Scam "Ringing from Microsoft about your errors"

LilElvis

"Windows Technical Support" called me today. A slight change from their usual spiel as, according to "Alex", my internet has been hacked in the last two days. I told him, politely, that this was impossible as we have been on holiday and the router was switched off (true). Cue the usual request for me to turn on my computer so that he could "show me". I said that this was pointless as I have a Mac (lie) and therefore don't have a Microsoft OS. "Alex" insisted I did and that they had my license details and would be coming round to my house. When I then replied that if they attempted this I would call the police he said that in fact they would be bringing the police themselves as they have the right to enter my home :rotfl:

"Alex" was then treated to an earful of me blowing a referees whistle into the earpiece of the phone - a tactic I reserve for those employees of "Windows Technical Support" who cross the line :T

I know it was futile as nothing seems to stop the hundreds of calls I receive from them every year, but I did feel much better for my childish reaction. I hope his ears are still ringing.

teddysmum

Last time I had such a call, I let them listen to my new speakers...close up.

forgotmyname

I left the phone on the sofa for approx 10 minutes and he was still there, i said i couldn't find the computer, he asked if it was a laptop i said not its a desktop a big metal box that is normally on my desk but its missing. I cannot find it... he hung up.

bubblesbonbon

Caught in the act?

pollypenny

OH answered the phone to a new one last week. In a Middle eastern accent, with those thrilling 'r's she said:

I'm calling from the Brrrritish Goverrrrment about your grant.

He called her a liar and hung up. I wish he'd passed her on to me.

Walaboobah

Hern wrote: »

So long as you view it as that, then fine. Anything other than that, then it's pointless -- which is why I told the poor sod on t'other end of the line that the computer he was ringing about was an Apple.

As will be apparent from the quality of the 'conversation' and the calibre of the caller, these are desperate individuals living in desperate circumstances in a country where the gulf between rich and poor, and one caste and another, is as great if not greater than in the days of the British Raj. Corruption has for so long been institutionalised in India that it's a fact of life.

Working for the scammers is slightly better than begging in the street; it's not some evil person who's on your phone but an individual who deserves better than to have his / her dignity stripped away by amoral exploiters who frankly couldn't care less how long a target wishes to play silly sods at the end of the phone line because the ultimate loss on that one call is more than made up for by success on another.

As Stevie Palimo rightly says, India's IT scammer elite -- and that includes the phony software companies with fake Canadian addresses -- is beyond the reach of UK Law and, precisely because they are in India, beyond the reach of what passes for Law over there.

Me, I wouldn't tease a beggar in the street. Either give, or walk on by. Having fun with the desperate individuals who, having struggled to learn to English only to find that their achievement entitles them merely to read scammer scripts, honestly doesn't strike me as any kind of entertainment at all.

Congratulations

What's it like sat up there on the moral high ground? :T

Walaboobah

Just had another one, this time from 'Alan'

The usual spiel

"Look at the bottom left hand key on your keyboard, do you see the CTRL key"

"Yes", I reply

"To the right of that key, do you see the Windows logo key"

"No, I see an Alt key", I lie

"Is this an Apple Computer or a Microsoft one"

"Microsoft", I confirm

He then asks me to click on the Windows logo at the bottom left of the screen, I ask him what is a Windows logo, he explains it is a flag with four squares, I say I can see one with four rectangles but not squares and he tells me to click on that, which I do.

He then asks me what I see on the screen. (I have Windows 8.1), judging by his response I suspect he was at best expecting a traditional windows layout.

I say I can see Jurgen Klopp heading for Liverpool, Calendar etc. This throws him somewhat and he says can you see Search, Programs, Accessories.

I confirm that I cannot see them, he asks me to repeat what I can see and another voice comes on the phone, this time Alan's "Supervisor"

He again asks me the Apple or Microsoft line, to which I confirm Microsoft.

He asks me to go online and type in https://www.google.co.uk

He then asks me if I see the long box underneath the google logo, I fake confusion, he asks again. Oh, you mean the box where you type to get the websites back?

Yes he replies.

He then tells me to type in t for tommy, e for english etc etc.

I had already typed in teamviewer by the time he finished speaking

I go to the team viewer webpage and he asks me to double click on the Remote Session link

I ask him why he wants me to do that and he said, as my technician explained to you your computer is sending out malicious messages and I am going to show you how to remove them.

I then ask him for the IP Address of the computer sending out these messages and the line goes dead, a disappointing 10 minutes

My record is 53, helped by when going to the run menu and being asked to go to the event viewer so they could tell me exactly the messages I was getting, no surprise as they are the same on every PC and he said please type in e for echo, v for victor, e for echo etc, I took him literally and typed it in exactly like that, getting an unknown resource error. He appeared confused and repeated the same thing twice more...

All good sport

Petra_70

This is hilarious LOL (The OP I mean.)

I am so bummed out though, because they never ever ever call me!

I want to have a laugh with them!

DCFC79

Petra_70 wrote: »

This is hilarious LOL (The OP I mean.)

I am so bummed out though, because they never ever ever call me!

I want to have a laugh with them!

It can be a hoot, Im bored of them now.

LilElvis

Petra_70 wrote: »

This is hilarious LOL (The OP I mean.)

I am so bummed out though, because they never ever ever call me!

I want to have a laugh with them!

PM me your number and I will pass it on to them when they call me tomorrow

"Windows Technical Support" aren't annoying me half as much as the solar energy twits are at the moment. It's. Every. Single. Day !!!! Several of them.