Phone scam from India-Your Microsft computer is crashing our system.
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Phone scam from India-Your Microsft computer is crashing our system.
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 SciManStev     Send message Joined: 20 Jun 99 Posts: 6661 Credit: 121,090,076 RAC: 0 
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I read an article where a tech savvy guy was playing with the scammer. He setup a virtual machine, and left it open. Once the scammer told him it would cost about $350 to fix his machine, he rattled off some fake credit card numbers. When the charge didn't go through, he tried again. When it failed the second time, he said he couldn't see very well, and sent the scammer a picture of his credit card. The picture was actually ransomeware disguised to look like a jpeg, so the guy actually tricked the scammer into installing ransomeware on his own computer. I thought that was just awesome! Steve Warning, addicted to SETI crunching! Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group. GPUUG Website ID: 1809270 ·  |
Mike  Send message Joined: 17 Feb 01 Posts: 34486 Credit: 79,922,639 RAC: 80 
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ROFLMAO You are up early Steve. Oh i forgot you have to work. :( With each crime and every kindness we birth our future. ID: 1809273 · |
BladeD  Send message Joined: 9 Aug 11 Posts: 13320 Credit: 1,603,919 RAC: 2
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The best one yet! 
ID: 1809274 · |
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Graham Middleton Send message Joined: 1 Sep 00 Posts: 1520 Credit: 86,815,638 RAC: 0 
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ID: 1809314 · |
Carlos  Send message Joined: 9 Jun 99 Posts: 31193 Credit: 57,275,487 RAC: 157
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I read an article where a tech savvy guy was playing with the scammer. He setup a virtual machine, and left it open. Once the scammer told him it would cost about $350 to fix his machine, he rattled off some fake credit card numbers. When the charge didn't go through, he tried again. When it failed the second time, he said he couldn't see very well, and sent the scammer a picture of his credit card. The picture was actually ransomeware disguised to look like a jpeg, so the guy actually tricked the scammer into installing ransomeware on his own computer. I thought that was just awesome! Oh I love it! I could do that. Net to set up the files just in case. Anyone want a copy, but warning, do not open the file if I give it to you. 
ID: 1809514 · |
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Carlos Send message Joined: 9 Jun 99 Posts: 31193 Credit: 57,275,487 RAC: 157
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I just got a call from the IRS. I was about to be arrested. Agents were waiting to get me. I would face huge legal issues if I did not provide the information he was asking. I kept him on the line for about 20 mins. He never even knew my name. I had some fun.
ID: 1810196 · |
TimeLord04  Send message Joined: 9 Mar 06 Posts: 21140 Credit: 33,933,039 RAC: 23
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I just got a call from the IRS. I was about to be arrested. Agents were waiting to get me. I would face huge legal issues if I did not provide the information he was asking. I kept him on the line for about 20 mins. He never even knew my name. I had some fun. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHHAA!!!!!!! :D TimeLord04 Have TARDIS, will travel... Come along K-9! Join Calm Chaos ID: 1810207 · |
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TimeLord04 Send message Joined: 9 Mar 06 Posts: 21140 Credit: 33,933,039 RAC: 23
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The fake IRS people keep trying to get my parents on their home line. They're using 4 different phone numbers to call from; two of them are cell phones... Since WHEN: 1.) Does the IRS EVER make phone calls OUT to ANYONE for ANYTHING!!!??? 2.) Does the IRS use cell phones!!!??? HOW STUPID do they think we are??? MAYBE 1% of the aged population that aren't thinking clearly MAY talk to these scammers...??? MAYBE!!! I will give more credit to the average Joe out there that they'd just hang up on these fools! Maybe I'm giving too much credit??? I don't know, but this is just RIDICULOUS!!! I just had a call yesterday, (a Robocall), that NOMOROBO missed blocking that claimed that they would "...lower my interest on my credit card...."; BUT, DID NOT identify which creditor they were claiming to be!!! I hung up on the thing, went into NOMOROBO and reported the call to be blocked in the future. Then went into my Vonage Account, and blocked the bastards there! I'm almost at my limit of callers I can block in Vonage! I wish Vonage would just let customers have Unlimited resources to block ANY and ALL callers at WILL! For now; they only allow 50 Numbers to be blocked! TL TimeLord04 Have TARDIS, will travel... Come along K-9! Join Calm Chaos ID: 1810212 · |
Gary Charpentier  Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 31209 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32
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2.) Does the IRS use cell phones!!!??? Well, there is a big but there. I know I called the IRS and the number was a work cell. (I'm sure the agent wasn't in the office, they said so.) The but the phone number was on paperwork (form 668) and to a specific agent, not an office. The IRS generally won't call you out of the blue. If they call out of the blue they will tell you the PIN number you put on your tax form. <ed>I've had those calls from: I.R.S. Internal Revenue ServiceS (note plural). We are filing lawsuit ... call XXX-XXX-XXXX 
ID: 1810227 · |
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Sarge Send message Joined: 25 Aug 99 Posts: 12273 Credit: 8,569,109 RAC: 79
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I was privy to 15-20 minutes of a woman being harassed on her cell phone. The caller would not tell her where to send a payment being demanded. Long story short, when she hung up (stating she'd call back), I said "Sorry, but I think someone might be trying to scam you." Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes. ID: 1810240 · |
David S  Send message Joined: 4 Oct 99 Posts: 18352 Credit: 27,761,924 RAC: 12
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The fake IRS people keep trying to get my parents on their home line. They're using 4 different phone numbers to call from; two of them are cell phones... Since WHEN: 1.) Does the IRS EVER make phone calls OUT to ANYONE for ANYTHING!!!??? 2.) Does the IRS use cell phones!!!??? Methinks you're overreacting just a wee tad. Just hang up on them and keep your blood pressure down. I just had a call yesterday, (a Robocall), that NOMOROBO missed blocking that claimed that they would "...lower my interest on my credit card...."; BUT, DID NOT identify which creditor they were claiming to be!!! I hung up on the thing, went into NOMOROBO and reported the call to be blocked in the future. Then went into my Vonage Account, and blocked the bastards there! Maybe you can drop some of the older blocks. They're probably not being used anymore anyway. David Sitting on my butt while others boldly go, Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri. ID: 1810263 · |
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David S Send message Joined: 4 Oct 99 Posts: 18352 Credit: 27,761,924 RAC: 12
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At least you can, I have a smart phone, best that I can do is assign them a ring tone(mp3 file) that I reserve for scammers, since Virgin Mobile can't block anyones phone call I was told, beyond texting that is. My phone has built in blocking. I can block any number in the call history. (It doesn't keep them from leaving voice mail, though.) David Sitting on my butt while others boldly go, Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri. ID: 1810265 · |
Dr Who Fan  Send message Joined: 8 Jan 01 Posts: 3421 Credit: 715,342 RAC: 4
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--- snip --- In the 2+ years I have been using NomoRobo for my parents AT&T Digital/UVerse landline, I can say once I report a number via the www it is usually blocked within 2 hours max. I also research and post my notes about the robo/scam/sales etc... calls at http://800notes.com. TimeLord04, it is probably safe to delete all the numbers you have in your Vonage blocking list and purge any new one you add after a day or two since NomoRobo should be blocking them by then. ID: 1810311 · |
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TimeLord04 Send message Joined: 9 Mar 06 Posts: 21140 Credit: 33,933,039 RAC: 23
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--- snip --- Well, while Nomorobo is a FANTASTIC tool; it seems that even while a number gets blocked by Nomorobo they still let it ring through at one ring per caller. So, if the caller is persistent and calls EVERY HOUR, (and I've had this happen), then once an hour your phone rings once... So, I've taken to adding such calls to my PERMANENT block through Vonage! That way the phone doesn't ring AT ALL on that caller. I've got one scammer business that uses 800-555-xxxx numbers, (the last four digits change at random), and it took me reporting each one to Nomorobo AND blocking ALL 15 numbers in Vonage to make this creep stop! So, the blocked numbers in Vonage will stay at least for a year before I remove them. I mean, think about it - 15 800-555-xxxx numbers calling at all different times of the day and Nomorobo lets the call ring through at one ring per call! That's 15 rings per day that begin to drive you NUTS!!! :-O Then you get the Political callers... OMG! They're relentless! I don't donate over the phone, I know whom I'm voting for, I DON'T need calls from Political Representatives! So, I report them to Nomorobo, AND block them in Vonage! Then there's the Obamacare Callers insisting you need to sign up for insurance! I already have insurance! So, those too get reported to Nomorobo, AND get blocked in Vonage. This ALL adds up and gets me to reach my limit of 50 Blocked Numbers in Vonage! What's a regular guy to do??? :-O TL [EDIT:] Also, I've had SEVERAL of these fools start calling at 6 AM!!! So, even at ONE Ring, (allowed per Nomorobo), that STILL wakes you up EARLIER than what you wanted! So, into Vonage Block they go! TL TimeLord04 Have TARDIS, will travel... Come along K-9! Join Calm Chaos ID: 1810356 · |
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David S Send message Joined: 4 Oct 99 Posts: 18352 Credit: 27,761,924 RAC: 12
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I've got one scammer business that uses 800-555-xxxx numbers, (the last four digits change at random), and it took me reporting each one to Nomorobo AND blocking ALL 15 numbers in Vonage to make this creep stop! So, the blocked numbers in Vonage will stay at least for a year before I remove them. I mean, think about it - 15 800-555-xxxx numbers calling at all different times of the day and Nomorobo lets the call ring through at one ring per call! That's 15 rings per day that begin to drive you NUTS!!! :-O Wow. Okay, I don't get anything like that volume of calls. I now understand your frustration. David Sitting on my butt while others boldly go, Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri. ID: 1810406 · |
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Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 31209 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32
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Scott with that volume of calls, I wonder if at least one person in your household has not responded to one of those privacy limit sharing flyers banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, charities, magazines etc. send. Sounds like they sold name/phone number with age off to the scammer lists. Go through everyone's accounts and set maximum limitation on sharing. I'm sure all your numbers are already on the national do not call list, which some scammers purchase to use as their call list! Don't expect results overnight, but a year from now you should have peace and quiet. Good luck.
ID: 1810413 · |
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TimeLord04 Send message Joined: 9 Mar 06 Posts: 21140 Credit: 33,933,039 RAC: 23
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Scott with that volume of calls, I wonder if at least one person in your household has not responded to one of those privacy limit sharing flyers banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, charities, magazines etc. send. Sounds like they sold name/phone number with age off to the scammer lists. We have 3 Vonage phone lines and one Vonage fax line. For the Vonage phone lines; one is my residential line, one is my parents' residential line, one is my dad's business line, the last line is my dad's business fax line. The fax line does not qualify for Nomorobo; NOR Vonage Call Blocking. (Unfortunately... 'Cause, somehow we're getting someone's Debt Collection Voice Calls coming in daily on the Fax Machine!!!) The remaining three lines are ALL listed in my personal Nomorobo Account, (for ease of maintenance for me); however, my parents' lines are separate Vonage Accounts in my dad's name. The IRS scammers are strictly calling my parents' home line. They also get random "Call Center" calls which get blocked by Nomorobo automatically - and thus only ring their home phone once per caller. As to their Vonage Call Blocking; I've only blocked five callers on my parents' home line. Dad's business line seems to be completely taken care of by Nomorobo - auto-blocking the "Call Center" Calls there, and has used ZERO of Vonage's Call Blocking Feature. The rest of the calls come in on my home phone! Two years ago, I got NO Scammer NOR "Call Center" calls. One year ago, I started getting calls. Come to find through the news announcement that Anthem Blue Cross got hacked, and ALL pertinent information on customers/patients WERE STOLEN! So, because of this, we started getting the harassing calls. Then CHASE Bank got hacked, minimal information was stolen there. ...AND, most recent - my family's Primary Care Physician's office was broken into, and patient information STOLEN!!! So, were FRAKKED!!! At least for the next few years. :-O TL [EDIT:] OH... ...AND, I forgot - Keeping on topic with this Thread; my parents' home line WAS getting the fake MS calls, too! I reported that to Nomorobo; and even though these are coming in from overseas, (India, and wherever else), Nomorobo seems to be blocking them, now. TL [EDIT 2:] ...AND, yes ALL of our lines are registered with the Federal "DoNotCall.gov" system. This; however, DID NOTHING for us - scammers and Call Centers still managed to call my parents' home line!!! Been on DoNotCall.gov for AT LEAST 5 years; maybe longer, whenever it got started is when I put all of our numbers there. TL TimeLord04 Have TARDIS, will travel... Come along K-9! Join Calm Chaos ID: 1810450 · |
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Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 31209 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32
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...AND, yes ALL of our lines are registered with the Federal "DoNotCall.gov" system. This; however, DID NOTHING for us - scammers and Call Centers still managed to call my parents' home line!!! Been on DoNotCall.gov for AT LEAST 5 years; maybe longer, whenever it got started is when I put all of our numbers there. After 5 years you have to renew.
ID: 1810521 · |
arkayn  Send message Joined: 14 May 99 Posts: 4438 Credit: 55,006,323 RAC: 0
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...AND, yes ALL of our lines are registered with the Federal "DoNotCall.gov" system. This; however, DID NOTHING for us - scammers and Call Centers still managed to call my parents' home line!!! Been on DoNotCall.gov for AT LEAST 5 years; maybe longer, whenever it got started is when I put all of our numbers there. Not with a cell phone. 
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TimeLord04 Send message Joined: 9 Mar 06 Posts: 21140 Credit: 33,933,039 RAC: 23
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...AND, yes ALL of our lines are registered with the Federal "DoNotCall.gov" system. This; however, DID NOTHING for us - scammers and Call Centers still managed to call my parents' home line!!! Been on DoNotCall.gov for AT LEAST 5 years; maybe longer, whenever it got started is when I put all of our numbers there. NOT true! As of five years ago; the rules and laws changed, and ONCE is all you need to register your numbers. As long as you maintain hold on those numbers, no future registration of said numbers is needed. That's what I read when I signed up for DoNotCall.gov. So, if they've changed back to something else; NO NOTICE was given to us! [EDIT:] Just looked it up AGAIN! NO EXPIRATION of registered numbers; UNLESS you surrender that number. If a number is surrendered and reissued to someone else; THEN that new customer MUST re-register that number in his/her name at DoNotCall.gov. "When You Might Need to Register Again How long does my phone number stay registered? Telephone numbers on the Registry don’t expire. We only remove your number when it’s disconnected and reassigned, unless you ask us to remove it." DoNotCall.gov Guidelines and Rules. TL [EDIT 2:] Also, if you change carriers; or, port your number from a landline to a VoIP carrier, THEN you MUST re-register as well. TL TimeLord04 Have TARDIS, will travel... Come along K-9! Join Calm Chaos ID: 1810560 · |
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