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OT computer repair scam

Dave D

Hot Rolled
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
I just received a call from "Harry" at Microsoft repair center. He started to warn me that there were serious problems with my computer that had to be fixed immediately. I should add that Harry had a considerable accent. I asked him if he could answer a couple of questions, he said "No" and continued with his spiel so I asked anyway.

I asked him how long he had been working for organized crime and that while he might not know it proceeds from these scams fund organized crime or terrorist groups like " ". He asked why I would say that. I told him so the call would be monitored. He told me the call wasn't monitored and I told him every time I said the name of a terrorist group like " ", government agencies do indeed monitor and his profile had just shot up. He got angry, threatened me that my computer was going to be locked so I said the name of a terrorist group a few more times. Unbelievably he then hung up, and a Microsoft representative no less.

I am fed up with this crap. I had an elderly relative fall for such a scheme. One of the few times our credit card was compromised at a local gas station the suspects left the country and the money had been going to a terrorist group. The last time I told someone they were running a scam I got middle of the night harassing phone calls for a few days before they moved on. I may get middle of the night phone calls but right now I've given him something to think about. So far my computer hasn't been locked, its an old computer and I could care less anyway.

Dave
 
Had both versions of your scam several times over the last month.

The other variation is they're from the IRS and want their money now.....
 
I just received a call from "Harry" at Microsoft repair center. He started to warn me that there were serious problems with my computer that had to be fixed immediately. I should add that Harry had a considerable accent.

Dave

My company phone number was also constantly harassed by variety of "London financing services" until the last guy bursts to laugh when I asked him how is the weather in Mumbai and is it already raining season in there. Haven't heard of them ever since :D
Their bookkeeping is not their strongest point, I must have introduced myself with 20 different names often even for the same "Harry" and I never even managed to spell my then current name. Andre Citroen with Ô's and ë's:D
 
Strange. I keep winning lotteries and being asked to help Nigerians transfer money.

UK country code on number or do you already have local DK enterprise for these?

Speaking esoteric language and having a reverse phone number lookup app on a phone sorts out 99.9% cases right off.
 
I get calls like that about twice a week on my office phone. Usually the caller will say in an East Indian accent "Hello, I am from Dell. Your computer is in danger. I fix for you. (sic)" Or, "I am from Microsoft, we have reports that your computer is used for to send virus (sic) and we need to take control of it to make it stop". In the background you can hear other people speaking Hindi or some sort of East Indian language. There is a lot of background noise and it sounds like a boiler room.

If I'm in a good mood, I just hang up. Otherwise, I give them hell before slamming down the receiver.

They only want to give you a virus or some form of malware. Best to ignore them. It's definitely a scam.
 
When we were getting the calls in the middle of the night our crime was that we had the utter gall to call them on their scam. At one point they were calling every 2 minutes, we just left the phone off the hook at night and used call display to screen, not convenient but they did eventually move on. These callers had a Chinese accent although usually they have an East Indian accent.

This latest time Harry/Hari was definitely upset with me mentioning the government monitoring due to naming some terrorist organizations and I took some satisfaction in that.

Dave
 
One of the many reasons I'm glad I only have a cell phone. And one of the many reasons I could never be a successful business owner. I would never answer the phone.
 
No point checking the number on your call display, it is trivial to spoof when using a VoIP service. Fake just like the reason they are calling.
 
siiiiiiigh

The real microsoft, the real IRS, the real police, the real Dell, the real Intel, and the real <anybody legit>, has better things to do. One suspects that the real Nigerian Prince's heirs to huge fortunes have better things to do.

siiiiiiigh
 
I like it when it's girls - runs about 50-50 here. The guys I just hang up on but the girls are more fun. "So, what are you wearing right now ? Low cut top ? Can I see your tits ? What kind are they, the round solids or long droopers or maybe the pointy ones ? What size is your bra ? is it lacy and frilly and your big hard nipples poke through, or one of them fully padded falsies type ?"

So far they all hang up but hope springs eternal :)

I s'pose for the guys you could pretend to be gay ... hmm. The possibilities are intriguing ... "whoa, you sound hot, guy. Leme tell ya, I've got a huge cock and I love it when guys from India suck my dick .. would you mind coming over for a few minutes ? &c &c ..."

Or sometimes I'll pretend to be Granny. "Whaaaaat ? Speak louder, young man ! I can't hear you ! What was that ? Can you spell that ? Well I don't know about that, when that Mr Roosevelt was President we never had these troubles, whaaaat did you say your name was ? Louder, young man, please !" Try to get them screaming into the phone, make everybody in their boiler room look over and wonder wha ?

May as well get some fun out of it :D
 
"No point checking the number on your call display"

Oh yes there is if it is a home number, you only answer the numbers you recognize. Granted with call spoofing someone could always pretend to be a relative/friend but that is not likely going to happen with these idiots.

Dave
 
Oh yes there is if it is a home number, you only answer the numbers you recognize.

So your kid who has just crashed into a tree in Scottsdale and miraculously found a pay phone, or your friend Buck whose car died in Watts and really needs a ride to get the heck out of there before someone sees where he's hid in the Korean grocery store behind the rack of shotguns, you don't answer.

I really dislike people who do that. Been on the other end once or twice, it's not fun.
 
So your kid who has just crashed into a tree in Scottsdale and miraculously found a pay phone, or your friend Buck whose car died in Watts and really needs a ride to get the heck out of there before someone sees where he's hid in the Korean grocery store behind the rack of shotguns, you don't answer.

I really dislike people who do that. Been on the other end once or twice, it's not fun.

If its a legitimate call they leave a message.

If its a call from you, I'd leave you in the grocery store in Watts, let you explain your take on race relations to whoever cares to look at you cowering behind the gun rack at a Korean grocery there.

A gun rack in a Korean grocery store in Watts? :rolleyes5: How rich is your imagination? Tell us again why you're not a troll paid to stir up goofy fantasies. . . .:nutter:
 
Mostly I get just sales calls on my phone but emails are a different story.

Prob 3x a week I get warned my Amazon acct has a problem or my Face Book acct has a problem. I'm not sure what to make of that since I don't have either one. :confused::skep:
 
If its a legitimate call they leave a message.
In an emergency, yup ... good plan, if you're the captain of the Californian ...

If its a call from you, I'd leave you in the grocery store in Watts,
Luckily, I probaly would not waste one of my two calls on you :)

let you explain your take on race relations to whoever cares to look at you cowering behind the gun rack at a Korean grocery there.
Unfortunately I don't have a take on race relations :( if people look big and mean I tend to keep some distance, if they have a nice front end and a happy smile I tend to get closer, and the in-betweens I just treat normally. Such as the time I did get lost walking around in Watts due to overconfidence in the LA public transportation system. So I just asked a couple of normal-looking guys "Excuse me sir, would you happen to know how to get to Culver City ?" 'cuz that's where Hughes had the KT 180 I was buying, being a machinist-type person and all. Shouldn't you be out catching some of them Atlantic salmon that got loose in BC or something ?
 
One of the many reasons I'm glad I only have a cell phone. And one of the many reasons I could never be a successful business owner. I would never answer the phone.

That is me except I do answer when I recognize the number. Most of my business is handled by e-mail. Rarely do the scammers leave messages except for one message I get about once a month about a $250,000 business loan I am pre-qualified for. I noticed a recent trick is they spoof a number similar to your's to trick you into thinking it is a local call. That is real interesting as I kept my Cali phone when I moved, odd that someone in Central Virginia gets so many calls from Riverside California prefixes.
 
If its a legitimate call they leave a message.
/QUOTE]
Years ago I had a message on my answering machine on a Saturday from Revenue Canada. It had a toll free number to call back so I took a chance. The guy was calm and only ask for me to call him, My wife freaked. It was legit and the guy wanted to know about the house across the street from me. I broke out laughing because it was a grow house. He wanted to know if anyone was living in it and since it was empty to phone him and let him know if a renter moved in.
 
hobbyman, yes I had a legitimate call from revenue Canada as well due to a (fortunately small) error on my return. Paperwork soon followed but I was wondering/careful during the telephone call.

SeaMoss, agreed in an emergency it would suck. My case was for only a few days though and most people have multiple numbers/people they can call. Send me your phone number by private email and I'll make sure I answer the phone the next time we get harassed. The only time we had to resort to this was 5 years ago so maybe its not urgent that you send me your number.

Dave
 








 
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