Probable phone scam?

[zimboombafoo]

So, I was just called on my cell by a Unknown number. The person who answered had a middle-eastern accent and claimed to have the same name that I do. He said he was from Expert PC Technicians and that they've been receiving data from my computer for the past 3 weeks that I have a virus. I'm a rather paranoid person but figured this was a scam, I played along for about 60 seconds. He started asking me to press ctrl and the windows key and seemed like he was going to have me look something up on my system, I pretended I didn't know what he was talking about and after a couple seconds of that I think he whispered "are you ****ing kidding me?". I then hung up. I'm assuming this was a scam? I'm a rather paranoid person.

[Uko]

you should have just sat there talking to him while doing nothing with your computer just to frustrate him because yea that is a scam he was prolly trying to get you to change some setting or download some virus that lets him take over your comp.

[Mazaxist]

oldest scam. there are youtube videos of pranksters talking to these scam artists just to waste their time!

[Deleted]

Next time try to sell him a new phone package.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Should have responded with "Yes, I know it is sending out data. This is intentional, it's not a virus."

[Citizen T]

I spent just shy of 30 minutes on the phone with one of these guys. After about 15 minutes he asked me to hang up. He told me that he was not "allowed" to hang up on "customers". My guess is that the guys on the phones may really not have the ability to hang up to prevent them from churning phone lists. I sat on the phone with them for the next 15 minutes screaming and cursing at them for being scammers.

After a bit of this, he said he was transferring my call to the FBI. After some "hold" music someone with a very heavy Indian accent came on identifying at the "FBI". I raged at them for a bit leaving the line open wasting their money being spent by the minute (probably not a lot but it also was one less line being used to scam someone that doesn't know any better). After 5 minutes of pure silence, I finally hung up.

[Masark]

After a bit of this, he said he was transferring my call to the FBI. After some "hold" music someone with a very heavy Indian accent came on identifying at the "FBI". I raged at them for a bit leaving the line open wasting their money being spent by the minute (probably not a lot but it also was one less line being used to scam someone that doesn't know any better). After 5 minutes of pure silence, I finally hung up.

You really ought to go to the police about that. Impersonating federal agents is taken pretty seriously.

[Tradewind]

Yes its a scam, I fuck with them every time for as long as humanly possible. It's their long distance bill, not mine.

[Deleted]

You really ought to go to the police about that. Impersonating federal agents is taken pretty seriously.

Find me a case where they took a prank call serious...plenty of time it could have happened.

[Dendrek]

Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel of computer illiterate people if they can actually get this scam to work.

[Tradewind]

Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel of computer illiterate people if they can actually get this scam to work.

Some dumb cow at work let them work their magic on her laptop. It was absolutely fucked when she brought it to me. I had never been so disappointed in a human being before.

[Lefeng]

I got a call (unknown number) from someone claiming that I had won the Publisher's Clearing House prize. He wouldn't tell me how much I had won. He wanted me to tell him my address so they could deliver the oversized check and I would be on TV and everything! I said, "Wait, if I've won then you already know my address." He seemed puzzled and then I heard some rustling around and muffled voices. He came back and said he was in the delivery van waiting just up the street and they just needed me to state my name and address for confirmation purposes. I looked out my window - no van. I told him I couldn't see the van and then asked him which side of the street he was parked on. He said "Uhhh...the east side of the street."
I said "Oh - that's interesting. I live on a highway that runs east-west. There is no east side of the street."
Laughing, he responded "Oh..uhh...sorry it must be the south side then, I'm parked on the shoulder," to which I replied "Well that's interesting too, since the shoulder in the southbound lane is under construction and coned off for a mile in both directions."
"Sir, I just need your address please."
"And I need to know you're not scamming me." I knew it was bullshit because the highway/street in front of my apartment was in fact under construction.
"Sir, please, I just need your address."
"You already know my address."
"JUST GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS."
"No."
"Fuck." *dialtone*

[Deleted]

Some dumb cow at work let them work their magic on her laptop. It was absolutely fucked when she brought it to me. I had never been so disappointed in a human being before.

Should of seen my brother when he had a virus or whatnot pop up accusing him of being a pedophile, and to pay a fine to unlock his PC.

He practically ran to the phone in fear bwhahahaha.

No more shady porn sites for him

[Dendrek]

No more shady porn sites for him

For at least an hour.

[Romanesca]

I got a call (unknown number) from someone claiming that I had won the Publisher's Clearing House prize. He wouldn't tell me how much I had won. He wanted me to tell him my address so they could deliver the oversized check and I would be on TV and everything! I said, "Wait, if I've won then you already know my address." He seemed puzzled and then I heard some rustling around and muffled voices. He came back and said he was in the delivery van waiting just up the street and they just needed me to state my name and address for confirmation purposes. I looked out my window - no van. I told him I couldn't see the van and then asked him which side of the street he was parked on. He said "Uhhh...the east side of the street."
I said "Oh - that's interesting. I live on a highway that runs east-west. There is no east side of the street."
Laughing, he responded "Oh..uhh...sorry it must be the south side then, I'm parked on the shoulder," to which I replied "Well that's interesting too, since the shoulder in the southbound lane is under construction and coned off for a mile in both directions."
"Sir, I just need your address please."
"And I need to know you're not scamming me." I knew it was bullshit because the highway/street in front of my apartment was in fact under construction.
"Sir, please, I just need your address."
"You already know my address."
"JUST GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS."
"No."
"Fuck." *dialtone*

Rofl. That's amazing

[SadisticChipmunk]

My father-in-law has had a couple guys with heavy East-Indian accents call, claiming to be from Microsoft. They claim that there is a problem with his computer, etc. and if he gives them information, and he goes to this website they give, they will help him with it. My wife and I take care of my in-laws so when this happens, he just calls me into the room and I tell them that I am that a professional IT Administrator which results in a dial tone.

[-aiko-]

I never answer calls from unknown numbers or numbers I don't recognize. If it's something important they can leave me a message.

I do have fun responding to scam emails though. Seems like every month I 'win' a lottery. It's fun sending them back false information...I once gave them the number for my local police department. Wish I knew what happened when they called.

[Tinykong]

I love getting these kinds of scammers on the phone. Usually winds up being a very interesting 10-30 minutes.

[Calzaeth]

For all I know, the people who actually call (for scams) are forced, because of debt or whatever. So I usually just turn on the MP3-player, and put the phone between the earpieces of my headset. One guy actually waited until all of Big Giant Circles' Glory Days album was played before hanging up ^^

[Daez]

For at least an hour.

I've used multiple "shady" porn sites for years. I've done it on three different PCs (at least). I've never had a serious problem from it. I got hacked one time (way before I added my authenticator) in around 2008. It was because I clicked on a link form the Blizzard forums. Go figure!

Of course, I've always ran both a virus scan, spybot and adaware when I was on Windows 7, and since I got Windows 8, I have had no real problems.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, this sounds like a scam. I just hang up on phone calls from people like this and telemarketers. Sometimes I'll leave the phone in an empty room with the line still open or sitting by my sleeping pug that snores.....until they get the point.

- - - Updated - - -

I also never answer calls with an unknown/unavailable/private caller i.d. I let voicemail get it.

I think I'm going to find a really loud, really expressive porn video that is at least one hour to start playing every time some idiot calls the house phone. I have no issues at all with "legitimate" telemarketers unless they call every single day for a week or so.

If they call the cell phone then they are costing me minutes. I'm not at all nice when some telemarketer calls my cell phone. Any legitimate company that wants to keep contracts will be very careful to never call cell phones.