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-   -   Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls (https://britishexpats.com/forum/barbie-92/cold-calls-computer-scam-calls-683315/)

The A Team Sep 2nd 2010 8:07 pm

Re: Computer cold call scam
 

Originally Posted by NedKelly (Post 8822870)
An indian lady just rang and told me she was from Microsoft. She said she was from the Sydney support centre and said they were getting error messages reported from my firewall. She asked me to open Internet Explorer and type in www.AMMYY.com and click "run this software". I told her I wasn't happy to do that and she said wait and I will get a technician to talk to you. Cut a long story short I said I wasn't going to run anything and he hung up. It was obviously a scam, who knows what sort of virus I would have downloaded, so be careful.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Yes I have but hung up, apparently it's a common scam at the moment :

http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/.../itemId/792165

Dorothy Sep 2nd 2010 8:53 pm

Re: Computer cold call scam
 

Originally Posted by NedKelly (Post 8822870)
An indian lady just rang and told me she was from Microsoft. She said she was from the Sydney support centre and said they were getting error messages reported from my firewall. She asked me to open Internet Explorer and type in www.AMMYY.com and click "run this software". I told her I wasn't happy to do that and she said wait and I will get a technician to talk to you. Cut a long story short I said I wasn't going to run anything and he hung up. It was obviously a scam, who knows what sort of virus I would have downloaded, so be careful.

Has this happened to anyone else?

When these types of phone calls come in I like to confuse them with questions like "how can you know who I am and how to contact me if my version of Windows is pirated?"

Pollyana Sep 2nd 2010 9:15 pm

Re: Computer cold call scam
 

Originally Posted by Seasider (Post 8822880)
There was another thread on cold-calling earlier this week, mentions this kind of thing.

I've merged them - sounds like its a growing problem :rolleyes:

JackTheLad Sep 2nd 2010 9:42 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 
Not exactly cold calling, as I have accounts with Telstra, and I got a call from them today, but what the marketing guy thought it was a smart idea to open the conversation with a blatant lie.

Indian accent: "Hello my name is Peter"

Right .... straight off, I know you've just lied to me, your name is not Peter, now why should I trust anything else you say to me.:rolleyes:

As it turned out he was a decent bloke, and as I have experience upgrading call centres before I was able to sympathise with the annoying system he works with. I got him to give me the system type and version number of the system he is using.

BUT I never had the heart to say to him "you're not called Peter are you?"

It's always the problem, these callers are just doing their job. Depending on your situation it may give you satisfaction to give them hell, but its really the organisation above them you should be kicking the hell out off.

JTL

furbacchione Sep 2nd 2010 10:51 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by MartinLuther (Post 8812729)
As I've had a dramatic increase in the number of cold calls in recent months. I wonder if many people actually buy anything from a cold call?

Zero. What gets me is I have a sign right by the door that say piss off if you're trying to sell anything. And yet they still try to push their garbage on me. I've even had them point at the sign and say I'm not trying to sell you anything I'm trying to help you... Or I get an idiot that fires back with a smart ass remark, like then pay too much if you want, when I say, if I want it I'll come and find you...

furbacchione Sep 2nd 2010 10:57 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by JackTheLad (Post 8823056)
Not exactly cold calling, as I have accounts with Telstra, and I got a call from them today, but what the marketing guy thought it was a smart idea to open the conversation with a blatant lie.

Indian accent: "Hello my name is Peter"

Right .... straight off, I know you've just lied to me, your name is not Peter, now why should I trust anything else you say to me.:rolleyes:

As it turned out he was a decent bloke, and as I have experience upgrading call centres before I was able to sympathise with the annoying system he works with. I got him to give me the system type and version number of the system he is using.

BUT I never had the heart to say to him "you're not called Peter are you?"

It's always the problem, these callers are just doing their job. Depending on your situation it may give you satisfaction to give them hell, but its really the organisation above them you should be kicking the hell out off.

JTL

I'm usually very polite to them and ask their full name. Then I say I'm on the do not call registry and now you're going to get your manager on the phone so I can talk to them... I've even had the manager lie to me and say, but we have got permission from the pervious own er of this number to phone it... I say how long ago was that because I've had this number for five years... There's usually a pause as they try to come up with another lie... I usually start up the "conversation" again with, now you're going to remove my number from your database and when I hang up I'm going to file a complaint against your company, what did you say your name was...

Pollyana Sep 3rd 2010 1:55 am

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by mic n mat (Post 8823191)
Zero. What gets me is I have a sign right by the door that say piss off if you're trying to sell anything. And yet they still try to push their garbage on me. I've even had them point at the sign and say I'm not trying to sell you anything I'm trying to help you... Or I get an idiot that fires back with a smart ass remark, like then pay too much if you want, when I say, if I want it I'll come and find you...

When I was a kid we had a sign on the gate AND one over the door that both said the Vicarage - but we would still get Jehovah's Witnesses and the like ringing the bell saying they would like to welcome us into their church.... :confused:

Kooky. Sep 3rd 2010 9:48 am

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 
I did once suggest to a gentleman from South Asia that I suspected he wasn't really called Jack Daniels.

We used to get tons of this crap in Singapore - no Do Not Call register there. It's usual for new expats to get calls from people trying to sell them afghan rugs, this, that, the other * ...the banks obiously have not qualms about selling data.

* I once got offered "the other" by email, too. Signed up to to a local forum that didn't allow you to hide your email address and was contacted by a gentleman offering services to bored expat ladies. Shame he was ugly as sin.

JackTheLad Sep 3rd 2010 12:01 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by Seasider (Post 8824571)
was contacted by a gentleman offering services to bored expat ladies. Shame he was ugly as sin.

Which implies that you did check him out:eek: If he had looked like Brad Pitt would you have gone for it?

JTL

sonlymewalter Sep 3rd 2010 12:04 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by JackTheLad (Post 8824795)
Which implies that you did check him out:eek: If he had looked like Brad Pitt would you have gone for it?

JTL

silly, she was looking for a mate:lol:

Kooky. Sep 3rd 2010 12:07 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by JackTheLad (Post 8824795)
Which implies that you did check him out:eek: If he had looked like Brad Pitt would you have gone for it?

JTL

Of course I checked him out - his website was hilarious.

He could have looked like Brad Pitt and I still wouldn't have gone for it - I don't play tennis ;)

JackTheLad Sep 3rd 2010 1:38 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by Seasider (Post 8824811)
He could have looked like Brad Pitt and I still wouldn't have gone for it - I don't play tennis ;)


I haven't heard that particular phrase before. What does 'I don't play tennis' mean?

All I can think it means is you don't serve from both ends.:confused:

JTL

Kooky. Sep 3rd 2010 1:41 pm

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 
:eek:

You must have heard the stories about expat wives and their tennis coaches/personal trainers.

furbacchione Sep 5th 2010 12:30 am

Re: Cold Calls/Computer Scam Calls
 

Originally Posted by Seasider (Post 8824811)
Of course I checked him out - his website was hilarious.

He could have looked like Brad Pitt and I still wouldn't have gone for it - I don't play tennis ;)

Apparently if you have an affair with Brad Pitt you're not actually cheating... Or maybe Megan Fox is your cup of tea apparently it's the same deal with her. Or at least that's what google news is reporting...


Sooo if Brad Pitt and Megan Fox have a little fiddle with each other... I guess that it means it never happened. Kinda like Billy "bob" Clinton

billywetpants Sep 24th 2010 8:04 pm

Suspicious phone call about computer
 
Just had someone claiming to be from "Windows" trying to tell me there is something wrong with my pc. She tried to explain where she got my phone number from which rang alarm bells and wanted me to press the windows flag button and the letter R and go into command prompts. Didn't like the sound of it all so got rid of her, has anyone else had this phone call ?


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