Scam phone calls

_LilyRose_

Has anyone else experienced the 'your computer has a virus follow my instructions' phone calls circulating at the moment?

My mother answered the phone to one last week, but knew about it so she just played along until they told her to turn on her computer to which she replied that she wouldn't as this was a scam, goodbye.

Received another one today, but didn't answer as I recognised the number- the international code is 00253...from Djibouti...and Eircom can't block the number or anything.

I know someone who actually got caught...they held her bank details for ransom until she emptied some of her account.

Such annoying feckers!

Mickey H

Never have had this myself but have heard of it.

Tell them to f**k right off.

Cantona's Collars

_LilyRose_ wrote: »

Has anyone else experienced the 'your computer has a virus follow my instructions' phone calls circulating at the moment?

My mother answered the phone to one last week, but knew about it so she just played along until they told her to turn on her computer to which she replied that she wouldn't as this was a scam, goodbye.

Received another one today, but didn't answer as I recognised the number- the international code is 00253...from Djibouti...and Eircom can't block the number or anything.

I know someone who actually got caught...they held her bank details for ransom until she emptied some of her account.

Such annoying feckers!

I'd love them to ring me,they are ripe for trolling.

Anyone who gives them access to their pc deserves to be scammed.

cloptrop

Yeah idiots , I can fix your computer from here for you , dont trust phonecalls. Just log on there and pm me your password. Dont fall for these scam artists.

TwoShedsJackson

Ring Eircom and tell them to take you off the Direct Dial Database (or Marketing Database or whatever they are calling it now). I did this five years ago and haven't got a marketing call, let alone a scammer, since.

kirving

Kept a guy on the phone last week for ages going through the motions, telling him I had Windows 95 after about 10 minutes, then onto the "supervisor" for another while saying I worked for Microsoft. He eventually gave up after I asked him what football team he supported. Doubt they'll ring back.

12/4/2012 EDIT: I was wrong, they rang back today. Kept him on the phone for only 7 minutes this time. And told him there was no errors whatsoever(there was actually only 2 irrelevant ones anyway). I'll record the next phonecall if I can and put it up here.

I Heart Internet

You should have been listening to joe duffy today.

Gullibility of some people is amazing

cena

We use to get them everyday for months. I told them on day that the harddrive etc was replaced. They just don't listen

Sunnyisland

Got a text from some prince idiot today saying I won 9000000 GBP or some thing like that, This reminds me must call it back :-)

stanley1

why not just say you don't have a computer.

Tedette

I had a similar call to my Skype yesterday, a recorded voice telling me I had something up wit my Skype account and to go to some website to fix it, thought it was a scam so hung up and blocked number.

Chuck Stone

zerks wrote: »

Anyone who gives them access to their pc deserves to be scammed.

That's a bit cold in fairness.

Some people are vulnerable to these kind of scams.

Jammy Donut

Ohhh kept them on for 15mins last time, Asking about the weather and how his day was. He asked me to go my computer then so I said hang on I'll get me glasses put him on hold came back talked away then said iv another phone call would he mind waiting He hung after 5mins of waiting

Degag

_LilyRose_ wrote: »

I know someone who actually got caught...they held her bank details for ransom until she emptied some of her account.

Might be a silly question.... but why didn't she just change her account details?

Lawrence1895

Can you just forward those calls to the next Garda station?

cocoshovel

There is usually a 3-5 second delay before they speak. I probably have hung up by then.

Cork24

Here is the Topic for this

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055837564

TeddyTedson

It's a sex line....
Don't answer.

my grandmother got a call from them once

"how do you know i have a computer, sonny???"
not tech savvy in some ways, but not likely to fall for scams anyway

i got one as well but i was rolling around laughing at his attempts and hung up

jaspertheghost

They nearly caught my grandfather out last year....i came home and he was talking to a guy and had given him access to the computer,he though he was working for eircom,the guy had complete access and was controlling the mouse on the screen... luckily i came home and disconnected the internet straight away,rang eircom about it and they said they would never do that,after we disconnected the guy kept ringing back saying my grandfather owed him 200 euro,i have had about 4 or 5 calls from them in the last few months and i just string them along for a while before telling them to bugger off....its the elderly that really need to be careful of this as the guys can be very persuasive and scare people into thinking their computers at risk..

Latchy

I just put my hand over mouthpiece ,then put them on hold like I do with other annoying 'repeat' cold callers and they quickly get the message when they realise they are talking to themselfs .

Ally Dick

I Heart Internet wrote: »

You should have been listening to joe duffy today.

Gullibility of some people is amazing

The best one was the secret shopper one, where the bloke was sent a cheque from the company and "to prove his loyalty" had to lodge the cheque, and take a few hundred for himself as payment, and then forward his own money to the company, before the original cheque had even cleared ! I nearly fell off the seat laughing

whatlliwear

I think I know an old lady that was caught out with this..
How bad i it? What can she do now?

uncle_sam_ie

whatlliwear wrote: »

I think I know an old lady that was caught out with this..
How bad i it? What can she do now?

If they had access to her PC then I would reinstall windows fresh.

whatlliwear

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

If they had access to her PC then I would reinstall windows fresh.

Hmm ok. Thanks I was expecting some mean sarcastic answers. The poor woman hasn't a clue!

numbnutz

got that call too about the pc virus scam told them there was a bomb in their building and promptly told them to fook off...they still rang back!:D

x_Ellie_x

They ring me almost everyday. Sometimes I take the pi$$ out of them if I'm bored but mostly I just unplug the phone for a while. I always turn off the computer and the router when they ring though and leave it off for a while. I do be worried that they might be able to hack into the computer while I'm on the phone with them.

mackg

Got a message a few days ago from @usarmy.mil email that read:

I'm Capt Williams, I will be transfer to your location in 3 weeks, please email me for urgent discussion.

had me and the lads in stitches.

IrishEyes19

zerks wrote: »

I'd love them to ring me,they are ripe for trolling.

Anyone who gives them access to their pc deserves to be scammed.

thats kind of harsh. My own grandparent never touched computers up until a year or two ago when I showed my grandmother easier way to pay bills, my granmother relied on everything I showed her as she hadnt a clue how to work it otherwise. so someone ringing her up in the last year if it was a scam would probably have convinced her too. and she is in no way unintelligent, just not up to date with technology the way our generation is.

x_Ellie_x

lol did you email back mackg??

herisson

i once got a text saying my blackberry phone has been selected as the winner of €5mill in the Netherlands lotto....i never entered in that lotto...nor do i own a blackberry!! :pac:

ChairmanCow

I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you never call again, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

Works a charm every time!

Copper_pipe

got a phone call last week saying my router had a "virus" Is that even possible

EmatoelDiablo

I asked yer man to hold for a little while. He was still on the line 15 mins later...

Another time my Uncle got one. The guy said he was from Cork (Cork is in India apparently) so my Uncle said it was a terrible shame that St. Pat's Bridge had fallen down. He hung up when yer man agreed.

WesternNight

We got these before. After hanging up a few times, I decided to just keep the guy on the phone for as long as possible. Figured he'd eventually deck that I was stringing him along, but no.

I played dumb. Deliberately misunderstood *everything* so he had to explain the absolute basics over and over. Was there for about 10 minutes listening to the poor guy getting pretty frustrated. I eventually just said "listen, I'm not interested, bye" and hung up.

He rang back immediately. Gave out to me for wasting his time. Made my week, that did He's not rang back since, either.

Balfie

I got an email to my phone about 3 days ago, and I never get emails on my phone, don't think I even set it up, anyways, it said that I had just won 500k in a blackberry dutch competition. Funny that I don't even have a blackberry. It soon got deleted.

Jimmy Iovine

I got a missed call from a number the other day. I looked up the international code and it's from some country called the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. I googled the phone number and a few hits came up. Seems they're targeting Irish people. People are saying it's a sex line that scabs money off you if you answer it. Lucky it was a missed call I suppose.

Degag

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

I got a missed call from a number the other day. I looked up the international code and it's from some country called the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. I googled the phone number and a few hits came up. Seems they're targeting Irish people. People are saying it's a sex line that scabs money off you if you answer it. Lucky it was a missed call I suppose.

I'm sure there's a witty remark i can make here.....

One good way to get them is to just say OK wait intil I connect to the internet and then play this.

Just tell him the line is crap...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHW1ho8L7V8

how long do you think he'll wait.

Jimmy Iovine

Just after getting a call at home from the boys at Micrsoft. Managed to keep him on the phone for 11 minutes. Not bad going considering I revealed to him after 6 that I didn;t own a computer. "Why are you wasting my time?".

It's scary the details that they know about you. I could see how some people are duped by the scam. I was satisfied that I managed to give him the run around for long enough. I had him on hold for 3 minutes at one stage looking for my glasses. I went for a **** instead.

Plazaman

The fact that it is mainly people who service provider is Eircom and are connected to their broadband makes me think Eircoms database got hacked or someone has sold on the client list.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Plazaman wrote: »

The fact that it is mainly people who service provider is Eircom and are connected to their broadband makes me think Eircoms database got hacked or someone has sold on the client list.

Eircom had laptops stolen recently which contained details of customer accounts. My account was one of them, i got a letter from eircom advising me of it. They pointed out that no financial details were contained on the computer, just account numbers and names i think.

Duggy747

Once had one ring up the family house years ago. I played along and loaded up a Youtube video of stock electricity sounds.

He told me to check a plug at the back of the machine to which I played the video, let out a loud scream as if I was being electrocuted and hung up the phone like it was cut off.

Unplugged the phone for a few minutes afterwards so he couldn't call back to see if I was alive. :pac:

dr.fuzzenstein

Deleted User wrote: »

One good way to get them is to just say OK wait intil I connect to the internet and then play this.

Just tell him the line is crap...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHW1ho8L7V8

how long do you think he'll wait.

:eek: No I couldn't, it's too cruel, no one deserves that kind of torture!:D
Waterboarding is more humane!

HigginsJ

For anyone who has an older relative who might be worried about that type of thing the best thing to do is advise them that if they do get any calls of that sort ask the caller for the number they are calling from and that they will call back themselves. If its a reputable company they will give the number and the details ok and if not they will refuse.

pcardin

ChairmanCow wrote: »

I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you never call again, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

.... ..... ..... Good Luck! :pac: