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[john44]

Hi guys, had a phone call this morning from a representative for Microsoft informing me that my
IP address on my computer has been compromised and bieng used to scam people.
I explained I had not used my computer for over a year but he was insistent I switched it on.
I told him it needed charging up but he was insistent I would be in serious trouble if didn't
Switch my computer on because the scams have been traced back to my IP address.
I told him I will wait for the letter from Microsoft and deal with the so called problem then.
I hung up and sent his number to my junk phone file.
He phoned back straight away and wanted to know why I hung up on him, I said it was because
I didn't want to speak to him, he said you will be in serious trouble if you don't allow me to do
The online repair to your IP address, I told him I was going to hang up and don't call back.
Sent his number to junk again.
Guess what he called again, so I told him to P off and hung up.
Put that number in the junk, he used three different numbers, the phone rang twice after that
But I left it to the answer machine, he dit not leave a message on the answer phone.
I was informed a long time ago when we had computer training at work Microsoft will NEVER
Call if there's a problem they will write and ask you to contact them.
So I worked on that principle,
Please be aware of this he was very persistent.


John

[dreadnought72]

Shocking.


And, of course, had you let him have remote access to your PC, he'd have shut it down until you paid up £££s.


The thing is, most of us will be using dynamic IP addresses, issued by the servers of whoever we get our broadbands from. The 'dynamic' means they are changed regularly = the original 'representative' was talking bullpoo.


Andy

[barriew]

I've never actually received such a call, but my answer would be to ask how long Microsoft have owned Apple. I don't actually have an Apple, that's another story, but he doesn't know that.


Barrie

[tica]

I used to get several of these call every week and deal with it as below.
I'll tell them that I'll transfer them to the "department of BS" they normally hangs up and don't call me back 

[newbe7]

A friend took a call from a fake Microsoft person and went through with the persons demand it cost him $500 to get his computer open Microsoft does not call anyone to restore their computer do not fall victim to this scam.
Rick

[jaymac]

as said  your IP address has nowt to do with Microsoft so he could not fix it anyway.I would just say HOW? I use Onion over VPN he could not get round that situation

[TheLongBuild]

Old scam, but if I have time I always have fun with them and play along when they finally ask me what pc I have it I an Orac Atmos , or zx81  , they tend to go away then

[KitS]

Time was when I was getting 2-3 of these stupid calls each week, and they all got short shrift from me!

Oddly enough they all had very Asian sounding voices yet have names like Charles, Robert or Simon.......... 

[Netleyned]

Told him that I was in the process of moving my ip
from my zx81 to a Commodore 64 and he was quite
welcome to upgrade my memory.
Sounded like a splutter and no more call.
'They don't like it up em Captain Mainwaring'
Ned

[Arrow5]

I usually engage them in Pidgin English, sometimes part phony German, sometimes Arabic or just tripe to waste their time and money. Do they call Germany in German, Spanish in Spain etc ?   Maybe I,ll get caught one day and have to switch to Gaelic ( another language I don't speak but I,ll bet that they won't either.)  Some days I`m profoundly deaf but"very interested", lots of "say that agains".  

[Baldrick]

When one particular guy with a pronounced accent phoned several times about my about my widows  I told him what he could do with himself, he got quite upset . I suppose the proposition I put to him was against his religious convictions.

[coch y bonddu]

I either turn straight into Welsh and when they state stop being racist talking in that language I tell them straight im reporting them to the police....they dont call back or I do the classic and say no probs ill just fire up my Amstrad PCW word processor....funnily enough they dont call back




Dave

[Captain Flack]

I had a call from BT telling me that there was a problem with my internet, I told "Artemis" that I wasn't with BT.  Several hours later I had another call from Virgin telling me that BT had rung them telling them about a problem with my Virgin internet.  In order to cure the problem all I had to do was tell them my IP address.  I did ask why the firm that supposedly supplied my internet needed me to tell them my IP.He then got very angry and threatened to turn off my internet access to which I told him to carry on if he thought he was clever enough and whilst he was at it, could he not ring me back again and ....off as well.

[grendel]

when I have vhad these types of calls I ask them which machine, then calmly tell them it cant be true as I run linux not windows.

[Plastic - RIP]

I try to keep them on the line as long as possible - with my lack of skills and slow booting computer while I don't understand their accent, the crackly line and I tell them all about the lovely curtains on my windows.
36 minutes is my record - just doing my bit to spoil their day. 

[jaymac]

When one particular guy with a pronounced accent phoned several times about my about my widows  I told him what he could do with himself, he got quite upset . I suppose the proposition I put to him was against his religious convictions.

Interesting Baldrick how many Widows you got? be prepared to have your garden dug up shortly

[Baldrick]

Interesting Baldrick how many Widows you got? be prepared to have your garden dug up shortly

  No the Black Ones not the Ex ones I am an arachnid fan.

[Dave_S.]

When I lived in Finland, I'd wind up the junk callers in English. Now I live here again, I use Finnish. Usually results in a short conversation!

[malcolmfrary]

I always, when convenient, reported them to the ICO.  https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/  Either that or let them listen to the radio for a bit until they got fed up and wandered off.  Never immediately effective, but one satisfactory result was that the persistent boiler salesman (and I don't have a gas connection) got some time as a guest of Her Majesty.
Last year Talktalk trialled a service that challenged incoming calls that were from numbers not pre-approved.  The scam calls stopped.  The free trial has ended and I chanced not paying the extra, but the scammers have not returned.  Yet.

[justboatonic]

One of these nut jobs phoned me up once and started giving this nonesense about my pc. I let him drone on for a minute or so then told him I work in IT, which Id did at the time, and to stop spouting such utter bullcarp.
People should not fall for this stuff and really shouldnt bother engaging them. they will plant a seed of doubt in some people's mind.

[Cornishman]

      I haven't had any unwanted calls since I bought BT Call Guardian phones.  The caller is asked to give his name before the call is put through. Numbers in the phone memory are allowed through.   The computer dialled numbers cannot cope with this.

[dreadnought72]

One of these nut jobs phoned me up once ...

When I was a Petrol Station Team Leader a year or so ago, I got the occasional call - maybe once a month - about solar panels. "Can you describe your roof?"


"Yes. It's mainly south-facing and covers around 200 square metres. Easy access all round."


"Can we pop over for a survey?"


I'd give them the work address, and they never turned up. 


Andy

[Bob K]

      I haven't had any unwanted calls since I bought BT Call Guardian phones.  The caller is asked to give his name before the call is put through. Numbers in the phone memory are allowed through.   The computer dialled numbers cannot cope with this.

That works.  I know, I've got one too.  I used to suffer with up to nine nuisance calls a day.  Mostly BT engineers wanting to take over your computer, or asking about your recent car accident, and PPI pestering.  Since I got the BT Call Guardian phone I have not had one get through.  A single ring, then it stops.  I would highly recommend this phone.  Worth every penny.  It has never stopped a genuine caller getting through.

[LJ Crew]

Whilst I agree that "winding up" Scam callers can lead to some "interesting" conversations as well as being a pain, I cannot but feel sorry for anyone reduced to this employment.

[Tug Fanatic]

Whilst I agree that "winding up" Scam callers can lead to some "interesting" conversations as well as being a pain, I cannot but feel sorry for anyone reduced to this employment.

I can avoid feeling sorry for them. They are criminals.