BS: Is this a Con?

Subject: BS: Is this another Comp[uter Con?
From: MARINER
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:08 AM

at least once a week for the past four weeks I have been getting calls from a young man with an :Indian:accent about my computer.He claims to be from Windows and says my PC has picked up some Malware which is slowing it down.He asked me each time to log on and he would direct me how to get rid of this Malware( which I refused to do).As I already have defences against Malware etc.I am puzzled. Is this some kind of con job to get access to my details or to my PC.Has anyone had a similar experience?.Advise would be appreciated.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,cs
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:15 AM

Yeah.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:32 AM

I've not come across this one before, but I do know that Microsnot wouldn't give a tuppeny damn if your PC were infested, if clearing that cost them ten pence for a phone call.

They give you the option to use their Malicious Software Removal tool, about once a month, as part of an update, and that is genuine.

The chance of your young caller being genuine is slim to none, and Slim's out of town this month.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Wesley S
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:45 AM

Next time he calls tell him you were just about to leave the house. Then ask for his phone number so you can call him back. My bet is he'll hang up or give an excuse why you can't call him. That's a giveaway that they're up to no good.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:49 AM

Yes. Under no circumstances follow any instructions they give you as they will install fake antivirus on your pc and then charge you to remove it

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Lox
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:57 AM

.



         Yes



         Without any shadow of a doubt this is a Con.



.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: MARINER
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 08:02 AM

Just as I suspected.They are a persistent shower. Thanks to all.I will try Wesley S's advise next time .

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 08:08 AM

We get sham calls from India all the time (the code comes up in the caller-ID display) from those call centres, usually trying to sell us something. There seems to be quite a racket of cold-calling people just to gauge the response and work from there. I can always tell it's phony anyway, because they ask by name for the previous owner of this house, who hasn't lived here in years!

- Don't touch it. With a barge pole.

- Don't get into conversations - it encourages them - though you can say you'll report him to the phone company for harrassment if he doesn't leave you alone. (He probably keeps trying because you haven't put the phone down in his ear.)

- See if you can find out the number he's calling from.

How on earth would he know whether you have Malware or not??! If you did want to engage him in any dialogue (which I wouldn't) ask him to confirm back to you what your computer number is. Or tell him you've just dumped it and bought a new one. But really, the less you say the better. And if he keeps hassling you, note down the dates & times and make good on your threat to report him to the phone company.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 08:09 AM

I don't trust anyone who tries to contact me to get me interested in anything that I hadn't contemplated doing in the first place. Yes be suspicious.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 08:26 AM

This happened to a local ladyfriend of mine and was a nasty con to get into her comp..... She realised afterwards that no-one could know if her comp had picked up malware unless they already had access..................   but she gave access to her computer..... fortunately the penny dropped and she got a good friend of hers who is 'in the know' to safeguard her info... but it cost around £130 to do it........... thus possibly saving her bank account details and all transactions through e-bay etc been 'played with' to someone elses benefit.
So:-
Ask yourself the obvious questions such as who could this be and how would they know my comp is not working correctly... and "Should I let someone have access to my computer remotely?"

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 10:34 AM

I'm quite sure the real Microsoft would never contact you this way. Tell him you know he's a fraud and you'll probably never hear from him again (unless he tells you a different story next time).

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: eddie1
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 11:24 AM

Just had two week's "holiday" although I was at home all the time. In the past week theren have been three calls from "Windows Services" when a voice with an Indian accent told me they had the cure for my pc viruses.
I finally told them I used Linux.

Eddie

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 11:48 AM

Why tell them anything? As soon as the fashion for spam cold-calling developed [10-12 years ago, was it?], I learned just to put the phone down as soon as it had revealed itself as such & never to engage in dialogue. Now an Indian accent is the trigger for my immediate hanging-up. If it is a genuine call, the caller will assume some fault on the line, I reckon, & try again. That has never happened.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,cs
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 11:57 AM

Never give ANY details out to ANYONE cold calling. Full stop. Don't confirm your name or address or anything, until you've established who's on the other end.

Always get ahead of no-neck drones and con artists on the phone by asking "Hi, who is it please?" straightaway on picking up the phone.

If they ask you a question ("can I speak to Mrs or Mr X? can I speak to your husband? Is this the X household") *don't reply*, just repeat your initial question "Who's speaking please?"

Having established who they are, if you're not interested in talking to them don't answer any of their questions about you, other people, your address, your anything at all, cut through them and clearly say "No thanks, Goodbye" and put the phone straight down.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 11:59 AM

Right - it is the caller who must identify themselves, not the person answering the phone.

This is a new one on me, thanks for the info!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 12:31 PM

Well known con at the moment - Surprised it was an Indian accenct as most of the gangs operating it seem to be east European. Couple of things you can do to keep them off other peoples backs for a while if you have time.

1. Tell them you will just put them on hold while you log on. Then keep them held until they get fed up.

2. Tell them you are doing exactly what they say but do nothing of the sort and just keep asking stupid questions.

3. Keep a very loud whistle or airhorn by the side of the phone...

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,cs
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 01:07 PM

Is it true that it's a federal offense in the US to hang up on cold callers without speaking to them? I was recently told this was so, but find it impossible to believe.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: ClaireBear
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 01:18 PM

If that's the case, then my household breaks the law regularly.

Never heard of such a law, and I live in the U.S. There is, on the other hand, a law that prevents commerce-related cold callers from phoning you if you have placed yourself on the government's "Do not call" list. There is no law against hanging up.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 01:41 PM

The one response that invariably causes an immediate disconnect in the UK is the question....

Have you heard of an organisation called the "Telephone Preference Service"?

Instant Click! Brrrrrrrrp!

It is an offence for any business to cold call a signatory to that service which, if repeated, can result in that caller ID having its connection cut.

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,PeterC
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 03:35 PM

This is a well documented con.

My phone has caller ID and the several calls a week that come up as "international" or "withheld" goes to the answerphone. Not one of them has ever left a message.

TPS filters out most, but not all, UK calls but as so many call centres are offshore that isn't much help.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 05:37 PM

I always get these callers to spell their name (at least three times) then the same with their company, though I once had fun with someone from Nokia who had never heard of Pinocchio. It's also surprising how many call-centre employees don't speak Welsh, or even German if they're from India. I don't think I've ever had anyone desperate eough to hang on long enough for me to find out if it's legitimate or a con!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Lox
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 05:54 PM

I like Dave the Gnomes suggestions.

Put them on hold and rack up a big fat bill for them.

Hit them in the pocket and they'll soon bugger off.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 06:11 PM

First off, I'm surprised anyone has to ask whether this is a con.

I will agree that any conversation is ill advised, although my well-rehearsed reply is:

"This number is listed with the Federal do-not-call registry and the fine for calling it is $10,000 per call. I will report this call within the next ten minutes."

I seldom finish before the "click" and seldom get another call.

(I do have the report website bookmarked, and have used it.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 07:48 PM

as soon as an unknown bright voice sez. "Hi, I'm (name) from (organisation)" I hang up - the caller can then bother the next number on their list.

If they ask for Mrs. (surname) I also hang up, I never waste my time speaking to cold callers.

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: LadyJean
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 12:35 AM

It is not a federal offense to hang up on cold callers. It IS a federal offense to make calls like that to people who are on the national do not call list!

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 04:52 PM

`Why tell them anything?`

Other than get fucked, I never do.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 05:02 PM

Make use of him, its an opportunity! Give him another number to call- that neighbor whose cat leaves dudu in your flower beds.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 05:04 PM

LOL

Good one, Q.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Nov 10 - 11:23 PM

"Tell them you are doing exactly what they say but do nothing of the sort and just keep asking stupid questions."

The best one along this line I have heard is to play along, without going anywhere near your PC, then eventually go into a panic and accuse them of putting the little yellow duck virus into your PC and demand they stop the little yellow duck form appearing on your screen. They usually give up on talking to the apparently demented rather quickly....

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Wesley S
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 12:22 PM

Tell them the voices in your computer said they were con artists and that you were supposed to hang up on them right away unless they sent you their social security number for proof they were honest.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 06:06 PM

I got the following one in today's E-Mail:-

""I am David Freeman, a principal partner at Paull & Williamsons Solicitors in Scotland.I am contacting you because I would like to request for your undivided attention and trust in assisting with the transfer of the funds of my deceased client as next of kin before the British Treasury can commence the confiscation procedures.

I advice that there should be utmost confidentiality in all matters I shall discuss with you because it is only on this premise of reliability and implicit trust in our capabilities that the exact dividends of this proposal will be achieved.

Privileged information and official instruments at my disposal will enable this proposal in the right perspective for a 100% successful execution rate, it is therefore paramount for me to be assured of your discretion in handling details of this proposal which I will discuss with you once I receive an acknowledgment of this email from you with the assurance that you will work hand-in-hand with me to see these funds released to you.

I await your response
which should be sent ONLY to my personal email at [e-mail]

Thanks,
David S. Freeman""

Question 1. Is this a solicitor?
Question 2. Is this a Scot?
Question 3. Does this half wit Nigerian really think he speaks English?

I rather wish that I had instruments at my disposal which would enable this correspondent in the right perspective for a 100% successful execution.

These eejits are such a hoot!

Don T.

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 07:34 PM

Don T.

You might check the "contact us" page at Paul and Williamsons Solicitors and inform them that one of their "principal partners" is moonlighting and dealing in illicit activities. (?)

There might be a reward....

John

Subject: RE: BS: Is this a Con?
From: MikeL2
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 06:36 AM

hi

Yea we get this one occasionally. We use TPS but with-held and international calls get through.

We just hang up straight away. But I like david's having a loud horn or whistle handy.......lol

Cheers

MikeL2