to tell me where they are phoning from. That tends to vary. It has been "Cambridge", "London" but mostly the answer is "Birmingham".


I have tried to pin them down to an actual address in "Birmingham". I once got given a street name which doesn't actually exist but mostly when I get that far they have usually hung up on me.


I used to hope that I might someday get one of these callers to see the error of their ways and give up this fraudulent lifestyle but realistically I don't see that is ever going to happen.


For them it is easy to defraud somebody at the end of a phone-line in a foreign land if they are never going to need to look them in the eye.

I-Owe-You

My elderly auntie got one of these calls. Fortunately I was just on my way around there as she was rooting down her purse to get her debit card out.

It was tough trying to convince my aunt it was a scam, especially as he had remote access to her PC - she's from a time where she trusts everyone. "...but he said he's from Microsoft!" & I spend the next 2 hours explaining that he's not.

She'd already got scammed a few years earlier by a letter in the post claiming she'd won a prize and to call a premium rate number. Really infuriates me.

TPS doesn't help as it only stops cold calls from the UK. How these people sleep at night I don't know.

glennamy

I kept one of these calls on hold for 30 mins whilst watching tv, telling them what they wanted to hear, I then got passed to the next department for payment, kept them waiting for 15 mins and then just laughed at them, they got very angry... blocked the number afterwards with my phone service.

Good fun tho!

hamsterfan1

glennamy wrote: »

I kept one of these calls on hold for 30 mins whilst watching tv, telling them what they wanted to hear, I then got passed to the next department for payment, kept them waiting for 15 mins and then just laughed at them, they got very angry... blocked the number afterwards with my phone service.

Good fun tho!

Whilst this is fun there is some evidence that a computer monitors your call & then puts the numbers where the call lasts longer at the top of the list for re-calls & to sell on to other scammers so you re better off just putting the phone down immediately