Fraudulent support call

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Like many of you I’ve heard about the fraudulent computer service/support telephone calls, but yesterday was the first time I received such a call. I could have hung up immediately, but I was curious to see how this type of call was handled, so I continued to engage the caller, who sounded like she was from India. In the background I could hear the buzz of many voices, so it must have been a call center type of situation with dozens of people making such calls. She was relentlessly aggressive and I can see how an inexperienced computer owner might get sucked into such a call. Since I never gave in after a few minutes of hearing about hackers, malware, and viruses taking over my computer and all the terrible things that would happen unless she helped me, she finally said “Well, if you don’t care about your computer, that’s your problem.” But, she didn’t hang up – probably waiting to see if this final statement would push me into action. But, I just said “Goodbye,” and then she hung up.

Here’s an article by a retired Federal Trade Commission employee for those who want to learn more about this type of call:
http://www.nextavenue.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-tech-support-scams/

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Don’t be fooled by “In the background I could hear the buzz of many voices, so it must have been a call center type of situation with dozens of people making such calls.” It may only mean they’re playing a recording to give that impression, to add to the masquerade of the call coming from a substantial organisation.

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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I love hearing stories where the good guys win. Thanks.

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I still get those calls every once in awhile. I just ask them what folder I just clicked on since they can see inside my computer. They usually hang up pretty quickly. No muss, no fuss.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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I still get those calls every once in awhile. I just ask them what folder I just clicked on since they can see inside my computer. They usually hang up pretty quickly. No muss, no fuss.

Hard to believe, I got my first one of these calls a week ago. I don’t have the patience to even answer the phone to “play the game”

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Greetings,

I currently receive at least two to three of these calls per week. Depending on my frame of mind and time availability, I lead them on until I no longer feel like playing. As one of the posters above indicated, it ties them up from calling and bothering some other unsuspecting individual who may fall for their scam.

About the time I am getting fed up with the BS, I ask “Did you say you were from Microsoft Tech Support”? How is that possible in that I only had an Apple computer. Click!

ram5thwheel

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I usually keep them going by saying, “I don’t have a start button,” when they say “click on the start button in the lower left corner.” I gradually let them know, through much (fake) misunderstanding of what they are asking, that I have icons and stuff on the top of the screen, not the bottom. I keep it going until they ask, “What does it say at the top of your screen?” When I reply, “Ubuntu Linux,” they usually hang up. Sometimes I get cussed out. Like someone else said, “It keeps them from defrauding someone else a little bit longer.”

Just doin’ my part…
Pat

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I’m an old guy so I encourage them to continue because my son said “my computer’s okay”, but I worry about it such things. This prompts him/her to continue until we get to the place where they will remote into my machine to show all my problems.

I finally explain we can’t do that because my son’s had my machine for months. That’s why he said it’s okay.

They usually click off….I must really have a boring life because these little episodes make my day.

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…I must really have a boring life because these little episodes make my day.

Nah mate; the more of their time you take up the less time they have to defraud other people – and think of the fun you’re having stringing them along (good brain exercise).

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Nah mate; the more of their time you take up the less time they have to defraud other people – and think of the fun you’re having stringing them along (good brain exercise).

Abso-bloomin’-lutely. Slightly OT, but still pertinent: someone phoned me trying to get me to sign up for a credit card. I managed to keep them on the phone for 54 minutes (I was a little annoyed I didn’t make the full hour).

I did it by asking loads of questions; “What colour is it?”, “Can I use it to scrape ice off my windscreen?”, etc., and when it got to the bit where he asked me to suggest a password (so I could call them back with any queries), I just acted stupid. He suggested the name of a country:

“How about Australia?”
“Oh, my sister lives there. Do you know her?”

…a-a-and so on. The trick is to make them think you’re just thick rather than winding them up, so they keep trying to do business.

The upshot was I got flagged as a “timewaster”, and the calls stopped.

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Next time I get a call and have time I’ll get them to work with my Linux Mint computer.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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YouTube has many videos showing interaction with ‘M Tech Supt’ calls. I get them frequently and find they invariably come from spoofed CallerID’s. I no longer bother to try engaging them even to the point of loading teamviewer. Teamviewer, BTW, is interested in shutting down these clowns but you need to know the teamviewer URL for them to act. My responses now are more like telling them their CallerID will now be rejected,thanks for calling or asking how many have they scammed today. They respond by dropping the call.

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I’ve gotten a couple of these calls and recently my wife got one. She put me on the phone as the more knowledgeable techie. But sorry, I don’t find this fun. I just call them a name and hang up.

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