Before I moved I got the Windows tech support all the time. There is an article you can google where a tech writer flipped the scam on them. I’ve kept them on the phone before wasting their time until they hang up on me. That was actually satisfying.
Scammer: “We have deleted that your Windows computer is transmitting viruses. We want to help fix your computer.”
Me: “My Windows computer?”
Scammer: “Yes, your windows computer.”
Me: “Is it transmitting viruses right now?”
Scammer: “Yes.”
Of course I knew it was a scam regardless but my only windows computer is rarely online and now never as an XP laptop.
If you have time you are supposed to answer the call and keep the scammer on the line for as long as possible (and have some fun along the way). This will tie their resources and hopefully save some decent citizen from being scammed. I did this with Windows virus people and also with some gentlemen who was trying to rent me an apartment with a swimming pool on the roof of the building. The building had address of the Brooklyn Federal Court. He even sent me a standard lease agreement form of Santa Cruz County, CA
The “Windows” scammers always have heavy south Asian accents and claim their names are “Scott” or “Jeremy” or the like. I always say, “How can we have a truly meaningful relationship when the first thing you do is lie about your name?” This is always followed by silence, at which point I hang up. If nothing else I amuse myself…
We had a variation on the IRS scam when someone purporting to be from the “electric company” called our retail business and threatened to cut off the power by the end of the day if we didn’t buy prepaid cards and tell them the codes. H, who is a lot more gullible than I am, totally freaked out and couldn’t be convinced it was a scam until he spoke to someone at our electricity provider, whereupon he called back the scammer and messed with him for at least a half hour: “What time are you turning off the power?” “Do you have to be here to do that? Because our parking lot is very full after 5 pm.” “I went to buy prepaid cards and there were so many kinds and I forgot which one you said to get. Can you meet me at the store to make sure I get the right ones?” And on and on.
Recently we have been getting a lot of solar panel company calls–not obviously scams, but certainly in violation of the Do Not Call Registry rules. I tell them I live in my car and the roof probably wouldn’t hold enough solar panels.
Yesterday I got a survey call. If I’m in the mood and have time I’ll answer these. The second question asked what name I thought of first when it came to financial institutions. I named my bank. The next question was what name I thought of second. Oy. I said, “You know, I really don’t think about financial institutions at all, so I’m not a good choice for this survey. Sorry, good day.” And I hung up. A minute later the woman called back, begging me to complete the survey! I felt sorry for her and asked how long it was, and she said no more than 20 minutes!!! Who has 20 minutes to spend on that sort of thing? I think any results gleaned from such a survey would be so skewed by the nature of the population willing to participate (the lonely elderly, shut-ins) that they would be useless. And some entity is paying good money for this dopey survey.
Sometimes those “surveys” are thinly disguised ad campaigns. After the 50th question about Cool Whip I started to have a clue what was really going on.
My 92 year old mother got one of those IRS calls. Something about you must appear before a magistrate and please call and let us help you.
I still have their number and plan to call back and have a whole lot of fun with the rep.
We’d get the PC windows call also. I’d answer by saying I was SOOOO glad they were coming to clean my windows. It’s been a bad season and they are pretty goopy Could they also clean the screens while there were at it?
Here’s a recording of a DA talking to an IRS scammer. The Russian-sounding scammer talks about how stupid Americans are and how easy it is to fool old people and “dumb girls.”
The Donotcall registry still allow those with "pre existing relationships to call you. Many of those “surveys”, which are not sales calls, create that relationship if you participate, allowing them to make sales calls to you later without being in violation:(
"The “Windows” scammers always have heavy south Asian accents and claim their names are “Scott” or “Jeremy” or the like. I always say, “How can we have a truly meaningful relationship when the first thing you do is lie about your name?” Funny part is, that probably makes them sound more authentic, a lot of tech support is in India these days, and they have the people tell you their names are “scott” and “Jenny” and “Ted”, which is kind of ridiculous, as if people don’t realize where the support is.
Absolutely ridiculous. You want them to introduce themselves with their real names like Srinivasaprasad Ningthuojam, Shyamsankaran Chandrasekaram, Chutiporn Yotinaupamai and Phakphum Taechamaneerat. That would be really helpful.
(just randomly pasted from my email address book)
I get those windows calls a lot. Strangely they often know my name. It’s fun to string them along until they get mad and hang up…so I’m probably responsible for getting more calls. Best was one that didn’t start off with Windows thing, just that I had virus messages sent to them. I asked from what program? After all I have lots of programs on my PC Stammer, hang up!
Also gotten the IRS call. The one that strung my mom along was one claiming to be from my nephew who was in mexico and needed money to get out of jail. They actually put some young sounding guy (bad connection) claiming to be him on the phone. Mom requested call back number and then promptly called my SIL who told her my nephew was currently in class. This one had lots of specific info when they talked to her and I also think they tricked into giving some of it, like his name, away during conversation.
A couple of points about these. First, please warn your elderly relatives about these–many of them are from a more trusting age, and don’t like to be rude to anybody.
Second, the Windows one can have serious consequences, if you fall for it. They will ask you to let them take control of your computer, which they will then do, and then charge you ransom to get your files and control of your computer back. (This is also a reason to have good backups, by the way).
Finally, a lot of the scams (like the Nigerian scam) often seem so absurd that you can’t believe anybody would fall for them. It appears that this is deliberate, because only the most gullible people will follow all the way through and send money. The scammers don’t want to waste time on somebody who will eventually wise up.
@CCDD14:
Folks with long names like that usually have nicknames they can use, I would with a lot of folks from south asia and southeast asia, and they usually have Indian nicknames they use. More importantly, they are using “Ted” and “Nancy” and “Sue” because the companies outsourcing the help desk really thought it would make people forget they were talking to someone from India or Pakistan or Bengladesh. People could say their name is Pari, rather than their real name, or chandra or what not. The reason it was ridiculous is it was designed to deceive people, and it doesn’t, not for 5 seconds.
@musicprnt , I work at one of the most global companies in the world. Anyone calls himself any way they want. My Tai colleague with the longest name calls himself Pete. Europeans abbreviate their names too. Today I learned that short name for Lochlainn is Locky. He is in Limerick, Ireland
I know that Indian help desk people are trying to fake that they are Americans. They are even trained to talk about baseball. They probably know more about baseball than me.
Are the calls claiming to be from an electric supply company stating that you are eligible for savings legitimate? I have gotten two of those calls today. I told the first one that if I was eligible for so much savings, why don’t they just lower my bill. I figure if they are legit they would send the info by snail mail.
When the second call came just 2 hours later asking if I was the person responsible for paying the utility bill, I told him that we don’t pay anymore and that I was sitting here in the dark. That took him by surprise and after mumbling a few words, he hung up on me.
Stammer, hang up!