General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI just got a call from the "Computer Support Department"
...which sounded like it was located in a foreign call center.
Usually I pretend to be playing along and acting really, really dumb by misinterpreting every one of their instructions.... "Wait, you want me to turn the internet off? I don't know how to do that!"
Eventually they get fed up, or I get tired of acting, and we do not part amicably.
Today it was:
"Que? No hablo Ingles. Espanol por favor."
For a moment there, when I got that the guy understood what I was asking, and was going to either take a stab at it or switch me to someone else.
But, alas, he was not up to my blowing smoke up his ass in Spanish either, but he very politely apologized for not speaking Spanish.
It's good to know the scammers have upped their customer service standards.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)- click -
Anyway I have a Mac. I don't need 'Computer Support.'
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)You can take them along on any scenario....
"Wait, by 'go to that site', you mean like their Facebook page? I can't find them on Facebook?"
"What do you mean 'browser'? You mean, like, the Google thing?"
The thing is, they want you dumb. The dumber the better. And if you are really nice to them, and really, really, dumber-than-dogshit dumb, you can be the most inept computer user ever. But if you keep them on the hook, they will try and try to explain to you how to download the malware they want you to download, and you just keep missing it by... this much.
It's better than shaking a piece of string at a cat!
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,327 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,327 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,327 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Selling them a different scam. You are a talent agent for a television production company. Back it up with fake documents and websites. Comply poorly with their scam while selling your own scam, so they are always just one more email away from a payday.
The more interesting baits are rhe ones in which two of them are convinved that you sent the money to the other one. Like most Internet users, they tend to use the same password for multiple accounts, so if they are phished with a fake bank or delivery company website, the possibilities are limitless, if you aren't bothered by the idea of two criminals somewhere getting angry at each other.
It's not as if they keep track of whom they've spammed, so many of these begin as an "accidentally sent email" to lure them in.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I do not understand what they are after.
Is it malware they want to unload?
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)They want you to go to a site to download a piece of software which will take control of your machine and lock you out.
Then, they want you to send them money in order to have your machine unlocked once they have locked it up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware
joshcryer
(62,270 posts)dflprincess
(28,075 posts)the guy took great offense that I would accuse him of being a scammer and told me he was no longer interested in "helping" me with my computer problems.
The time before that I told them they had made a serious error in that they had reached the office of the state Attorney General. --- They probably don't know that a state attorney general is and it was just they word "attorney" that made the line go dead in record time.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,690 posts)darkangel218
(13,985 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,690 posts)They try to get you to give them access to your computer over the internet, then they install malware that you have to pay them to remove.
darkangel218
(13,985 posts)TBH, I had the same experience calling Microsoft because I didn't remember my key password, and I needed to have excell installed on my new laptop.
They took over my puter, and I allowed them reluctantly. They had my phone number, email address, etc
To this day I think it was fishy.
They shouldn't have needed to get into my system only to help me with the key.
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)Then I asked for their web address, their physical address, their phone number, their corporate office number, then I went back to playing stupid. Then I said I am sorry I is a redneck and I don't understand your accent. Then she gave the phone to someone else. I repeated all the steps including asking for their phone number etc... The guy was losing it too so I called them lying thieving criminals and that I was going to call the FBI.
Oh yeah this was in regards to their FBI virus. They put it on my SO's computer. I guess it's lucky for him he had two other laptops.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)I get those every couple of weeks.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)I just tell them I have a Mac which I do.
MurrayDelph
(5,294 posts)(listed elsewhere in the thread).
I usually try to guilt them.
I've been waiting for them to call so I can try my next response:
You're calling for Computer Support? OK, my rates are $95/hour. May I have your credit card number please.
(for the record, I am a retired VMS/Unix/Linix SysAdmin).
KinMd
(966 posts)I wasn't home, they left a voicemail. I would have had fun with that guy.