Beware Fake Tech Support Scammers - Comments Page 1

Yes, I have received a phone call like this on my voicemail, which I ignored. Also have had visual and audio message appear on my computer screen telling me the same. Malwarebytes check following this has turned up nothing. If I reboot it's gone...

One tip that I use is to ask them for their Microsoft Service ID #. These did not exist. If the hesitate or refuse to give up the ID, then you know its a scam.

Had someone call about 9:30 (with very strong accent) and I jumped all over him about calling so late and getting me out of bed. He just wanted to go on and on like it was nothing. I usually tell them I don't have a computer but they are insistent that I do. It really makes me angry what these people are up to.

Get these calls regulary.
I tell the caller that what they are doing is illegal and if there were in my country, their boss would be arrested and you (the caller) would be as well.

They hang up

a week later a different tech person (Sam, John, Peter or Edward or ???? will call with same scam)

I tell them the same thing. It's a pain as it interrupts my work day.

Another ruse I use is asking them which computer is infected (I have five)
They ramble on as if I didnt' say that. I hang up.

I have had several of these and found the best way to deal with them is either hang up straight away or if I am in a particularly ornery mood play dumb with them until they get fed up with you wasting there time. I keep asking them which of my computers is affected or which version of Windows has the problem.

Has happened to me twice. I like to lead them on for as long as possible, wasting their time. Finally I ask what version of Windows I am using , " if they can see that I am having a problem" and of course they can't say. So after a while, I tell them I am using a Mac, and then hang up.

Why even engage with these callers? Don't answer the phone! I never answer my phone (landline or cell) if I don't recognize the number or caller ID. Legitimate callers will leave a voice mail.

If I get a call from a strange number I don't answer and do a reverse phone lookup. One time a Google Earth location picture came up and showed me the house where the call originated. Most of the time the calls are listed as a scam.

The one who got me actually had my laptop serial number and other info on the bottom of my computer. My tech support said that my computer maker had been hacked and that is how they got the numbers. I still get those calls almost weekly.

A couple of years ago, I had a contract (legitimate) with Microsoft services. I had been having trouble with my computer and had been working with Microsoft. The problem was resolved, as I recall. A few days later, my husband received a call (woke him up) from someone from "Microsoft." Thinking it was a follow-up, he allowed access. It was a scam, of course. Fortunately, no bad resulted. My husband still thinks someone at Microsoft colluded with the scammer.

My mother-in-law got one of these calls a few months ago - it was on her cell phone, and she was on her way home. Fortunately, my husband told me that she was on the phone with "MS tech support", and when she began to sit and follow the caller's instructions on her computer, I asked her about the call. I took the phone, listened to him verify my suspicions, and hung up on him. These people have no souls.

I generally ask which of my 10 computers has the problem and if it is one of the PC's or the MAC's. While he is dreaming of riches, I say "just a minute while I turn on all those computers. Then I lay the phone down and ignore it until i get a disconnect sound. Then I block the number. Since I cannot reach through the phone and strangle the lying SOB on the other end, wasting his time is the best I can do...

I get these calls a couple times a year. I like giving them a hard time, using up their time so they have less time to bother others. I got several good ideas on how to do that from your comments.

I string them along, for as long as I can, and when eventually they figure out what I'm doing, they lose it and the cussing begins, as I laugh, "Gotcha!"

Check YouTube. No shortage of phone scammers getting scammed.

I have had three calls from "Microsoft" in the the last two days. All have very heavy Indian accents. They are persistent. You would think with all our technical expertise someone would be able to stop this. Guess it is not a priority.

I usually tell the scammers that there is no computer at this address. Then I ask them how they know it's my computer. Then I ask them if they can tell me my IP address. They hang up on me.
I think I'll start asking the scam scum to wait while All my computers are turned on then put the phone down. Wasting their time seems like a good idea.

Anne is 100% correct. If you have Caller ID and a call appears with a number you don't recognize, let your answering machine/voicemail take a message. No message? Ignore it and go on with your life. If the caller can't be bothered to leave a number and number so you can check it with a search engine, then folks like Anne & I were right not to answer. A legitimate caller will leave a message.

I simply shout down the phone: "F*** OFF!" and hang up.

I've gotten regular calls from "Microsoft" dating my laptop was showing error messages. I told him no it wasn't, my laptop hadn't even been turned on in 3 months ! He hung up. Same guy calls ever 2-3 months. Last tone I asked him if he thought I was stupid and said I wasn't falling for his scam. He cursed me calling me several curse words and names. I just laugh...

These guys are using VOIP telephones,(Voice over Internet Protocol) which are easy to spoof. More often than not, the phone numbers you see are fake.

I actually saw one once that actually said it Microsoft. Easy to spoof if you know how.

I like the idea of wasting their time, but that wastes yours too. Just hang up solves the problem for now.

You can block the number too, but they will just call back later from a different false number.