Phone Scam

[NoCalRed]

I've been some what lucky in the bogus email/phone call front, as a matter of fact I don't know that I've ever received any. Well that has changed, I received a call today from the 202 area code, DC I believe. The man, who I could barely understand, called me by name and stated that he worked for Microsoft and that a problem with my computer was causing his server to run poorly and receive errors. Before he could get another word out I told him what a coincidence I too work for a large tech company and that I would be glad to resolve his problem if he would just give me his IP and a credit card number. He hung up immediately and hasn't called back.

Doing a google search on the number I found a message board that makes it appear that this is a somewhat new scam starting around early June. From some of the messages that people were leaving it sounds as though the person can be somewhat aggressive if you ask for crendentials and keeps calling many times a day. It sounds like what he wants is access to your computer and charge a fee to clean it up or at least that's his premise to get access. My question is do people really fall for this stuff and if so is it enough for the scammer to justify continuing this scam?

It's also kind of creepy knowing how much information is out there about us, doing a quick search I was able to find out quite a bit about myself.

[camisadelgolf]

Thanks for the info!

Plenty of people fall for this stuff. As someone who has done sales (just shoot me), it's amazing how many gullible people are out there. Some of them are willing to trust anybody. Not a lot of them. But enough.

[KronoRed]

Someone called my mother today with this scam, she told him nice try.

[OldRightHander]

You want a good laugh, there was a site where a guy was stringing the Nigerians along, making them think he was falling for their scams and getting them to pose for all manner of hilarious photos. I can't remember the name of the site now for the life of me.

[CTA513]

We get multiple calls nearly every day from the 202 area code.
We got to the point that we only answer the phone if we know who it is and if we don't we either let it go to the answering machine or answer and hang up right away.

[dougdirt]

Sadly enough, people fall for these types of scams all the time. I imagine it is mostly people over the age of 50, who didn't grow up in the 'technology' age and there are a larger amount of those people who don't understand that the tech company won't call you. Someone like my aunt would be a perfect mark for this scam.

[jojo]

Yes. The 202 area code is mostly populated with criminals and degenerates many of whom live off of the tax payer's dime.

[dreamer]

I share your sentiment. It's alarming that it's easy for these scammers to look up information about us and use it perpetrate a scam.

Your post reminded me of a similar call I received a few weeks back. The scammer had the same script, he's from Microsoft and calling to inform me about a problem with my computer. Well, I knew right there and then he was bluffing because first of all, my computer was running properly. In fact, I was watching a movie from a legit site when he called. Secondly, I got a Mac and he didn't even know that.

But I played along and pretended to follow the caller's instructions in giving him access to my computer. He asked me to visit a website to download an app, click on different tabs and then type in a code he provided. Then I pretended to have another call on line 2 (which was a bluff!) and asked if I could place him on hold for a sec to which he agreed. While he was on hold, on line 2, I made an outgoing call, dialed the phone number of the local police department and transferred the call there. I didn't know what happened afterwards.

[dreamer]

By the way, the caller's phone number was 206-456-0661. All I needed to do was Google the phone number and this page http://www.callercenter.com/206-456-0661.html came up.

Looks like he's been trying to scam people all along.

[Yachtzee]

I haven't had this scam hit me, but I keep getting calls from home security companies offering me a free system if I give them the names and numbers of my neighbors.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

I haven't had this scam hit me, but I keep getting calls from home security companies offering me a free system if I give them the names and numbers of my neighbors.

So which one of your neighbors ratted you out for a free security system?

[blumj]

Originally Posted by CTA513

We get multiple calls nearly every day from the 202 area code.
We got to the point that we only answer the phone if we know who it is and if we don't we either let it go to the answering machine or answer and hang up right away.

We never answer the phone anymore if we don't recognize the caller, not because of scams, just to avoid the harmless annoyance calls.

[LoganBuck]

Better yet, have your house broken into, and then all the hassle and heartache of the cleanup and insurance companies, and then your name goes into a database of victims of property crime. For the last six months we get about 5-6 calls a week for security systems, id fraud protection, and debt help. The second you ask to be removed from their database, click. They are gone. I have reported these numbers to the National Do not Call Registry, my sheriff, and State Attorney General Mike Dewine's office. One of Dewine's people did email me back about two weeks ago.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

So which one of your neighbors ratted you out for a free security system?

The one across the street.

I've told them many times to stop calling. I had one guy coming door to door and I told him off. I said I didn't care about his dumb home security system, even if it were free, because I know they're going to charge me a monthly fee to keep the service going on it.

I am always leary of companies I don't know calling me or coming to the door offering something they will install in my house. After four years in the criminal defense business, I have had quite a few clients, convicted felons, who get jobs working for shady contractors that do work in the home.

[cumberlandreds]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

The one across the street.

I've told them many times to stop calling. I had one guy coming door to door and I told him off. I said I didn't care about his dumb home security system, even if it were free, because I know they're going to charge me a monthly fee to keep the service going on it.

I am always leary of companies I don't know calling me or coming to the door offering something they will install in my house. After four years in the criminal defense business, I have had quite a few clients, convicted felons, who get jobs working for shady contractors that do work in the home.

We had one of those security monitoring scams going door to door in our neighborhood about a year ago. My wife called the sheriffs office to ask about them and they didn't know anything about them. They said they were going to track them down to ask some questions. A day or two after that they came around again when my wife was outside doing some yardwork. She told them she had contacted the sherriffs office and they were looking for them. She said they got a real funny look to their face and quickly went away. We have never seen them again,BTW.
Soon after that we put a no soliciting sign on our door. I just don't want to be bothered with these salesman and the junk they have to sell. About week or so ago someone rung the doorbell. I answered it and it was another one of these security monitoring scammers. I ask him if he saw my sign. He said he did and had the gall to say he wasn't soliciting and only taking a survey. I then proceeded to tell him to get off my property or I will be calling the police right away. Haven't seen any of them since. They were dressed in orange BTW and stood out very much. Actually much like the convict road workers.