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Child Item

Phone calls- Scam?

rebel10

My mother got a phone call yesterday on the home phone. The man on the phone had a foreign accent. She thought perhaps an Indian accent.

Anyway, he went on to say that her internet security had expired or
something. She told him she knew nothing about this kind of thing, but he persisted to ask her to turn on her computer. She told him that he would be better off waiting to speak to me after I came home from work, he told her he would be out of the office, but asked if he could ring before I went to work the next day! 7 a.m.! She told him that wouldn't be possible, so he said he would try again later.

Anyone get a phone call like this. My aunt was telling me that something was on the radio about scams, perhaps like this, happening in the Cork area, through phone calls. Anyone experience something similar, or do you know what it was about/common practice? Thanks

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miss_shadow

Was called about this too, the man calling sounded African.

I had him going for ages,asking him quite a few questions about where he got my number and how did he get the house number if my partner didn't have that number when he bought the laptop etc. He couldn't answer any of my questions and did alot of umming and aghring but he did say that 'next generation gave me your phone number'..

I then hung up on him and he tried calling back but didn't answer

leahyl

rebel10 wrote: »

I doubt it, could be wrong though. I think these guys are just ringing landlines because they have access to the numbers. Could be something else though. Could a call to your mobile provider do anything for ya?

Yes maybe i will get in contact with mobile provider if problem persists. Hasn't happened for 2 or 3 days now though

rebel10

I doubt it, could be wrong though. I think these guys are just ringing landlines because they have access to the numbers. Could be something else though. Could a call to your mobile provider do anything for ya?

leahyl

I keep getting a call on my mobile from a blocked number about twice or three times a day. I don't like answering when i don't know the number but like there isn't even a number here cos it's blocked.

I figure if it was someone i know then they'd leave a voicemail but nothing. it's getting kind of annoying now. Maybe it's the same people ye speak of....damn annoying though:mad:

rebel10

Well, if anything, at least we can have a laugh while trying to be scammed!!

Flesh Gorden

I've had 4 calls in the last few days, two today but missed the first one

the number for todays calls came up as 0091797, the one before as unknown and the first one as 002538020308 - all three times they've hung up on me

I'd a laugh with the first call,

As soon as he mentioned windows I pretended we were a company selling double glazed windows
and went all out explaining the importance of investing in them, our easy payment plan and our unbeatably low u value - the guy got very frustrated

last two calls I've turned into Sgt. Hartman from Full Metal Jacket,
I'm enjoying it though, I'm usually the calmest person anyone would ever meet
don't think I've ever used the word bullsh1t so much in a single conversation

themonboys

Got a call off them yesterday from an "unavailable" number. I knew it was them so I answered "Conas ata tu" and kept talking in Irish,he soon hung up:)

roundymac

I had a phone call the other day on my landline saying they were from the CUH and were updateing my details. When I refused to give my details over the phone they politely hung up. The call was private number, but all the hospitals numbers will show, not private number. On speaking to the Gardai they said the final question I would have been asked would have been for my bank details, so beware, they are up to every scam in the book.:mad:

fionny

We got this from Microsoft Today:

Dear Microsoft Ireland Partner,

I wanted to bring this to your attention as we have received a number of calls from Irish consumers during the past few weeks regarding this scam, which is on-going and active in the Irish marketplace. Microsoft Ireland and the National Consumer Agency are working closely together to ensure Irish consumers are aware of the details. Consumers are receiving telephone calls from persons claiming to be from Microsoft, or working on behalf of Microsoft, to tell them they have a virus on their computer.

Details of the Scam:

• Consumers receive a cold call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft and told there is a problem with their computer and offered help to solve the computer problems.
• Once the caller has gained the consumer’s trust, they ask consumers to log onto a website to download a file to help solve the problem.
• They then ask for credit card details for a package which will fix the virus. They also potentially attempt to steal from the person by accessing personal information on their computer. In addition to gaining access to your personal details, they can also infect your computer with damaging viruses and spyware.

Microsoft takes the privacy and security of our customers and partners personal information very seriously. We are advising customers to treat all unsolicited phone calls with skepticism and not to provide any personal information to anyone over the phone or online. Anyone who receives an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft should hang up. We can assure you Microsoft does not make these kinds of calls.
We have been working closely with the Irish authorities including An Gardai Siochana, the Data Protection Commissioner, ComReg to warn the public and investigate the perpetrators. As a Microsoft Partner we wanted to bring this to your attention as it’s affecting a good deal of consumers today. We would like to ask you for your help in getting this message out to your employees, your families and your customers and ask them to be vigilant about unsolicited calls.

For more information on this scam and how to protect yourself against this, please click here: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/fraud/phishing/Msname.aspx. Please feel free to report any of these calls to the National Consumer Agency on 1890 432 432 or get further information on www.nca.ie.

Mary Ashe-Winton (Customer and Partner Experience Lead) is working closely with Irish Authorities and Agencies to ensure we are doing everything possible to ensure consumers are aware of this scam. Should you have any questions she would be happy to assist.

Corkfeen

The mother had gotten a few of these calls and basically hung up on them whenever it happened. I happened to answer the phone to them a few weeks back and told the guy that I knew it was a scam. In response he went nuts on me and hung up, haven't had a call since.....

bettymay

Hi
I also got the phone call re internet security and said I didn't have a pc.
The guy had a foreign accent

Dean820

He rang us about five times. We thought it was a wind up at first so we didn't react angerily. The last time my brother just kept him on the phone for 20 minutes wasting his time.

themonboys

rcdk1 wrote: »

Some useful vocabulary!

Haha, as I said in the other thread, I'm just going to speak to them in Irish, I doubt have an AG speaker in their office!!!!

rcdk1

Some useful vocabulary!

Owen

curly from cork wrote: »

buy a whistle and blow loudly down the phone next time

midgej wrote: »

I just put the phone by the radio and turned it up full blast.

Doesn't really work that way - phones have an analogue to digital converter at the exchange which limits the volume of the sound being transmitted, if you play a particularly loud sound which exceeds the frequency/amplitude envelope of what the telephone exchange/line can transmit, they'll just get a distorted radio/whistle noise instead of a loud one.

Worse with mobiles, it's fully digital - the sound either gets through or it doesn't, shouting doesn't make your voice travel any further, but people still shout into their phones every day.

rebel10

aidan_walsh wrote: »

This is the thread PaintDoctor was talking about.

Don't give them anything but silence. Hang up.

The National Consumer Agency are also asking people to report these calls to them.

Thanks for that. Was just reading through some of the most recent posts. Can't believe someone paid 96eur over the phone! They were also saying that they can maliciously delete files from your computer if you have given them necessary information and not paid the amount.

Be careful people, tell everyone you know,especially people who might not have the first clue about computers, these are easy targets, i.e. my mother. They can be be quite aggressive on the phone also, so don't engage in conversation and as aidan walsh said, report them.

midgej

I've had two of these phone calls within the last week. Once I heard him on for the second time I just put the phone by the radio and turned it up full blast. He didn't take long to hang up.

aidan_walsh

This is the thread PaintDoctor was talking about.

Don't give them anything but silence. Hang up.

The National Consumer Agency are also asking people to report these calls to them.

sok2005

I got a call from these scammers about 2 months ago! Some guy (sounded Indian) told me i had a virus on my computer. I let him natter on and on without saying a word to him after my initial hello until eventually he got extrememly anxious and started hollering "ma'am, ma'am, can you hear me, you have a problem here" I screamed "Mommy, theres a bad man on the phone" in my best childs accent and he cursed and hung up!

Haven't heard from them since!

flo8s967qjh0nd

It's a complete scam.
More details here:
http://www.digitaltoast.co.uk/supportonclick-systemrecure-scam

That page also has recordings of the phonecalls and some funnny clips of people scamming the scammers and making them very angry indeed

just scroll down.

Sephiroth_dude

rebel10 wrote: »

My mother got a phone call yesterday on the home phone. The man on the phone had a foreign accent. She thought perhaps an Indian accent.

Anyway, he went on to say that her internet security had expired or
something. She told him she knew nothing about this kind of thing, but he persisted to ask her to turn on her computer. She told him that he would be better off waiting to speak to me after I came home from work, he told her he would be out of the office, but asked if he could ring before I went to work the next day! 7 a.m.! She told him that wouldn't be possible, so he said he would try again later.

Anyone get a phone call like this. My aunt was telling me that something was on the radio about scams, perhaps like this, happening in the Cork area, through phone calls. Anyone experience something similar, or do you know what it was about/common practice? Thanks

They rang my house last saturday morning at 9am,my mum picked it up and he told her our harddrive had a virus,my mum told him she knew nothing about this so she called me and when I went down to the phone he was gone.

Stabler008

My mother got one of these calls last week. I had never heard of it before. He said he was from windows and kept trying to force her to turn on the computer. She rang me after she got him off the phone. The minute she told me he said he was from Windows i just started laughing!

murphym7

Dopes's are ringing me too - very annoying. Last time I said I did not have a computer and could they explain to me what excatly one is, as I might have one and not know it! They hung up.

1,000th post by the way - whoo hoo!

rebel10

Well we always get phone calls from people like these asking if they could speak to the bill payer, but this is the first time that they have asked my mother to actually turn on her computer in an attempt to do something.

Have just told her there, she is gas, she almost feels like she has outed some criminal gang! You'd swear she was the first to get these calls. She has been on the phone now to her sisters to let them all know what to do! I would love to hear the conversation if they ever did ring again!

bladebrew

i answered the phone in my parents house a few months back and it was one of these numpties, in a really heavy indian accent asked something about windows, she knew my second name, i told her i didnt live there and she hung up:)

i didnt realise it was a scam at the time but i read it on boards somewhere a week or 2 after it happened,

Knifey Spoony

I kept this guy on the line for a good bit the other week just to see what he wanted and ran him around in circles. He wanted me to go showmypc.com, but it took him ten minutes for him to get to take point, by then I got bored and hung up on him. That whistle idea sounds good curly, I'm sick of these kinds of people calling.

rebel10

PaintDoctor wrote: »

There's a humongous thread on here about it. PC doctor scam - search for it. They call my Mother once a week, she has problems with the Tv remote. If she had a computer it'd be fun to hear the conversation between her and the boys in Mumbai calling her.

Thanks a million for that, never saw the thread, must have a look.

My mother would be the same with them. Thick west Cork accent trying to be understood by someone in India! Don't know if they would be arsed trying again after her telling me how the conversation went!

curly from cork

you could well be right.. i dont answer the phones but i just recall the girls saying it was a funny number , must ask tomor. def the same scam though. same chat up line

Owen

Caller ID on our end was 000011. Weird.

curly from cork

we ve had a few of those calls in work . its a strange number too like a 66 start i think . we dont answer any more but they are very persistent. buy a whistle and blow loudly down the phone next time. thieves.