An enjoyable Scam phone conversation

[Dorset Girl]

Such a fun phone call yesterday- overseas call (immediate suspicions):
"Hello - I am ?? from Windows Securities - we are ringing you today because it appears you have a problem with your computer
Really?
Yes, did you know you have malicious software that has been downloaded onto your computer?
No
That is why we are here to help you"

..........lots more back and forth bits and pieces acting quite innocent............

"Is your computer turned on?
Yes
Can you look on your keyboard and find the button with four flags on it?
No
Have another look - it is a Microsoft key
No
Well go to the Start button at the bottom of the computer -
Where?"
(repeat - Start button)

after a few more back and forths I said - "there is a small problem by the way" - "what is that?" said little Indian lady ...............................

I've got a Mac

BANG went the phone down at her end - I had wasted ten minutes of her time and loved every second of it!

Marion

[Ms Tarfgi]

Brilliant! I hope she rings me 'cos I've got a Mac too. I'd like to see how much of her time I could waste!

[LittleSpark]

Ditto - brilliant!
We were getting quite a few of these calls before Christmas and we just hung up.
Now I shall follow your advice and waste their time too.

[Davran]

Priceless!

[Dorset Girl]

It's the best fun I've had in years - and the silly thing is - I have a PC - it's my OH who has the Mac (but then a whole pack of big black lies allows me to have one little white lie in return surely!!!)
Marion

[susan-y]

Maybe if everyone did that the calls would cease.......

Don't know if I could keep the "glee" out of my voice... I may have to put them on Hold while I go and "check" my computer as it is in the basement and a long ways from the phone..... Nobody says I have to get back to the phone for a half hour or so...think of the research I could get done

Sue

[arthurk]

My wife took one of these calls a few weeks ago, and since the gist of it was that her computer had allegedly been sending error messages to "Windows Support" (sic), after stringing them along for a while she asked how it had managed to do that without recording anything in the error logs on the machine itself. Cue silence as the line went dead.

Maybe I'm a bit of a softie, but part of me feels slightly sorry for the individuals who make these calls, since in many cases they may be working in these places out of desperation to find any kind of work at all, and may have inadvertently become victims of the scammers themselves.

Arthur

[Zen Rabbit]

Also good when they say what version is your operating system? OS10

[Pam Downes]

Not being very computer-literate, but being very aware of scams, I was wary of the the first call I received telling me that there was a problem with my computer. After my son confirmed that these calls are just scams (actual Windows NEVER phone you without you previously arranging the call) I have said:

'Oh thank you for letting me know. I'll get my neighbour who's a computer engineer to check it out'.
'But I don't have a computer'.
'When did these problems happen? Well, that's impossible because my computer was broken then, and I was waiting the arrival of a new one'.

Pam

[Colin Rowledge]

Being deaf and the hearing aid I use is not compatible with the telephone, I rarely answer it as I have caller display and can see who is calling me. Our voice-mail message was posted many years ago by my daughter, never been changed and has been useful [to say the least] in telling scammers 'where to go'!!

Colin