Beware - New Scammers about

Fizman · 16-03-2010 09:51PM #1

This is the first instance of this I've come across (haven't read about it either) but thought it would be worth posting.

I popped back to my folks this evening for some grub. The house phone started ringing at about 18:50. I answered and some lad ask for my dad (by name). Told him he wasn't home so then asked if I was a family member. I said yes.

To paraphrase what he said as best I can (not exactly verbatim but close enough):

"Hello Sir. I am ringing from xxxx (didn't hear the name of the company as the line was terrible) in connection with some harmful infections that may have affected your computer. Several connections in your area have been infected and I need to perform a check on your IT system."

At this point I was like "riiiiiiiight".

He then asked me what operating system our pc was and he then asked if he could speak to me while on the PC. More than suspicious at this point I went to the PC. He then asked me to click on Start, and Run, and to type something along the lines of "eventncr" into the run field and hit Enter. At this point I asked him again what he thought may be wrong with the PC, and what viruses could be present (and why).

"No they are not viruses, these are harmful infections". :rolleyes:

I replied "Well our system has fully licensed internet protection as well as a firewall (Kaspersky Internet Security 2010), so everything should be ok".

"No these Anti virus programs cannot detect these harmful infections".

I then asked him could he explain the difference between a harmful infection and a virus, as I work in the IT industry (which I do) and I come across malware and viruses on a regular basis.

There was a long pause and he hung up. This cowboys number was also strange. It was 001219. Foreign sounding guy on a terrible line. Sounds like he was trying to either get into the registry of the system or something along those lines. Good thing my parents or sisters didn't answer as they could have played along.

Just thought I'd give a heads up. There's cowboys out there!

phasers · 16-03-2010 09:53PM

I always say "I don't have a computer. I don't even have a phone, how are you ringing me?"

TPD · 16-03-2010 09:54PM

phasers wrote: »

I always say "I don't have a computer. I don't even have a phone, how are you ringing me?"

How many times have they rang you?

phasers · 16-03-2010 09:55PM

TPD wrote: »

How many times have they rang you?

I've gotten this one once, but that line is good for telemarketers and fake bank people as well

TPD · 16-03-2010 09:56PM

phasers wrote: »

I've gotten this one once, but that line is good for telemarketers and fake bank people as well

Was thinking, your computer must have been rightly fucked.

phasers · 16-03-2010 09:57PM

TPD wrote: »

Was thinking, your computer must have been rightly fucked.

I knew they were talking shyte cos my PC got all it's injections before I bought it

Agricola · 16-03-2010 09:57PM

Hah. Comical. Id love a call like that. I would fúck that guy up!

PeterIanStaker · 16-03-2010 09:57PM

Get these chancers now and again. I sometimes put on an Ould Mr Brennan voice "Bejase, Oi wudnt know anything about that, I'm just in doin' a bit o paintin', man of de house left de keys"

Come to think of it, there about the only ones who ring the landline!

Mike 1972 · 16-03-2010 10:10PM

Fizman wrote: »

. This cowboys number was also strange. It was 001219. Foreign sounding guy on a terrible line.

00 1 219 = Northwest Indiana (USA) but could really be anywhere (caller ID is spoofable apparently)

star.chaser · 17-03-2010 12:15AM

was it this guy

Uthur · 17-03-2010 12:24AM

LOL i had one of these clowns call me a few weeks back too! he sounded african to me but i can't be any more specific. i was in a rush so i told him i didn't own a computer and he hung up. if i'd had the time i'd have played along to see what he was trying to get at.

starbelgrade · 17-03-2010 12:26AM

My computer has AIDS. Norton did feic all use there.

liah · 17-03-2010 12:31AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

My computer has AIDS. Norton did feic all use there.

Norton IS aids.

Blackhorse Slim · 17-03-2010 12:32AM

Would these guys have to pay for the calls? If so I'd keep them on the line as long as possible.

landsleaving · 17-03-2010 12:33AM

This guy sounds a lot like a Nigerian prince I made friends with online.

Stephentlig · 17-03-2010 12:34AM

Thank you for this information.

Pax Christi
Stephen<3

Alanstrainor · 17-03-2010 12:36AM

"My computer is running linux". That usually shuts them up.

spider guardian · 17-03-2010 12:37AM

this was mentioned in the computer forum as well. tell them you replaced the flux capacitor there last week and it's runnin grand thank you very much :cool:

17-03-2010 12:39AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZpw2eTSolc

ejmaztec · 17-03-2010 12:39AM

star.chaser wrote: »

was it this guy

I don't think that his face was visible down the mouthpiece.

Ridley · 17-03-2010 01:31AM

Fizman wrote: »

More than suspicious at this point I went to the PC.

Why?

Doop · 17-03-2010 02:05AM

Just act like an old wan..... "off to the pc i go"... (5 mins of struggling beacuse of your bad hip) then question as to how one turns on a "PC"... half an hour later, laugh and say "oooh deary me... its wasn't plugged in"

cherryghost · 17-03-2010 03:09AM

yeah my mate in work got about 5 of these calls over the last 2 days at the reception

L1011 · 17-03-2010 05:11AM

Ooh, I can't wait for these ones to call

"Ah right, I'll go check my Haiku laptop for "harmful infections", while I'm at it I'll check the Powermac in my studio..."

Antar Bolaeisk · 17-03-2010 08:30AM

Things like this really shouldn't work as if people applied the least amount of common sense, these guys are able to tell you that there is some form of infection on your computer but can't tell you what system you are running (okay there are people out there who couldn't tell the difference between a Linux OS or a Microsoft OS, let alone the difference between the various different editions of Windows, to them it doesn't matter so long as they can open Facebook and that's fine), they should realise something smells a bit fishy. Sadly the ability to apply logic to a situation seems to diminish the nearer one is to a computer.

Thankfully my family know that if there's something wrong with the computer they ask me and certainly know not to trust some faintly African sounding person ringing from God knows where.

Of course, if I ever do get one of these calls I'm definitely going to try and wind them up because I'm evil like that

P.K · 17-03-2010 08:32AM

Fizman wrote: »

It was 001219. Foreign sounding guy on a terrible line. Sounds like he was trying to either get into the registry of the system or something along those lines. Good thing my parents or sisters didn't answer as they could have played along.

Just thought I'd give a heads up. There's cowboys out there!

There also pretending to be bord Gáis:rolleyes:

stevo25 · 17-03-2010 08:58AM

lol i love stupid telemarketer and taking the pi$$ out of them. it didn't sound like George did it ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=372Ah0Z_L1w

Canis Lupus · 17-03-2010 09:25AM

Fizman wrote: »

as I work in the IT industry (which I do)

And he got you as far as typing stuff on your pc. lol.

Forest Master · 17-03-2010 10:28AM

Fizman wrote: »

I popped back to my folks this evening for some grub. The house phone started ringing at about 18:50. I answered and some lad ask for my dad (by name). Told him he wasn't home so then asked if I was a family member. I said yes.

To paraphrase what he said as best I can (not exactly verbatim but close enough):

"Hello Sir. I am ringing from xxxx (didn't hear the name of the company as the line was terrible) in connection with some harmful infections that may have affected your computer. Several connections in your area have been infected and I need to perform a check on your IT system."

At this point I was like "riiiiiiiight".

Why didn't you hang up at this point?

Burning Eclipse · 17-03-2010 11:07AM

Thanks for the info Fizman. I'd hazard a guess that your parents phone number is in the directory if he asked for your dad by name.

As for the people questioning the duration of the call, I'd string it out for a while, get the scammers hopes up, before informing the guy that his scam was going nowhere! 419eater style.

Theta · 17-03-2010 11:15AM

Plus id be interested to find out what they are trying to get you to do.

Beware - New Scammers about

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