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cissie posted 7/1/2014 21:05 PM

I am being pestered by calls in various foreign accents purporting to be from Microsoft or someone connected with.
They tell me my computer has problems.
I know it must be a scam, but I cant stop the calls.
For fun, I ask them which computer, or which IP address or can I have their phone number and I will call them back. They usually hang up fairly quickly.
I would ignore them and let them go to voice mail, but family often call me on the phone from Skype and the phone numbers that show up are sometimes quite odd, so I do not want to risk missing a call.
Is anyone else getting this? I am on the do not call list, but that seems to have gone out of the window in this state.
Can anyone suggest any action I might take?

simplydevastated posted 7/1/2014 21:20 PM

From what I've been told the "do not call" list expires. You have to put your number on it again. You may want to check into that.

My mom had a call like that. She told them that there's nothing wrong with her computer, it's not even on, and she wouldn't give anyone access to it. After all that they hung up.

LosferWords posted 7/1/2014 21:34 PM

I have gotten about three or four of these calls. These are scam calls. Here is an article from Microsoft on it:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

SpecialK posted 7/2/2014 21:58 PM

Add me to the list. A foreign young man called from a "non" number this morning, said he was calling about Windows. I told him my computer was fine and haven't heard anything since. Hope the feds shut this down quick!

Cally60 posted 7/3/2014 03:56 AM

They may have continued calling because you spoke with them, instead of just putting the phone down, and thus they think they have a chance of successfully scamming you in the end. If they phone again, it might be a good idea to make it clear that you know it's a scam.

When they phoned me, I simply said: "No thank you. I'm not interested in your scam" and put the phone down. They didn't call back.

[This message edited by Cally60 at 4:12 AM, July 3rd (Thursday)]

Alex CR posted 7/3/2014 05:08 AM

They have been calling here for about a year and many times Caller ID will show International Call and we do get those so I can't ignore them. The first time they called I told them I have a MAC....no Microsoft here and they immediately said they could help with my MAC too....

Since then, I pick up and if it's them, I leave it off the hook and walk away. The calls have dropped off lately......

TrulyReconciled posted 7/3/2014 11:22 AM

https://www.nomorobo.com/

Works pretty well if your phone service is compatible.

osxgirl posted 7/3/2014 11:35 AM

I'll second the nomorobo plug! We have it, and though it doesn't catch everything, it does a pretty good job.

We have gotten this scam call only once. My husband answered it, and told the guy he knew that the guy was a liar, because we only have Macs. We've not gotten another call since then.

sisoon posted 7/3/2014 11:40 AM

3rd on nomorobo. It isn't perfect, but it's cut way down the number of call that get through. Thanks, TR.

I believe these schmucks are overseas, and the DNC list is unenforceable overseas.

Microsoft doesn't monitor anybody's PCs but their own. They just jam new software onto any PC that runs their software.

Junebug0525 posted 7/3/2014 11:42 AM

My boyfriend entertains them. He'll go along with it, Googling the responses he should see if he actually does what they see, pretends to accidently delete something or close out a window and have to go back.... Basically acts computer illiterate. Then after about 30 minutes, they'll catch on and give him a string of profanities. It's quite funny when he tells them that we don't even own a Microsoft computer.

cissie posted 7/4/2014 14:08 PM

Thank you all so much. I am going to try the nomorobo thing.

I sometimes pick up and dont answer - just listen and they hang up pretty quickly.

I know of someone who was caught by this. He is a pretty successful man but they managed to scam him out of about $175.00, and since it was the first time I had met him, I had not the heart to tell him he had been scammed. I hope they did not do serious damage to his computer.
I am also glad that it seems to be across the board. I thought it might be something to do with qualifying for AARP and they thought I might be loosing my wits.

BigTeddyPaul posted 7/4/2014 23:24 PM

I like to play the dumb card as well. My favorite line is: what's a computer?

The responses run from a quick hang-up to a fifteen minute phone call which includes a four minute tale about how I kept trying to get on the internet and it kept bringing me to a place called "Gooogle". But I didn't want to go to google...I wanted to go to the internet to fine out where I could purchase a new VHS system because mine had broke.