Remember the Microsoft phone scam?

[speedbird591]

A few years back there was a phone scam where an unsuspecting householder received a call from a Microsoft engineer telling them that there was a fault with their Windows installation? Just to let you know that the scam is still around and apparently increasing.

I had a call from my mother-in-law this afternoon asking me to come round and sort her laptop out because there was something wrong with it. I popped round and asked what the problem was. I don't bloody know, she says, this man phoned up and told me to press all these buttons but I didn't know what he was talking about and told him he'd have to speak to you. Who was he from? says I. Well, I suppose he was from Sky, she says, they're changing their bloody emails so I think it's something to do with that.

So he calls back and says this is wotsname from Microsoft. From who? Microsoft! Oh ... OK, what's the problem then? Well the computer has been unable to install a very important update for Windows and we have detected this and need to make some changes to fix the computer. Well, I don't think so matey, that doesn't sound right to me, so I'll tell you what I'll do - I'll check Windows Update straight away and if there any problems I'll fix them myself. Thank you. Goodbye.

I was quite pleased - we're always hearing about these scams but I've never come across one before. Good job the mother-in-law is so useless - he obviously wanted to get remote access and between him with an Indian accent and her Glaswegian one, it was never going to happen. Anyway, warn your mothers-in-law and other vulnerable relatives!

Ian

[Dev One]

It happened here in France yesterday (1st April) morning - wife answered the phone & an Indian accent speaking English tried it on her (the Microsoft scam)....she didn't succumb & told him where to go!
Keith

[DarrenL]

Next time one calls you need to do something like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmwbX9RkmEU

[NigelC]

Next time one calls you need to do something like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmwbX9RkmEU

Now that is funny!

[GHD]

I always reply, I don't know how you know that my machine is infected, I don't own a computer. They then hang up.

[Airspeed]

My Brother-in law actually used to breed large meat rabbits, among his other self sufficiency schemes.
If he detected a phone salesman, he'd immediately go into:

This number is only for rabbits, now how many did you want?

And he'd keep it up till they gave up on him.

[Filonian]

I had one who claimed they had detected that I was having difficulty getting on line.

They hung up when I asked if they thought i had just got off the same effing banana boat as them.

A former work colleague just asked them to quote his microsoft serial number - phone went dead.


Graham

[Vancouver]

I reckon we get the same call at least twice a month, if the wife picks up, she berates the poor lad about "getting a proper job", and "what would your mother think if she knew what you did for a living."
Still they must occasionally strike gold else it would not be worth their while.
Even worse over here is that if they call the cell and we pick up we get charged for receiving a call, and you Brits think you are ripped off with charges. Oh and the Federal Govmnt just to make things worse have relaxed restrictions on these type of calls.

[hobby]

Just dealt with that call this morning!

In the past I have said: a) That the addressee no longer lives here.

b) There is no computer here.

c) This is a reserved number for UK government business only.

d) Goodbye, thank you for your call.

[simondix]

Keep a whistle by the phone and blow it down the phone. If you don't pay for receiving calls just leave it off the hook