General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI've just got an unsolicited call about my computer...
From some woman with a very strong Indian sub-continental accent, informing me that my network drive stopped working.
WTF?
So I asked her what kind of computer that I had, and she replied that she was concerned about some spam in my email that was causing the problem which, from what I can see, doesn't exist.
I told her that I wasn't comfortable talking to her about my computer and I hung up.
Apparently she called from a 929 area code (Brooklyn, NY)
I Googled the number and got this from the great posters on the invaluable 800 Notes website:
Name on the phone said Unassigned.
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)The people doing the scam on you sound particularly inept.
abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)for people who answer the phone from a number they don't recognize.
elfin
(6,262 posts)Then come back to the phone and exclaim " You are right! YOUR computer is in real trouble! But I can fix it! Just give me your credit card number so you can pay just $67.92 and I will FIX IT for you!!!! Then I hang up.
Warpy
(110,900 posts)Usually they just get an "oh, piss off." I no longer have enough energy to play with their heads.
TexasTowelie
(111,290 posts)They can obtain all of your login credentials, passwords and other personal information to commit fraud.
The only time you should relinquish control of your computer is with a trusted source that you have contacted. When you relinquish control of your computer you must also watch to verify that person is not accessing confidential information. If during that process you have any doubts including completely cold-booting the computer by turning it off or interrupting its power supply.
I had those calls coming in for me when I lived in my father's house and they would call on his land line. Since I never used that phone number at all on my computer I immediately knew it was a scam. They wanted me to sign on to my computer which I couldn't do since it was in a different room from where the phone was located.
Journeyman
(15,001 posts)then softly laugh, tell 'em I have a Mac and ask 'em to kiss my iAss.
Initech
(99,912 posts)It's a gigantic ripoff and it targets people who don't want to maintain their own PCs.
MattBaggins
(7,894 posts)giving me money for a surgery.
Oh what surgery would that be.
Sir have you had a hysterectomy?
Hekate
(90,189 posts)I played along to the extent of trying to get a phone number "so I can call you back," but the caller just kept acting more confused. He claimed to be from Health and Human Services. I finally told him it was a scam and I was going to call the cops.
So I called the cops, in case they were keeping track of trending scams. The guy I talked to was nice -- he asked if any of the info they claimed to have was accurate, and I said the only part that was accurate was that I am a senior citizen. He said, "This one must be inexperienced. They usually get a bunch of information off people's families' FaceBooks, like 'My grandma just had hip surgery' kind of thing." Told me to warn my neighbors.
Initech
(99,912 posts)And coming from someone who builds PCs if someone is calling about a problem with your hard drive, it's a scam to sell you bullshit software you don't need.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)which is software that enables someone to control your computer. This is a legitimate product that people use to provide support, but also obviously can be used for criminal purposes if you allow a scammer access to your PC. The good thing was that they gave me a PIN number to download the software before I terminated the call. I then called Logmein customer service and since I knew the 6-digit PIN they were able to shut down the scammer's account (they were very appreciative and were familiar with the scam).
MrScorpio
(73,626 posts)So when she was telling me about drivers and email spam, that was proof poz that she was full of shit.
I worry about the people who don't know any better though.
nenagh
(1,925 posts)Just two seconds ago I got a similar call. Hard to understand male, saying I have viruses on my Windows computer..he could see... (I have a Mac & no caller ID)
But I had just read your post, so I thanked him and hung up. I'm in Canada and it's been years since I've had a similar attempted scam.
jimlup
(7,968 posts)Person said that there was a problem with my "computer running windows"
Since I dont' have a computer running windows I hung up immediately.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)And they're always from someone with a very generic sounding American name (like Bill Jones) but a pronounced Indian accent. They inform me right off the bat that there is something wrong with my "Windows computer". If I don't want to waste my time with them I just ask them "I have windows but what's a computer?" and hang up. If I want to fuck with them a bit, I start asking them how they know if something is wrong with my computer and do they have a big screen that shows every computer in the world so they can tell which ones are having problems. Then I start asking "Bill Jones" some personal questions like how many people work in his office, how is the weather where he is, what kind of car he drives etc, etc. That way I can waste 10 to 15 minutes of his time that he can't make a sale with somebody else. If I get him pissed off enough to yell at me I feel really good about the call, if I can get him to tell me to go fuck myself it makes my day (that only happened once).
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,272 posts)I strung the guy along while he kept having me "reboot" the computer and press the escape key. I kept pressing the wrong key and had to start over. Each time I set the phone down for like 5 minutes and went on doing my work and posting a thread about it on DU.
I finally told him I was going to toss the computer in the garbage.he told me that wouldn't work because my "internet lines" were infected. Lol
Here is the thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024742806
dickthegrouch
(3,151 posts)They can't hang up fast enough
wandy
(3,539 posts)I got one of them past the point of Win + r and so close to typing in regedit.
I don't know if he caught on or if I gave myself away.
I was in tears trying to keep from laughing.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)Were you trying to get him to do something to his computer that would've messed it up?
wandy
(3,539 posts)You can do great harm in there even if you have a fair idea of what you're doing.
So while he was telling me about my 'unsolicited internet error message', I was trying to remember some of my self inflicted wounds.
To be honest, I keep a sort of "NEVER DO THAT AGAIN" file and was looking for something that wouldn't cause problems until the PC was restarted. That would have been long after the......
Hellow, Hellow? We must have been disconnected......
No I don't feel bad. I just think of how many people they may have bilked for $39.99 or something like that.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)I'm just surprised that you were even within striking distance of succeeding. I'd have thought that the scammers were particularly alert to their own scam.
Better luck next time!
wandy
(3,539 posts)Some of them are just reading from a script. Their next call out might be selling vacuum cleaners.
Probably Kirbys.
boston bean
(36,186 posts)dickthegrouch
(3,151 posts)Not all caller ID systems deal with international calls correctly. If you look at 92 as a country code instead of an area code, it translates to Pakistan, another major source of such frauds.
arikara
(5,562 posts)The first guy argued with me when I told him I had a mac. I played with them for a few calls, one hung up on me after exclaiming in his thick accent "you're trying to scam me!" Another guy's supervisor started listening in after he started getting agitated and then hung up for him. After a few calls I got tired of the games so I'd just tell them to stay on the line while I booted up the computer then go off and do chores. They'd sit there for 10-20 minutes then I'd pick up the phone and if they were still there I'd tell them my mac works fine and just hang up.
Thing is, nobody legitimate is ever going to call or email you like that.
Violet_Crumble
(35,954 posts)There's lots of people out there who are computer illiterate like my elderly parents, and if I waste the time of those scammers, then that might save someone from being scammed down the line. I've only had one last past the 10 minute mark. I told them I was having trouble getting my computer to start, and to please call me back in half an hour coz I really needed them to fix it for me. They actually rang back, so I told them it was going real slow and to hang in there, then I put the phone down for 15 minutes and when I checked that time they were gone...
Jane Austin
(9,199 posts)They must be really busy, calling all of us.
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)Thanks for mentioning it. I bookmarked it. I don't answer calls I don't recognize, and enjoy looking them up after they've called.
niyad
(112,432 posts)her several hundred dollars before she got it resolved. she is computer illiterate, and believed what she was told. I told her microsoft does not call people.
Cresent City Kid
(1,621 posts)Too many of these scams are like Wall Street, wrong but not technically illegal, yet. When i get suspicious calls I just say, 'mumble mumble Better Business Bureau, mumble mumble Attorney General.."
Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)and that usually get's them. I like the Attorney General/Better Business Bureau ideas, too.
CountAllVotes
(20,854 posts)I got the same sort of a call last night. They were not specific and asked for a Ms. Williams.
I told the man (sounded like India or Arabic) that this person is not at my # and that I do not have a computer.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)Told the caller I had my own live-in computer expert and hung up.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)and they couldn't possibly have access. I usually use that if you continue to call, you calls are being logged and an information will be filed with the Federal Court in White Plains.
Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)or repairing my credit, I forget which, but it started with a robo call. Then you had to press "1" for more information. I did, to string them along. The guy who answered said something along the lines of "Can I help you?" I said, "Oh, I'm just trying to see what kind of scam this is". The guy sort of laughed "Scam?" he said, and hung up.
Needless to say, I was:
Violet_Crumble
(35,954 posts)They were trying to get what's close to the equivalent of an American social security number. Once they've got the number, they can steal someone's identity. So I did the gleeful and chatty 'What a coincidence! I work there too! ' stuffed them round a bit, asked how he managed to get overtime when I couldn't, and when I finally asked why he was asking for a confidential number that's held for us by the place I work for, he hung up on me.
uriel1972
(4,261 posts)Oh yeah this one's persistant. They've been calling me for about six months. I keep pointing out, I know it's a scam, but they keep calling back.
Sigh.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)As others have noted.
zonkers
(5,865 posts)Heywood J
(2,515 posts)Me: "They're open, should they be closed? Is it going to rain? Or is it because I haven't cleaned them yet this year?"
Them: "No, no, your windows."
Me: "They were replaced five years ago by someone locally. How could there be a problem?"
It goes on from there.