[ALERT] Fake Tech Support Scammers Are Calling - Comments Page 2

For any unknown number I say "Good (Morning, day or evening depending on the time), You are on the air. What do you have to say to our audience?" I usually get dead silence. They are on the air as I use a cell phone which is a radio, and I am their audience. So, I do not lie.

I get them all excited by telling them I need their help. Then I give them various computer models and versions of windows. As soon as I start talking about windows 3.0 or my Commodore computer, they hang up.

Same here, about 2 weeks ago, precisely at 5:35 PM.! I guess the Scammers thought that I was having Dinner, and would just do what they asked/commanded. I did what I was told by some other computer expert a few years ago, and that was to Manually "Shut Down" my computer and wait about one hour. I did just that, I turned it back on, did a SCAN and when satisfied went back to what I was doing. I get a Call or Message on my Computer about Once a Month, and it is Annoying. I think what I will do is contact my Anti-Virus Program, and inform them. Thanx for Listening/Reading.

You go Bob! I like the way you led them on and ultimately ticked off the "sup" for wasting his time.

I usually get someone with an Indian accent to tip me off right away. First time I told him to leave my computer alone and hung up. The next time he called about a week later and said "I'm calling about your computer." Amazed at his stupidity, I just said in a whiny voice "REALLY!!!????. I hung up again and never heard back (yet).

You have to be careful, even when activating your security software, like Norton. If you go to the wrong Web site (Norton/set-up instead of Norton/setup), you'll get a scammer who will tell you you have "99 trojans" on your IP address, and ask for $200-$300 to have them removed. All BS!

I called a number given on a Intuit Quicken site for help with a forgotten password. Was assured they could help me. But after 1/2 hr they revealed the cost was ~$400, when I said it was much too high they consulted with management and offered a discount to $200. After repeated questioning the Indian accent man admitted he was not a Intuit employee. I thanked him for his time but declined his offer. I since learned Intuit no longer supports Quicken, am not sure if it's now a separate co, at any rate no help seems to exist.

My computer has been trying to update my system (Win7). Each morning, it closes all my open programs tells me not to turn my computer off, and proceeds to "update" my system, then decide it didn't succeed, and reverses the installation - until the next day. How can I fix this "fix?" I assume it is connected with the Sceptre and Meltdown problems.

I once asked one of these guys (he had an Indian type accent, as usual) where he was calling from, to which he of course replied "Microsoft Technical Support." So ... "No, where in the world, just out of interest? I'm often amazed by the quality of the international phone lines nowadays." His response? "Be holding on please. I will just ask my Supervisor.

They ignore the do not call list. They spoof their numbers using local ones. One woman had her own phone number appear on her caller ID as being the caller. We let the answering machine pick it up. If you are my dear bosom buddy, you probably have enough sense to leave a message. They usually hang up as soon as they realize it is an answering machine.We do not answer if we do not recognize the name or number that comes up on caller ID. But they can spoof that as well, or block it from appearing in your caller ID.

I generally, when in a good mood, ask what port is giving the trouble and I'll have a look at it. Most don't even know what a port is. They insist on looking, and I say, no, I can look and see what program is accessing that port because, quite frankly, I THOUGHT I had that port blocked for all outgoing data. So please tell me and I'll have a look -- that often ends it.

If it's a rainy day, I've done most of my (retired) work for the day - I must admit that I do engage in tom-foolery as above. I START by going THANK GOD YOU CALLED!!!! -- THEN proceed (pardon me women, some of my best friends are . . . ) into 'Blonde' mode and motor mouth EVERYthing I can remember from my old 360 through all the trouble I've ever had un-installing Norton V-early from my 512 Mac, to problems I've had miss-wiring or cross wireing a harness. I beg them to help me -- and I had **NO* idea that I was sending out spam and could go to jail and be tortured to death - and part way through - I give another problem - and forget what I'm typing.

It's at best 'The Only Show In Town' - and if they really ARE interrupting work I am doing - I start in on what my project is, and keep asking how to fix some out-put variable or plot line.

I've gotten to the supers super once.

And, before we really condemn them, let's all remember that this may be the BEST job they've ever had -- that they are using it to feed their wives and children - that it may well be a second job - and if they don't produce X units of work, they get their pay docked or are fired. That means that they, their wife, and their children may not eat when the checks are handed out. We forget what it's like to work in a very VERY poor country - and that if we mess with them too much, they might go hungry until they get another job. -- remember that India has a population of 1.3 BILLION people - so if you take the low end of the functional curve and figure that if only 1/10, 000th of the people can get such a job, (and be thankful for it) you have 130, 000 people looking for THAT job.

So there's the Moral 'let's have fun with this guy' and the Ethical 'This guy could well starve without this job'. It really creates a conundrum. Save others from the scam, or perhaps lose the person their job which helps feed their family or pays medical bills for their parents.

Remember India may be a Democracy - but it did not have an FDR of an LBJ to provide Social Security retirement income or Medicare-caid for medical care or food stamps for the truly poverty stricken among them.

Yet because it's pretty much simple MOST of the time - I don't mind helping others from such calls -- folks just as poor only in a Western Culture. Not having a cell or 'smart' phone (sometimes I like to be alone, and I have a good Garmin if I need GPS or Temp or mm Hg) I don't get to capture a call.

When in a foul mood, when a program keeps crashing or the plotter table has ink that drys too quickly and clogs the nozzles, I'll sick MF, a good friend who always has computer problems -- ALWAYS - and sick her on them. She'll lock her jaws - and simply will not let go.

I accidentally joined an 'on line support company' when I thought I was getting AT&T prime service -- she stayed on them playing tag-team with some girlfriends - until they begged her to stop - and sure she would, for a full refund, plus some amount ($75?) for taking up most of her time - It was a denial of service attack using telephones.

But, sigh, alas -- I use some software Bob told us to get twice -- software that will help screen out most of spam calls, so I rarely get those calls anymore unless I'm expecting a call and pick up before my phone says 'call from X' (I also don't answer 'unlisted number' or 'unknown number' calls). So a tiny bit of bright joy has left my life - and their Karma-Dharma choice is made by software, not by me. And while I can't be sure, there MUST be a BS and Karma-Dharma filter on the software so I don't have to worry too much about MY Karma.

And, if you ARE starving - you WILL make such calls to feed your kid or get them medical care. So let's not lose track of the human face of poverty that's on the other end of the phone.

Sorry to be a buzz-kill, but it's something important to remember if we are all going to ge along on this planet as Brothers and Sisters of the family called 'Humankind'.

OK, off my soap box. 'What port do you show has out-going data on it?' is still a very good opening line. And we all know how to clack a keyboard, pause, and say, you must be mistaken, I don't see anything there. Give me that number again, OK?

I have had calls from people claiming I was having information sent out from my PC and they needed access to my PC to repair it for me. Both Microsoft and Dell scams were involved. I got names, telephone numbers and anything else I cold and filed a report with the FCC. I also have been getting a big screen pop up with a very loud voice telling me not to turn off my PC and to call a number immediately to remove a virus. I ran a McAfee deep scan, which turned up nothing and subsequent restarts went perfectly

Years ago when I was in Toastmasters, I won a speech award by giving a speech that senseless words scattered throughout the speech. I got a call from a purported MS Rep (I knew it was a scam) and peppered my responses with meaningless words just for the fun of it. He gave it up, eventually. Common you guys, have fun with these calls.

Hiya app keeps them from calling me.
Somehow though, I keep getting email saying microsoft will end support and some other stuff. It's rubbish I guess and I just block it only to get occasional more emails saying the same from someone else.

At least once a week, we get a recorded call telling us that our Microsoft license has been cancelled. What a bummer!

I get these several times a year. One day I was board, so I played the old not tech guy. He really thought he really had me. Short story I played him for almost an hour. Then I hung up on him. He called me back and ask why I hung up on him? I told him that I had the police on the other line and that they said they had traced the call and I could now hang up. He said you Son of ..... you Son of ... and hung up on me. I had more to tell him, but will wait till next time. He did not call back for two years, but has started back. (I did not really have the police on the line, but bet he was watching his back for a long time.)

I used to play with these guys (I now don't answer numbers that I do not recognize).

Would take on the persona of a 10-yr-old and ask them "... how did they knew that I just broke a window(s) in my house? And please don't tell my mommy because she'll get mad at me."

Some of these "techs" would really get thrown by this and would go into a loop and keep repeating their script about my Windows needing attention. Eventually they would figure out that their Windows was not the same as my broken window pane (and/or I was playing them) and they would abruptly end the call. But some were not too swift: had one "tech" on the line for almost 10min before their supervisor came on, cursed-out me (and perhaps the tech), and hung up.

I've had a dozen of these calls over the past couple of years. I have blocked at least 3 numbers from these callers.

i do that too some time i tell them i dont have the time now make them keep calling. it frustrate them thinking they have some one who will fall for it.
Then we play the i dont understand game. where again This is a fun game for me. I haven't gotten a call in years. i dont know why

Doc posts a plea for understanding these folk in the sub-continent trying to feed their families, but they are trying to take the food out of the mouths of other poor people who happen to have a computer. I can sympathise with their problems but cannot condone their thievery.
I had one of these "MS techs" going into his routine, he tried bluffing me when I told him my computer was switched off by saying it had already been scanned and recorded, so I said "now hold on and keep explaining all this to me please. I am in a CIA branch office and our engineer is tracing your call but we need a couple more minutes then we'll send an agent round to see you". He hung up.

I usually ask them the IP address of the offending computer. When they ask why I want the IP I simply tell them I have 12 computers running and I need to know which one it is. That starts the conversation that eventually comes around to him calling me a liar. I continue to plague him until HE hangs up. I then smile from ear to ear.
Bear in mind I am pretty sure he gets in trouble if he initiates the hang up.

EDITOR'S NOTE: That would explain why the guy was begging ME to hang up.