|
Americans to lose $1.5 billion to common scam in 2015, says Microsoft
|
|
The following comments relate to this news article:
article published on 1 October, 2015
Are you one of the estimated 3.3 million Americans caught up in this common scam this year?
If you haven't been targeted with it, you likely know friends or family who have been. It is simple, but very effective and common enough that Microsoft feels the need to educate the public about it.
It would work something like this: You receive a phone call from an unknown or blocked number, ... [ read the full article ]
Please read the original article before posting your comments.
|
Member
|
2. October 2015 @ 00:11 |
Link to this message
|
|
I've received calls similar to this long ago, and promptly hung up the phone but not before sharing a few choice words with the caller. I don't understand how so many people can be so stupid as to fall for crap like this, but obviously they do. I almost feel they deserve to be ripped off for being so dumb.
"Do not underestimate the power of an enemy, no matter how great or small, to rise against you another day." - Atilla
|
|
Advertisement
|
 |
|
|
|
DDR4life
Member
|
2. October 2015 @ 04:26 |
Link to this message
|
|
Last year I had received several of these calls claiming that they were informed by my computer that there was a problem. The first couple or so times I simply told the guy that there must have been a mistake as I didn't have a computer in my house. After that I put them on the spot by insisting they explain how and why my Mac was "calling home" to Microsoft. Once in a while I would say I had a Linux box. After a while they just gave up and stopped calling.
|
|
rulisky
Senior Member
|
2. October 2015 @ 08:46 |
Link to this message
|
|
Scam upon scam from Nigeria, the IRS, Microsoft, it just goes on and on.
What will it take for people to wise up and HANG UP??!!
|
|
Clam_Up
Junior Member
|
2. October 2015 @ 11:16 |
Link to this message
|
How much was lost when Microsoft refused to take the Request for Comments specifications for non-text content in e-mail seriously?
RFC 2822 Page 36 lists several security considerations. All of them indicate that any content other than plain-text should be clearly contained and separate from the main message to avoid many potential security concerns.
Microsoft ignored this and allowed full HTML-compiled e-mails, leading to many instances of fraud and security problems.
When laws allow unlimited ownership of ideas, it is to a society as iron fusion is to the core of a star.
When verified realities lead us to anger, we must learn to reevaluate our beliefs.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2. October 2015 @ 11:18
|
|
Bozobub
Senior Member
|
2. October 2015 @ 15:04 |
Link to this message
|
|
You simply can not fix stupid.
Remember, folks, 100 IQ is defined as the median, therefore about half the country is UNDER 100 IQ. This is, of course, true for every country.
Yes, that's correct, about half the human race isn't really all that bright.
|
|
g_slide
Member
|
2. October 2015 @ 22:52 |
Link to this message
|
|
I had the same phone calls every week from IRS to Virus from Microsoft. Each time they call I role play and pretend I only speak chinese, indian, etc.
One time the Microsoft Virus called and I told them how is it possible they receive information from my computer, I own a typwriter not a computer... they hanged up. They are not that stupid as you might think, other times I told them I don't own a computer and they hung up.
The last time the Microsoft Virus callers had called me, I told him I need help real bad and I will be willing to allow him to access my computer if he helped me first. I went into this big story about how I can't have sex with my wife because she's too fat and I need help for someone to roll her over so I can pleasure but I'm not sure if I can do it on my own, will he be willing to come here and have sex with my wife and I will pay for his flight and booking fees. The funny part was that he broke his character of trying to scam me and starting laughing in the background and then hang up.
:-)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 2. October 2015 @ 22:53
|
|
ddp
Moderator
|
2. October 2015 @ 23:25 |
Link to this message
|
|
I've been dealing with these phone calls for years. I tell them I don't have a computer or I have a mac but they still call. had 1 customer whom I just finished doing a clean install of windows 2 weeks previously get a call from them & got burnt for $200. another customer was able to cancel his credit card in time but they screwed up his windows that I had to do a re-install. recently I've been telling these scammers I've made $120 because they screwed up a customer's computer. click. why is it when they call me they always have an east indian accent?
|
|
hearme0
Senior Member
|
3. October 2015 @ 00:12 |
Link to this message
|
|
Anyone falling for this........old, young, man, woman, black, white......deserves what they get.
No one EVER EVER EVER EVER legitimately asks for sensitive info out of nowhere.
I've never been called but those that got taken are idiots and should be exiled to a remote island forever.
There is no excuse for being duped into this unless you're mentally challenged.
And the Nigerians man.........edited by ddp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. October 2015 @ 00:16
|
|
SomeBozo
Member
2 product reviews
|
3. October 2015 @ 03:24 |
Link to this message
|
|
I got called for this scam a number of times in the last year. Depending on how i felt and if I had time I played around with them some. I figured if I toyed with them long enough it would in some way eat up more of their time and prevent them from calling others. As a person that works at Micr0$oft I knew it was a scam from the start but played along. I would ask them "Oh what building are in in?" or "What is you internal MS e-mail?" and amazing when i asked one guy "You say my computer in infected, could you tell me my external IP?" his response was "Sir this does not matter at all..." I asked him will how do you know it is my computer?" Or even better as my machine is compromised as you say, what operating system am I running? We all know they couldn't answer but it was fun playing along for a while. Still working up to do what a friend did once with a scammer, he would see how long he could eat up their time. The longest he got was just about 45 minutes. Funny as hell he would start off saying "I just got back from the grocery store, you got me just as i brought in the first bag, really need to get the frozen stuff in the freezer, i'll be right back." He did or said stuff like this and the idiot scammer was dumb enough to hang on for so long.
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
dawningx
Newbie
|
3. October 2015 @ 05:03 |
Link to this message
|
|
It is strange if, with so many warnings out there since years ago about these computer related scams, there still many people fall for them. I even can find reports about them filed just several days ago at whycallme/315-665-5113.html. I think its easy to avoid them, we just need to know a little bit of how these scammers work.
|
