Call from "Windows"

[Larry Browning]

I had sort of a reverse scam call. Last month, we lost internet and I was trouble shooting. SWMBO was "strongly encouraging" me to call Cox tech support, while was not quite ready to do that just yet. Apparently she had a real need to get back online ASAP. I finally asked her to look up the number for me, and she did so on her smartphone. I called the number she gave me, and had one of the weirdest tech support calls ever. First thing was that I got right through to them without being put on hold, this should have been my first clue! The guy had a thick Indian accent, but I could understand him. I kept asking him to check my connection, but all he wanted me to log onto a website. logmein2.com or something like that. So that he could have a look at my system. He was sure that I had been infected with the nastiest virus know to man. I tried to explain to him that I could not go to any website because MY INTERNET WAS DOWN! At one point he put me on hold and after a short period, I got a dial tone. He then called me back! After quite a bit of jiber jaber he decided he needed to know the names of my children and all their email addresses. that's when I hung up.
Take away from the story, is that these guys are even posting phoney tech support phone numbers on the internet. I just assumed that since I had called Cox tech support, that I really was talking to Cox. It took me a little while to actually discover that I was not talking to Cox, I really couldn't remember if I had given him anything he could use, but I don't think so. Nothing has come of it yet at this point, but I am still on high alert, just in case. I asked SWMBO if she could find the site where she got the number again but could not.

[Brian Ashton]

When I lived in Queensland I once listened to a radio interview by the head of the Queensland Police Fraud Dept. I was stunned by how much money was taken out of Australia every year but such scams - 75 million. when you consider there's only 22 million people that's a lot of suckers... They have an office in Nigeria trying to recover as much as possible.

[Duane Meadows]

I'm now using nomorobo.com to screen "known" robo calls and haven't had to answer a call from "Windows" in some time now. You have to be on phone service that supports certain features to use it, but if you are, it cuts out nearly all of the calls like these that are either scams or others blatantly ignoring the do-not-call lists.

Thanks, Jim. Time Warner does support nomorobo. Think I'm going to give it a try!

As I understand, you must have VoIP phone service, though.

[Jerome Stanek]

I just got one from them. He wouldn't let up even when I said I don't have a computer

[Moses Yoder]

You guys must all have home phones. We got rid of our home phone a few years back, no more sales pitches.

[Jerry Thompson]

I just got another call yesterday. I told him I had no on line connection and still used a Commodore 64. He sputtered something and bid me goodbye.

[Jerome Stanek]

3 calls yesterday told them I don't have a computer but they still insist on it.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I haven't received any calls. That would be fun. Respond all angry with "What?? I have a lot of viruses? Thanks for letting me know. I going to blank the last guy I paid to fixed it."

[Jerome Stanek]

Wouldn't it be fun to set up a spare computer that would load a virus on their computer either to send all the info out to the NSA

[Curt Harms]

I'm now using nomorobo.com to screen "known" robo calls and haven't had to answer a call from "Windows" in some time now. You have to be on phone service that supports certain features to use it, but if you are, it cuts out nearly all of the calls like these that are either scams or others blatantly ignoring the do-not-call lists.

Jim, thanks for the heads-up on nomorobo. I set it up as soon as I saw your post and ahhhhh, blessed phone silence.

[Joe Pelonio]

I got another call from him at 9:30pm. I said I only had a Macintosh and he said that my Macintosh certification had expired. I then turned the phone aside and asked my wife "has the trace gone through yet?"
Then he was gone. Next time I'll say I'm Agent ________ from the FBI and we have now traced the line and the local authorities will be there shortly.

[ken masoumi]

Jim, thanks for the heads-up on nomorobo. I set it up as soon as I saw your post and ahhhhh, blessed phone silence.

Unfortunately Nomorobo does not work up here in Ontario,Canada,(I'm with Bell,) it would have been great if it did.

[Duane Meadows]

Gotta laugh out of this...

http://www.zdnet.com/court-pulls-plu...on-7000035075/

[Ted Calver]

When my caller ID shows unavailable, Microsoft Windows or some other unwanted caller, I always answer in a combination of the three languages I know enough to find a bathroom and order at a restaurant from-- Thai, Italian and Turkish...it completely befuddles the usually foreign caller and they start raising their voice so I can understand them. What a hoot!

[Dave Anderson NH]

I no longer feel left out. I got my call from "Windows" last week. I suspect that they finally got around to the 603 area code on their robo dial system.