Weird phone call! "online pc doctor" - Only thread on these scam calls please

ZENER

Are these calls in fact random as in generated by an auto dialler ? I ask because a friend of mine who no longer lives at her parents (moved out 20 + years ago !) got a call at her parents landline. The caller launched straight into the patter but asked specifically for her rather than the name the number is registered to. She happened to be there at the time. The only people who would know she can be contacted at this number in an emergency are her employer and some friends !

The calls seem to be changing in their choreography, rather than introduce themselves they said straight away that it was very urgent that that the computer be turned on and control be given to the caller in order to fix it. Failing to do this would result in the whole world crashing down around you !

Ken

srsly78

There are lots of public sources they can harvest numbers from. CVs online with names and phone numbers, company records etc.

buyer95

Just got a call from 017061200, asking survy question along the lines of "how many people live in your household" etc.

srsly78

There are legit companies that do this (Red C research is one), but they will always clearly identify themselves and ask your permission first.

Moon54

I also got a call from that 00212340181 number today.

Techniques07

Just got a call from 00512 or something like that about my computer giving off lots of signals to Microsoft, so it must be hackers taking over my computer and they already have my bank account details on a file. The kind Indian woman then explained what hackers do for a few minutes before saying "do you agree sir that this is what is happening?", to which I answered, no. She started stumbling through a few more sentences but I kept saying no.

This is about the third time I've got one of these calls in the past few years and the first time I let them talk for more than a minute. They sure do try and scare you. Complete timewasters.

Woodpecker1

Moon54 wrote: »

I also got a call from that 00212340181 number today.

I have had 2 calls from that number today? When I pick up there is no one there?

WTF sort of scam is it?

Jocelynel

i've been getting calls from this number aswell, about 2 per week and between 2pm and 4pm and no one there when i pick up....odd

srsly78

That's the automated scanner checking to see if the line is active. The software can even tell if it's a male or female that answers. If it detects a person it will add your number to another list for the lovely "support" people to call in the future.

New Home

I just missed a call from 01 7061200, the phone rang three times but I didn't get to it on time, what a shame... I wonder should I call them back and give them my bank details and credit card number, too? :rolleyes: And if they ask for my date of birth I can always tell them I was born on the 10th of December 2013...

srsly78

If it's an Irish number report it to the Guards?

FSL

I searched on the number and this came up:-
Russell Armstrong reported Ipsos MRBI with the number 017061200 as Survey
added on Sep 27, 2013 5:36:36 PM

This number is registered to Ipsos MRBI (Market Research Bureau of Ireland)
Please be assured that our calls to you are genuine and you are an important part of our market research,

Kind regards
IPSOS MRBI
www.ipsosmrbi.ie

New Home

Thanks SRSLY78 and FSL. Considering I didn't get to the phone on time I don't actually know what they wanted so I won't report them to the Gardaí. Having said that, skeptical old me doesn't trust that just because someone says they are genuine they actually are, and I also did a search on that number and came up with lots of people who reported they'd been the target of attempted scams from that number. Either way, I'm taking strange numbers with a pinch of salt (better safe than sorry and all that...).

srsly78

You are being a bit too paranoid I think. Irish numbers usually are safe to answer. Ok it might be an annoying research / sales call, but that is not a scam.

I actually let Red C research call me, I take a perverse pleasure in answering polls. Don't complain about "noone ever asks me for these surveys" if you won't answer :P

Jayd0g

They're on phone now!

Jayd0g

This is great fun!

srsly78

Offer them tech support, and find out if they got any strange calls from India.

Jayd0g

Thickest Cork accent I can manage !

Jayd0g

"ctrl" key?

You mean "CPL"?

No sir, CTRL!

Hang on, let me get my glasses.....

Jayd0g

in the run type "E" for echo.

"V"???

Much frustration!

Jayd0g

25 mins and counting

Jayd0g

35 minutes before I couldn't help laughing.

I made them spell out every letter twice, spent 5 minutes booting up, 5 minutes after password entry before the computer could do anything.

Thickest accent I could manage, and I was very hard of hearing.

When spelling "www.ammyy.com", I insisted on saying "WWW, like Wibbly Wobbly Wonder" every time he asked me to call back what was in the run box.

I cracked when spelling ".com" as ".con". He asked what came up and I had to say a warning message "Do not give these guys your card details, this is a scam"

One very irate operator on the line, cursing at me like mad!

fricatus

Jayd0g wrote: »

He asked what came up and I had to say a warning message "Do not give these guys your card details, this is a scam"

One very irate operator on the line, cursing at me like mad!

LOL, can't wait to do that next time they call!

Jayd0g

fricatus wrote: »

LOL, can't wait to do that next time they call!

I've been waiting for these guys to call back when I'm off. My wife mentioned a few missed calls from the number quoted in the thread above, so I knew it wouldn't be too long.

He couldn't pronounce "C" "T" "R" "L", sounded like "CPRL". That took a few minutes.

After looking through the Event Viewer and making a big fuss about 554 events, "Computer could crash at any minute", we went back to the "Run" function.

Had great fun trying to figure out how to delete the previously entered text:

Eeejit: "Use backspace"

Me: "Where's that"

Eeejit: "Above Enter"

Me: "I don't have an enter key."

Eeejit: "It's the biggest key on the keyboard"

Me: "Oh the long skinny one!"

Eeejit: "Yes sir"

Me: "Nothings happening and now the box is empty"

Eeejit: "good sir,now type in this dodgy website" (sic)

Me: "There's no space to type anymore!"

Eeejit: "Sorry sir ,that must have been the space bar, just position the Cursor"

Me: "Cursing? I didn't curse at you, why would you say such a thing?"

I got 5 minutes out of that too! :P

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I had 10 missed calls from this 0021 number in the space of an hour today, given that I am on nights at the moment I am NOT happy, every time I got up to answer the phone it had stopped and started up again 5 minutes later once I was back in bed :mad: :mad: surely this is harassment? For various reasons, I cant unplug the phone from the wall (even though I was sorely tempted to send it through the window a few times today). Is there anything I can do to stop them ringing?

Jayd0g

Kyng Gorgeous Stockbroker wrote: »

I had 10 missed calls from this 0021 number in the space of an hour today, given that I am on nights at the moment I am NOT happy, every time I got up to answer the phone it had stopped and started up again 5 minutes later once I was back in bed :mad: :mad: surely this is harassment? For various reasons, I cant unplug the phone from the wall (even though I was sorely tempted to send it through the window a few times today). Is there anything I can do to stop them ringing?

Took about 30 seconds after I lifted phone yesterday for someone to start talking.
My guess is that the auto dialling system calls you and then assigns call to a free operator. Maybe try waiting a while for some one to give out to, then hopefully they won't call again.

The Glass Key

Kyng Gorgeous Stockbroker wrote: »

I had 10 missed calls from this 0021 number in the space of an hour today, given that I am on nights at the moment I am NOT happy, every time I got up to answer the phone it had stopped and started up again 5 minutes later once I was back in bed :mad: :mad: surely this is harassment? For various reasons, I cant unplug the phone from the wall (even though I was sorely tempted to send it through the window a few times today). Is there anything I can do to stop them ringing?

If you can answer it and tell them to take their scam elsewhere they seem to leave you alone for a bit.

Edit> too slow

ART6

Jayd0g wrote: »

Took about 30 seconds after I lifted phone yesterday for someone to start talking.
My guess is that the auto dialling system calls you and then assigns call to a free operator. Maybe try waiting a while for some one to give out to, then hopefully they won't call again.

I have tried all sorts of things with these people, but none of them made any difference. When Darren or Philip or Sean with a fractured Indian accent introduced himself as representing Microsoft, I tried saying "Interesting." I am the manager of Microsoft Customer Support (I'm not) and I have never heard of you."
Response: "Really? Well, we have detected...."
I tried setting up a recorded message, to be played back when I pressed a button, saying "Thank you for calling the Internet Crime Agency of Interpol. Please keep speaking as your call is now being traced."
Response: "Yes, but we have detected...."
Now, on the odd occasions when I inadvertently answer a call that has an obviously false number, I simply shout "You are a bl**dy scammer, now F.O!"
It makes no difference to the number of calls, but it makes me feel better!

Mearings

Had "James D(mumble) Windows Tech Dept" on today. His phone no. is 00212340181,
0021 I believe is Morocco tho' old Jimmy's accent sounded as if he hails from the Indian sub continent. The annoying bit was that he knew my name. I wonder whose database they have hacked. My no. is ex directory.

wil

Has anyone thought of learning a few words of Hindi to throw them off.
My mother got one of these calls a few days ago but I think she twigged pretty quick and rang me, her hindi is not great though:D

A relative in the UK who should have known better ended up having to cancel credit cards after divulging the info. I was surprised he admitted it but shows even relatively savvy people can be caught off guard and make mistakes.

I have been getting loads of Vodafone support calls of recent, all ignored, but I assume they are hoping to get me on a new contract - I haven't felt obliged to renew it in years as I have defunct cheap plan you cant get now, so I am not going to.

Another one people should be careful off is in the self publishing books area. After replying to an online ad a friend was harangued for weeks by very pushy sales guy, supposed to be in UK. We're talking thousands of euro discounted special offers being pushed. He was ringing day and night. I took the call to help decipher the intricate details and after engaging the guy and sussing the slight accent I eventually got him to admit he was ringing from the Philippines, NOT the UK where he had said. For a years salary in single potential sale, of course he was over eager