Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Microsoft Support Service scam.....

DaSleeper

#1Jan 19th, 2012

Don't fall for it....
First warning bell....Microsoft support doen't call you unless you call them first and they give you a reference number...
But this morning when I got the call...I played along just to waste the scammer's time and he thought he had a live one...
Instead of me typing the whole thing, I was pretending to do, I'll link to a web site that explains it out..
I never even opened the command prompt window that he wanted just pretended to

Even the heavy Indian accent didn't fool me and since I figured that what he was after which was getting control of my computer and find all kind of info about me, since i had nothing better to do, I wasted 15 minutes of his time and when he thought he was getting close to what he wanted I just put the open phone down with him saying hello hello are you there for another 15 before he hung up

This is only one of the web sites that explains in detail...

--

spaminator

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by DaSleeper

Don't fall for it....
First warning bell....Microsoft support doen't call you unless you call them first and they give you a reference number...
But this morning when I got the call...I played along just to waste the scammer's time and he thought he had a live one...
Instead of me typing the whole thing, I was pretending to do, I'll link to a web site that explains it out..
I never even opened the command prompt window that he wanted just pretended to
Even the heavy Indian accent didn't fool me and since I figured that what he was after which was getting control of my computer and find all kind of info about me, since i had nothing better to do, I wasted 15 minutes of his time and when he thought he was getting close to what he wanted I just put the open phone down with him saying hello hello are you there for another 15 before he hung up
This is only one of the web sites that explains in detail...

--

i wish he would contact jr digs.

Goober

#3 Top Rated Post

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

I have received a number of these calls. I go on about those Damm kids and i do not have any virus ware. I then explain that i am handicapped - they ask that i turn on the comt. I tell them it is old and it takes time. I wait a few minutes then tell them the comt is up and running. They ask me what do i see, reply nothing - they again go thru this and that.

i then explain again i cannot see a thing. They ask that i should.

i inform them, do you remember that i told you I was handicapped - Reply yes - I inform them i am blind.
Next question - Is there anyone else in the house - Reply - Not that i can see.

After all of that i tell them Thanks for letting me waste their time and I have saved someone else from being scammed.

1 guy thanked me, the others hang up.

Gotta have some fun ya know.

Ariadne

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by DaSleeper

Don't fall for it....
First warning bell....Microsoft support doen't call you unless you call them first and they give you a reference number...
But this morning when I got the call...I played along just to waste the scammer's time and he thought he had a live one...
Instead of me typing the whole thing, I was pretending to do, I'll link to a web site that explains it out..
I never even opened the command prompt window that he wanted just pretended to
Even the heavy Indian accent didn't fool me and since I figured that what he was after which was getting control of my computer and find all kind of info about me, since i had nothing better to do, I wasted 15 minutes of his time and when he thought he was getting close to what he wanted I just put the open phone down with him saying hello hello are you there for another 15 before he hung up
This is only one of the web sites that explains in detail...

--

That's exactly what I did ... played along to see what he was up to.

lone wolf

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

I got a call from the same guy. Told him he could do something only possible for earthworms. Phone # on call display was 000-000-0000.

Ariadne

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by lone wolf

I got a call from the same guy. Told him he could do something only possible for earthworms. Phone # on call display was 000-000-0000.

I was getting so many calls that I contacted the phone company about blocking them. They route through an international number that cannot be traced.

DaSleeper

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by Ariadne

I was getting so many calls that I contacted the phone company about blocking them. They route through an international number that cannot be traced.

All my phones are on the do not call list but that only work for registered call centers but not spammers using skype or gmail free phone.

spaminator

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

What is the National Do Not Call List?

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) gives consumers a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls. The National DNCL Rules introduce new responsibilities for Canada’s telemarketers.
If you are a consumer you can choose to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive by -- your residential, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone number on the National DNCL. You can also --, find out how to -- from the National DNCL, and -- about telemarketing calls. Please consult our -- section to find out more about the National DNCL.
The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) introduces new responsibilities for Canada’s telemarketers. If you are a -- you can use this Web site to -- your business information, obtain and buy a subscription to the National DNCL, and download or query the National DNCL. You can also find out about subscription rates, file formats and other information in the Telemarketer section of this Web site.
Certain portions of this Web site require that cookies be enabled for proper operation. Please refer to the -- for further information.

--

L Gilbert

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 19th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by DaSleeper

Don't fall for it....
First warning bell....Microsoft support doen't call you unless you call them first and they give you a reference number...

It also doesn't send out blanket emails to individuals.

Quote: Originally Posted by spaminator

What is the National Do Not Call List?

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) gives consumers a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls. The National DNCL Rules introduce new responsibilities for Canada’s telemarketers.

We registered for that and got a marked reduction in calls. We still get a few but learned that if we poke the # and * buttons quickly and repeatedly, it seems to annoy the remaining unwanted callers. Now we might go for weeks without unwanted calls.

shadowshiv

#10

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

If I see a number on my Call Display that I don't recognize, I just let it go to voicemail. If it's important, they'll leave a message.

SLM

#11

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by L Gilbert

We registered for that and got a marked reduction in calls. We still get a few but learned that if we poke the # and * buttons quickly and repeatedly, it seems to annoy the remaining unwanted callers. Now we might go for weeks without unwanted calls.

I registered as well and it does make a difference. Scammers though don't tend to abide by regulations.

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

If I see a number on my Call Display that I don't recognize, I just let it go to voicemail. If it's important, they'll leave a message.

That's exactly what I do. What's the sense of having call display if you're not going to use it to screen your calls?

IdRatherBeSkiing

#12

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

IThat's exactly what I do. What's the sense of having call display if you're not going to use it to screen your calls?

We have call display but it is cancelled by having another feature called a 10 year old (who answers every call).

lone wolf

#13

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

I registered as well and it does make a difference. Scammers though don't tend to abide by regulations.

That's exactly what I do. What's the sense of having call display if you're not going to use it to screen your calls?

Helps if I'm on the base phone to see it....

SLM

#14

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by IdRatherBeSkiing

We have call display but it is cancelled by having another feature called a 10 year old (who answers every call).

Lol. When did kids become so darned helpful? And would they please stop.

Quote: Originally Posted by lone wolf

Helps if I'm on the base phone to see it....

All my phones have display; a cordless system with multiple handsets.

damngrumpy

#15

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

We have had enough of these calls from this particular scam. It was earlier this year
and I just hang up. We have an elderly aunt who did get taken but only for a minute.
She suddenly thought why would Microsoft call my house and how would they know
if I had a problem? She shut down her computer, and unplugged it. Her daughter is
a computer systems annalist. They made all the required access changes and informed
the back within half an hour and all she lost was a hundred and eighty dollars for the
so called work they performed.
Something has to be done about these people but again the answer is What?

Dexter Sinister

#16

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by damngrumpy

Something has to be done about these people but again the answer is What?

Hang 'em?

I've had that call half a dozen times, and once played along long enough to find out how the scam actually works. First they'll tell you your computer's causing errors on their routers or servers and they can fix it for you, and if you express doubt they'll offer to prove it to you. If you don't but agree to let them fix it, they'll just ask for a credit card number, walk you through a process that gives them remote access to your computer, install some fake anti-virus software, and bill you something in the $150-$200 range. The proof they offer, if you show skepticism, is to try to play on how little most people know about what's really going on inside their computers. They'll walk you through a process that brings up the Event Viewer, shows you the system log, and there you'll see a bunch of messages flagged with little red and yellow triangles, errors and warnings generated by Windows' internal processes. Most of them don't really mean anything, and most people don't know that, so they might panic a little bit, and fall for the scam.

I'm a little suspicious of the do not call registry too. Telemarketers can obtain the list of phone numbers on it, ostensibly so they'll know not to call those numbers, which is fine as long as the business is based in Canada, but if its not, what they get in effect is a list of known good phone numbers to call.

eh1eh

#17

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

I answer every call too. BUT, if it isn't my doctor, dentist, friend or family i simply hang up. I've never paid anyone anything that has called my house.

SLM

#18

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 23rd, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by eh1eh

I've never paid anyone anything that has called my house.

Who does though? This is what I want to know. Because if there wasn't a hope in hell that someone would be buying, they wouldn't be making the call in first place. So who are these people that buy crap over the phone, who encourage the telemarketers to just keep calling in the faint hope that someone else out there might buy something too?

Who are they and, if we find them, what do we do with them?

shadowshiv

#19

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 24th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

That's exactly what I do. What's the sense of having call display if you're not going to use it to screen your calls?

Great minds think alike.

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Who does though? This is what I want to know. Because if there wasn't a hope in hell that someone would be buying, they wouldn't be making the call in first place. So who are these people that buy crap over the phone, who encourage the telemarketers to just keep calling in the faint hope that someone else out there might buy something too?

Who are they and, if we find them, what do we do with them?

It can be the elderly that are taken advantage of (or some people that are unfortunately of lower intelligence), and a lot of the times they are the ones that fall victim to these parasites.

SLM

#20

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 24th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

Great minds think alike.

Always.

Quote:

It can be the elderly that are taken advantage of (or some people that are unfortunately of lower intelligence), and a lot of the times they are the ones that fall victim to these parasites.

Parasites is right. Setting aside the absolute scammers, who deserves their own little corner of hell when they die, telemarketing is grotesquely intrusive and an incredibly sleazy way to sell a product. Especially when you consider that so many telemarketing calls are from large companies (Bell, Rogers, etc). For a while I kept getting calls from Reliance, who provide my water heater, trying to sell me insurance or upgrades for my furnace. That I don't have. Because I live in a condo! And they have my number because it's in my customer file. And then there are the insurance calls from the bank.

Thank goodness for the call display, that's all I'm saying.

shadowshiv

#21

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Always.

Parasites is right. Setting aside the absolute scammers, who deserves their own little corner of hell when they die, telemarketing is grotesquely intrusive and an incredibly sleazy way to sell a product. Especially when you consider that so many telemarketing calls are from large companies (Bell, Rogers, etc). For a while I kept getting calls from Reliance, who provide my water heater, trying to sell me insurance or upgrades for my furnace. That I don't have. Because I live in a condo! And they have my number because it's in my customer file. And then there are the insurance calls from the bank.

Thank goodness for the call display, that's all I'm saying.

Too bad we couldn't dig a pit and dump all those scammers into it.

SLM

#22

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

Too bad we couldn't dig a pit and dump all those scammers into it.

Or a special button on the phone that, when pressed, would give the person on the other end a big old shock!

TenPenny

#23

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Or a special button on the phone that, when pressed, would give the person on the other end a big old shock!

The last time I got one of those 'you've won a cruise' calls, I messed around until I got a live operator, answered one question, paused a couple of times, and then SCREAMED at the top of my lungs into the phone. It was fun, and since I was at work, the other guy laughed his ass off for about an hour.

SLM

#24

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by TenPenny

The last time I got one of those 'you've won a cruise' calls, I messed around until I got a live operator, answered one question, paused a couple of times, and then SCREAMED at the top of my lungs into the phone. It was fun, and since I was at work, the other guy laughed his ass off for about an hour.

Lol, excellent.

One telemarketer down, a several thousand to go. If we're diligent and apply ourselves, we can get 'em all!

Cliffy

#25

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Or a special button on the phone that, when pressed, would give the person on the other end a big old shock!

A friend used to keep a small high pitch tuning fork by the phone. When he got a call like that he would bang it on the edge of the end table and put it up against the mouth piece. The effect can just about ripopen an ear drum.

I have an old push button phone with no frills. I use my answering machine to screen calls. I also have a Mac so I tell PC scammers where to go.

DaSleeper

#26

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

I don't get that many anymore, since I subscribed to the do not call list.....but one thing I used to do is to tell them that I couldn't hear them on that line and if they would please call my other line and give them an inside number (unlisted) to the OPP office.

Kreskin

#27

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

I registered on the "do not scam list". I'd be pissed if they phoned me.

shadowshiv

#28

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by SLM

Or a special button on the phone that, when pressed, would give the person on the other end a big old shock!

And make them poop themselves.

lone wolf

#29

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 25th, 2012

I be thinking along the lines of one of those freon horns

SLM

#30

Re: Microsoft Support Service scam.....

Jan 26th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by Kreskin

I registered on the "do not scam list". I'd be pissed if they phoned me.

Well, the honest scammers will abide by that.

Quote: Originally Posted by shadowshiv

And make them poop themselves.

I'd be satisfied if it made them telephonphobic. (Not sure if that's the actual term but it's gotta be close. There's a phobia for everything right?)

Quote: Originally Posted by lone wolf

I be thinking along the lines of one of those freon horns

Yessss!

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