PSA - Scammers are hard at it again! NF

[Headhunter]

Just a heads up for those who know and more importantly, those that don't, that in the 416 region, those "microsoft support people" are hard at it this week. Once last week and twice this week they have wanted to help me with my computer. If you don't know, Microsoft will NEVER call you, that's not the way they work. These people are trying to sabotage our computers in order to steal and extort us. 

I work from home, so I am home all day dealing with telemarketers and scammers calling the house. But these scammers tend to hit the most vulnerable of us and I just wanted to let everyone know that they are hitting our region pretty hard these days.

HH

[DRIFTER_016]

Just do like I do and screen your calls.

If I don't recognise the # I let it go to voicemail.

If they don't leave a message and call back 3 times without leaving a message I block the #.   

[OhioFisherman]

LOL, I think Rachel at cardholder services has a thing for me! There was a news article here about how many billions of these types of calls made annually.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/02/as-robo-calling-ramps-up-consumers-increasingly-wonder-why-carriers-cant-stop-scammers-from-spoofing-their-phone-numbers.html

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/14/politics/fcc-robocalls-report/index.html

Obviously our do not call list does not work? I also get the calls from microsoft and the irs about my past due taxes.

[smitty55]

Best thing I ever did was get rid of my Bell landline and go to a voip phone. Haven't had a spam phone call of any type since. In the past I did get both of those calls and I hope their ears are still ringing after the barrage of swearing they got from me lol.

[woodenboater]

yup. got a canned call telling me about a $500 charge attempt on my cc. Press 1 to continue...sure, I'll do just that ya lol  

phishing scams abound so much that our IT dept regularly sends out phishing emails to see who bites. then said person has to do an online 'education thing' if they fall for the trap. this is now company wide SOP,  no more phishing attempts to catch unwary people.

Edited May 23, 2019 by woodenboater

[Spiel]

When I have the time and I'm in the right frame of mind I'll mess with them endlessly.  

 

[ketchenany]

Just say, just a minute I’ll get a paper and pen to write down the information and sit and have dinner! They will get hungry later. 

 

[the spirit of fishing]

I've gotten many of these calls and use several tactics to make things uncomfortable.

My favourite is asking them to hold on a minute while I go to my computer, that's when I hold the phone to the smoke detector and press "test".

I was messing with them so much my wife thought they were using our number for new trainees to call.?

[Canuck]

They called one evening when I was at home in the kitchen.  Said my computer was sending data and messages out and needed to be fixed.  I told them to wait and I would go get it.  Then I listened to her for a few minutes and told her that I would make sure it would never happen again.  I took a cookie sheet out and threw it on the floor with a crash and banged it around a bit.  I told her I had smashed it and it would not do it again.  There was a pause and then she hung up.  Probably did nothing, but my wife and I had a  good laugh.

I have done the same thing with the duct cleaner call centres and my duck call.   Its pretty funny when they try to explain that they don't mean "ducks' they mean "ducts" while I am yelling at my wife to keep them quiet while I am trying to talk to someone about getting them cleaned. 

[Old Ironmaker]

One of the many things I do to terrorize these guys is that I tell them I will get me on the phone. Put the phone next to the TV and turn up the sound. Wait 10 minutes and pick up the phone. Usually they have hung up by then and if they are still there I tell them John isn't home. They will put you on the do not call list.

For the last few weeks I am getting robo calls in Chinese. They call 4 times a day. I put the number on the "reject call" list but that doesn't seem to work, always a different number and exact same message, I think. My Chinese is rusty. 

[Oggie]

On 5/24/2019 at 2:45 PM, Canuck said:

They called one evening when I was at home in the kitchen.  Said my computer was sending data and messages out and needed to be fixed.  I told them to wait and I would go get it.  Then I listened to her for a few minutes and told her that I would make sure it would never happen again.  I took a cookie sheet out and threw it on the floor with a crash and banged it around a bit.  I told her I had smashed it and it would not do it again.  There was a pause and then she hung up.  Probably did nothing, but my wife and I had a  good laugh.

I have done the same thing with the duct cleaner call centres and my duck call.   Its pretty funny when they try to explain that they don't mean "ducks' they mean "ducts" while I am yelling at my wife to keep them quiet while I am trying to talk to someone about getting them cleaned. 

Too funny!

[Oggie]

I had just dealt with Microsoft about a Windows 10 issue.  About a week later I got the scam call and I must admit I did go for it.  Fortunately I got suspicious before anything serious happened and I got the computer powered down in time. The scammers timing was perfect and my radar was down. I'm usually a pretty cynical, suspicious person........just ask my wife!!!?

[bigugli]

On 5/24/2019 at 2:45 PM, Canuck said:

 

I have done the same thing with the duct cleaner call centres and my duck call.   Its pretty funny when they try to explain that they don't mean "ducks' they mean "ducts" while I am yelling at my wife to keep them quiet while I am trying to talk to someone about getting them cleaned. 

I do not have ducks. I have camel. Do you clean camel. Or I trade you camel for ducks??   (Always done in my best pidgie Eengleesh) LOL

[bigugli]

On 5/24/2019 at 5:48 PM, Old Ironmaker said:

One of the many things I do to terrorize these guys is that I tell them I will get me on the phone. Put the phone next to the TV and turn up the sound. Wait 10 minutes and pick up the phone. Usually they have hung up by then and if they are still there I tell them John isn't home. They will put you on the do not call list.

For the last few weeks I am getting robo calls in Chinese. They call 4 times a day. I put the number on the "reject call" list but that doesn't seem to work, always a different number and exact same message, I think. My Chinese is rusty. 

A number of the scammers are now displaying fake area codes to block tracking efforts, or using a random number generator

[BillM]

If I don't know the number, I don't pick up.  If it's important, they'll leave a voicemail  

[Beans]

The Microsoft callers hang up on me when I tell them that my son who works for Microsoft (true) is the only person who is allowed to touch my computer...

The lastest scam (extortion) is someone wanting $1400 in gift cards or they will send out the porn I have been watching to all my contacts...

[Fisherman]

Got one from Rogers.Inc yesterday claiming they had overcharged me and were going to send me back $24.53.   Hahahahaha, like Rogers would give you a refund.

[outllaw]

I send duct cleaners to the rcmp station.when they call..im sure they have ducts.

[spincast]

All time best response to a phone solicitor... warning for those with politically correct ears, contains un-politically correct language....