Who Falls for Tech Scams? - Comments Page 1

emails from nigerian princes, alerts on the computer, phone calls from the irs, never answered one!!!

Soapbox Guy says it best!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hD_zluGmQw

For a while AT&T was also selling a repair service that cost $15.00 per month for a year. This service was a scam. At first I thought it was real, I was able to get out of the contract but I had to go the the Corp headquarters to do it.

I did get a phone call from an alleged Microsoft tech who stated that my Windows 10 computers were infected and could be fixed for a one time fee of $300.00. I told him I doubted his claim as my entire network and all the computers connected to that network run on Linux. He did not know what Linux was. I laughed and hung up on him.

Have had three, none of them could speak very good English so that was a dead give away. Put them on hold for 15 minutes, all three were the same number so that number is blocked.

I received a phone call like this just 2 days ago on my old LG flip phone. (I answered because I was expecting local phone calls from people I had never talked to before.) I told them if they knew so much about my computer, they should be able to tell me what kind of operating system I was using, and what my IP address is. When I asked them to tell me this information, they hung up. I smiled because of I have been following Bob's warnings since the early days of the Internet Tourbus.

With all the work in voice recognition and AI in progress, there should be a way for consumers to use tech to fight tech. It shouldn't be too hard to develop an app that
1) detects a scammer calling (maybe from a list of known phone numbers)
2) answers the phone
3) takes up the scammer's time/phone resources
4) alerts law enforcement with scammer details
5) BONUS: provides fake account/ID information
6) BONUS: suggests a meeting of his or her choosing
7) BONUS: Generates a hearing damaging blast of noise (after slowly reducing its volume so that the scammers turns up the volume on his headset)

We are plaued here in the UK with such calls, more often than not claiming to be from BT (the national telephone authority) that:
my IP has been changed, or
my Interenet service is to be disconnected that day (presumably for alleged non-payment of bills and hence the pointers to other extensions at the caller's address to resolve matters (all a bit of a joke since I'm not with BT), or
my computer is infected, etcetera.

The problem with trying to block their numbers is that very often the number obtained by 1471 (equiv to *69 in the US?) is false; BT's national database doesn't recognise the Area Code.

I can't afford not answering the phone but usually give the caller a mouthful of "fruity" language if I realise it's a person at the other end and not simply a recorded message (as so many are).

IT us not just the obvious scammers you need to watch out for. The largest coach company in the UK includes an offer of £15 off your next ticket if you click here... It then asks for your debit card details and if you are not eagle-eyed you commit yourself to and expensive monthly fee for sone discount site. You have to be quick to stop that happening. The coach company says (like some Russian President) that it is nothing to do with them!

I have never had a tech scam call. I do get the occasional IRS scam phone message, but obviously don’t respond back to them. Those are amusing to listen to, though (or even just read the transcript.). The choice of verbiage is hilarious.

As far as younger males being more likely to be taken in: I think this is more related to age than anything else. I don’t really think this demographic is any more gullible than any others when those others were AT THE SAME AGE (under 35.) When I was that young, I was much more susceptible to falling for garbage. It’s just that, I think, there wasn’t quite as much garbage from so many directions, so fewer scams to get caught up in. But, I was certainly far, far more trusting and willing to give benefit of the doubt than I am now. As far as males, well, my own experience is that males, IN GENERAL (so certainly not all), seem to be more trusting than females. Maybe not everyone’s experience, but it has been mine.

I've had the Microsoft scammers call me, the duct cleaners call me and in the last year or so, several calls from the Canada Revenue Agency--CRA--(i.e. the CDN equivalent of the IRS). The latter leaves a message noting that I must call back within a few hours otherwise I will be charged some egregious penalty due to my failure to properly file my taxes or some omission or whatever. All these scammers can barely speak English and have a heavy Indian/Pakistani accent. I usually don't answer any call that has an unfamiliar number as I assume that any call of some importance not answered will elicit a message on my answering machine. Occasionally I will answer just to mess with them then tell them to FOAD.

I quite enjoy the YouTube videos by Jim Browning in the UK. He's and anti-scammer type.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNG0osIBAprVcZZ3ic84vw

I received 3 in the past week (they actually left a voice mail). The 1st one said that my Windows subscription had expired and was no longer usable. The next 2 - they were all poor digital voices - said that they wanted to refund my money, as Microsoft had been forced out of business. They all had the same 866 area code # to respond to.

I get the tech support calls occasionaly. I'm retired so I have the time to play along. I first ask them how they know since my PC is not on. I then ask them if they want me to turn it on. I set the phone aside for about 5 minutes. I then tell them I got a blue screen and asked them what they did and can they fix it. I eventually tell them I'm running Ubuntu Linux. They eventually catch on that I'm playing with them and either just hang up or swear at me then hang up. I waste about 10-15 minutes.

The same people that fall for the PC Matic scam that screws up your computer

I was duped 2 years ago to pay 160 dollars to unfreeze my computer after I had clicked on a ad on the Facebook page. I had to ring them on a free phone number and pay up for 12 months help. Which I did one one occasion

The significant advances in AI create new opportunities for people to be fooled. It is relatively easy to not only clone a person's voice from a very short sample, but to also create an image video. Really, the person you hear or see may simply NOT be who you think it is! Think how easily those grandmas will be fooled when they can actually see and hear what they KNOW is their grandchild!

Had one today (I'm normally located in Spain) Apparently the female caller had noticed some security issues on my computer and proposed helping me----would I press certain keys. I replied by pointing out that I wasn't running Windows which she'd assumed---I was running Linux on one & an Apple system on another. She rang off almost immediately.

I recently received an offer from my ISP on my phone. They were supposedly giving away a few top end cell phones. I had to answer a quiz and was then told I was a winner. I got suspicious when I got to the page to fill out details to claim my prize. It asked for too much information including DOB. I contacted the ISP and asked if it was a scam. It was. Dam it - I wanted that phone!!

I agree with what Mark N. said, develop an app that blows up their phone and the robots that make the calls.