Beware the Fake Tech Support Scam - Comments Page 3

I received one of these calls just last week. She had a very heavy accent, which I thought was Mexican/Spanish, but maybe Indian. I thought she said she was with Gringos Technical Service. I knew it was a scam and kept asking her how my computer was downloading malware from her company's website when I didn't even use her site. I kept going for about 15 minutes and said I had no idea what she was talking about. She very rudely told me..."You are the stupidist woman in the world". Made my day!!

Yes, they got me. I got a call early one morning claiming to be Microsoft. They said they were calling about my "error reports" and since I had sent many error reports I really believed I was finally getting some help. I hadn't really woke up very well and I was more vulnerable. I hate to admit the information I gave them. What really saved me was my credit card company wouldn't let the money go through unless I told the credit card company personally to give them the money. They told me there was some suspicious activity related to the company that called me. So I told the operater not to give them the money. I told the scammer I had changed my mind. He kept trying and trying to get me to continue with his scam. We were writing back and forth. He was very persistant. Since then I had some trouble with my hotmail account. I couldn't even get into my hotmail. I ended up having to get a new password and it took a few days to get back into my account. Hotmail was protecting my account and I appreciate them for it. I never thought I could be scammed like that because I should have known better before giving up so much information. You live and you learn.

I fell for this a few years ago, I'm ashamed to say. I figured out pretty soon that it wasn't legitimate--but not before the person who called me had installed a password on my computer (which hadn't had one before that), effectually locking me out. Some of my data was deleted, too, I'm pretty sure.

No. I'm not wealthy, but I needed a working computer. I didn't trust this person (who called back several times after I hung up on him) so I took my computer to Best Buy the next day. Made me wish I'd gone into computer science (which I considered at one point),

I'll have to try playing with these guys because they call me almost weekly. They are very aggressive and rude. All of them have Indian accents and I have to literally shout over them saying "I know this is a scam, please don't call here again." And, they continue talking as I'm hanging up. The last time they called from a California area code.

This scam happens ALL the time! When I report the incident to authorities, they tell me that they know about the scam. I even have a remote service (Geek Squad). One time I had just had my computer worked on and I know nothing was wrong. Not but 10 min. after, "Microsoft" calls and says that they detected malware on the computer! My subscription has since run out with Geek Squad (I can clean my own computer) and wouldn't you know? No calls! I have had one other service and the same thing happened with them! If you have a service that is legit, could THAT be an invitation for scammers to try to scam you?
Might be worth looking into.

And if your security fix is messed up you know for sure it was Microsoft.

I guess the calls are random but am no sure. I was a happy, old, XP user until late last year I was finally convinced to buy a new computer with windows 8. Since then I must have received about a call a month. I started out graciously saying "thanks but no thanks" and my refusals have gotten less gracious and yet they keep calling. Would never have fallen for it good old days but, at first, with windows 8...I might have considered it ;)

This happened to my husband, who assumed he was targeted because he had recently retired. I have never heard him be anything other than polite to telemarketers - I, myself, simply hang up - but he SHOUTED at this fellow (who did have an Indian accent, and who did argue when my husband called him a liar) - and even used an obscenity!

Get these calls all the time, they get confused when I ask what version of Windows I am running. When I tell them if they cannot tell me the versio they are frauds they guess most always wrong, even if correct tell them they are wrong, last guy is still cursing at me!!!!!!

I posted this on my FaceBook on July 1, 2014:

One of those phony Microsoft computer repair scammers called me and wanted me to download TeamViewer so that they could take control of my PC and "show me the 'errors' in my PC".
I immediately knew it was a scam call as Microsoft would NEVER call you for any reason.
The "errors" they pointed out to me was normal for any PC and EVERYBODY running Windows has them.
I kept them on the line for about 35 minutes playing dumb and acting like I couldn't download the program they wanted me to.
It was actually quite fun lol.
I eventually got their "supervisor" on the line and immediately I said "Hello dumba**" lol.
The idiot didn't catch that right away and kept trying to get me to download that program.
After the 4th or 5th time I called him dumba** he finally understood and got angry with me.
I told him I am not the idiot he had hoped to get on the phone and I thanked him for the opportunity to waste his time so that he could not get some hapless victim on the line and screw up their PC.
Idiots!
I'm still laughing over the whole thing as I type lol.

I love when they call me as it provides an opportunity to tie up their resources so that they can't get some hapless victim on the line.
I also get a few good chuckles from the experience.

They've called me a few times. I usually change my voice to sound old & feeble, and take a while to "understand" that they're talking about a computer, which, of course, I "don't have".

I eventually fell for this scam when shown nasties on my computer. They claimed to be in Leicester but my Credit Card Company said they were in Sacramento California. Company was registered as Tina Marie White,all staff sounded Asian.

A few days after I had paid them they rang to say they had to refund me as they could not continue to cover me, I had some doubts by then , gave a debit card for an account containing very little money, they rang to tell me to ring bank to authorise payment , not to mention refund as I would be charged big fees. Bank said they had tried to take money out confirming my suspicions.
The scammers actually created a security ID in my name for online transactions, I saw the screen come up. I don't do online banking.

I had to get my cards changed and computer wiped so it cost more than the £140 I paid them. Costly lesson. Trading Standards & bank security no help getting money back , or getting them stopped,I was told that as they were in the USA nothing could be done. Can they not be pursued from the American end if Company names are known?

Depending on how much time I have, I usually try to have some fun with them. I always get someone talking with a distinct East Indian accent who says his name is Bob Smith or Thomas Anderson. I ask them about their family, where they live, their education, how they got such an interesting job etc. Sometimes I ask how the crime business is going, and if they have any religious beliefs that contradict their life of crime and how they reconcile that in their life. This way, I actually start to look forward to their calls. See how creative you can be!

I get the indian guy call about our computer. I just tell him we don't have one. There is a second of stunned silence before he hangs up. Problem solved.