Posted on 04/20/2016 10:08:50 AM PDT by catnipman
Avoid tech support phone scams
Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:
Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.
Convince you to visit legitimate websites (like www.ammyy.com) to download software that will allow them to take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable.
Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.
Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.
Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.
(Excerpt) Read more at microsoft.com ...
Those calls are ALWAYS fakes, no matter what they say, AND none are actually from Microsoft; Microsoft would never cold-call one of their users: they don't even know who they are.
No matter what these people say about your computer, whether they claim they are from Microsoft or not, they are scamsters.
[BTW, if you have a Mac, they'll switch in mid-scam, and claim your Mac is infected and want to access it instead.]
Please pass this information along, especially to your friends and family who may be naive enough to fall for this scam.
Boy did the Indian sounding guy on the phone get mad when I pointed out he couldn’t even ID my URL (that was supposedly causing them some sort of network problem) and that he was ridiculous.
They do not react to scorn well, for some reason...
I got one recently. The Indian accent gave him away. He said his name is Max. I said, “Oh you’re full of sh%t Max!” and hung up.
Yup- just had one hte other day- We have caller id and can tell who’s calling- so we don’t even answer-
Folks- Microsoft will NEVER call you over the phone- that is not how they do business- they put out an official statement telling us they do not do this- so if you hear “We’re from Microsoft- just hang up
I tell them I don't understand computers very well, my son used to help me with them, my eye sight isn't what it used to be, etc.
Pretty soon they'll start getting excited, convinced they've got a winner on the line.
you all gotta see this video of a man supposedly ownign a telemarketer- even if it’s fake, it’s very very funny- asnd owudl be funny to say to a telemarketer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DJNbD8mvL4
And you finish the call with “My computer is at my son’s house and he lives in Pakistan. Isn’t India a province of Pakistan?”.
[[If I’m not busy with something I enjoy seeing how long I can keep them on the phone.]]
see my previous post for a fantastic way to keep them on the line (IF you can keep a straight face doing it lol)
Scare the shit out of them and tell them you are with the FBI.
The strangest scam is the offer for free home security systems. Why THE HECK would anyone let a stranger on the phone know if they didn't have home security?
And yeah, you're right, Cat, about these calls. They prey on the uniformed, and they ALWAYS do damage to your computer. But some people must be falling for it, because the calls keep on coming.
Comic gold right there.
The best one ever
How to deal with a Telemarketer by Tom Mabe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7OgWcwgB50
panning back from that shot will reveal this:
Interesting that you should mention that, because sometimes the scammers themselves will claim that they are from the FBI or IRS. With a heavy Indian accent: "Hello, this is Jim Jones from the FBI..."
Then they claim you owe the government money, and you must ately send them a Western Union moneygram.
Got 1 of these the other day claiming to be IRS, the new angle is now the voice is computer generated and is almost not recognizable that it isn’t a real person. Many are probably being fooled by this, the automation is even intelligent enough answer questions.
One time I said to the Indian sounding guy, “Oh, good, hold on, the police want to talk to you”. He hung up.
The next time I tried the same thing, he used filthy words on me that I still don’t know the meaning of, lol.
I get these calls occasionally, and as soon as I hear that Indian or Pakistani accent, I go into a fake rage, yelling “are you calling about the rat in my Slurpee?!!?”
Usually that gets a silent pause and they say “excuse me?”
Then I say “if you’re not calling to replace my Slurpee, you can just go f—k yourself!” and then I slam the phone down.
:)
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