Beware phone scam: We fix PC problems

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6 posts

Wannabe Geek

Reply # 615980 27-Apr-2012 12:44
I always ask my flatmates to pass me the phone - I enjoy playing around with these guys, so much fun :)

ChevronX

271 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 615984 27-Apr-2012 12:53
xpd: Best thing you can do. Agreed! Hanging up is the best thing, at work we have received several computers from people who have actually gone ahead and paid. Although it is nothing too sinister its mainly Malwarebytes/CCleaner but they charge $300.00-$400.00 for it. Luckily the bank's usually reverse the transaction. "The Atlantis base, brings greetings from the pegasus galaxy, you may cut power to the gate!."- Dr Weir (Rising) New Zealand · http://www.chevronx.com · http://www.incinerate.co.nz

DjShadow

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Reply # 627001 17-May-2012 18:30
Saw this piece on NZ Herald where they got a Police Station, even after the officer telling them they were speaking to the police they carried on http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10806532

maverick

3451 posts

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WorldxChange

Reply # 627020 17-May-2012 19:22
Just answer and ask them to hold , leave the phone off the hook and see how long they hang around for.. :) Yes I am a employee of WxC (My Profile) ... but I do have my own opinions as well

kfella2000

440 posts

Ultimate Geek

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Reply # 627045 17-May-2012 20:12
I got my first phone call from them in a number of months just this weekend gone by and once again told them I am running linux and then hung up on them. They didnt ring back

hairy1

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Reply # 627047 17-May-2012 20:18
I am sure they are not crossing names off a list and are simply working their way randomly through the white pages. When they finish they go back to the start again. I am certainly not "blacklisted" from them as they call me up every now and again. Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Note 10.1, ASUS UX31e Ultrabook, Mysky HDi, 2talk

Hobchild

348 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 627248 18-May-2012 10:59
hairy1: I am sure they are not crossing names off a list and are simply working their way randomly through the white pages. When they finish they go back to the start again. I am certainly not "blacklisted" from them as they call me up every now and again. Agreed I get called frequently, all but one of them hang up as soon as they work out I am onto them. This one guy decided that he would prove to me that he was legit after I told him to get a real job. He told me my first and last name but didn't know my middle (surprise surprise). He the went on to tell me my address and what my house looked like (I congratulated him on his google street view skills). I then told him that I don't mind the viruses as they need a home too. He then preceded to tell me that my computer was sending their computers viruses (he was starting to get quite upset). I was laughing quite hard when I said that is what I like to do. He started getting quite angry but I'd had enough as he just wouldn't quit, so I told him I was hanging up, he threatened to call back but never did.

gzt

3202 posts

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Reply # 627257 18-May-2012 11:25
What is the exact boundary before something like this is worthwhile to investigate and extradite the people taking the profit from these operations? The scam must have taken total funds adding up to a large bank error by now. Which one would you rather see media, police and diplomats spend huge amounts of time and effort on?

nexttothemoon

35 posts

Geek

Reply # 627270 18-May-2012 11:46
Obviously I think it's an issue that these entities are located in areas like India/Sri Lanka which have different rules and regulations and no government body here in NZ has any authority over them. In the one I called back... they use a NZ phone number that routes back to India so they give the appearance of being in NZ but obviously they aren't. There is definitely fraud going on and they are ripping people off but I just get the sense that the NZ government has chucked it into the too hard basket. If that's the case though they seriously need to educate more people through TV ads, radio, mailouts etc to just HANG UP when anyone calls you about anything to do with repairing anything over the phone. They need to make it clear that these people are criminals looking to con and rip people off. The message can't be getting through to everyone because some people are still falling for these cons.

Skolink

935 posts

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Reply # 627274 18-May-2012 11:55
I finally got one of these calls last week, but to my frustration my Win2k VMware virtual machine wouldn't boot, and I was acutally quite busy cooking dinner for guests. I asked if he would call back at 9pm, but to my disappointment he didn't. I should probably try installing an even older OS like Win95 to really make things entertaining.

gzt

3202 posts

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Reply # 627278 18-May-2012 12:01
nexttothemoon: Obviously I think it's an issue that these entities are located in areas like India/Sri Lanka which have different rules and regulations and no government body here in NZ has any authority over them. Well given the amount of police time and diplomacy spent on chasing one single idiot for a bank error I don't think that is a valid argument at all.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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Reply # 627280 18-May-2012 12:03
But a $10 million bank error is not like a $120 poor mom handing over money to these idiots retards bastards con artists thieves, is it ;) I mean, banks and all... Mauricio Freitas (Geekzone Admin, Devil's Advocate, my blog, technology disclosure, my tweets, Web Performance Optimization) Geekzone Price comparison \| Amazon Kindle order page \| How to get the best out of Geekzone \| New Zealand IT Jobs \| Geekzone News \| Jinglebugs

Ramboss

127 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 627286 18-May-2012 12:10
I get these calls every two months or so i used to get annoyed but now i always have a bit of fun with them, always use NZ slang and accent they struggle to keep up, and just as im about to loose them (eg they hang up) i always mention credit cards and that draws them back in. Wanted to give myself a challenge see how long i can keep them on the phone before they hang up. How long have others messed with them for? (sorry if this has already been discussed didn't want to read 14 pages just to put in my 2 cents in)

keewee01

IT Professional
1218 posts

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Reply # 627491 18-May-2012 20:00
Ramboss: (sorry if this has already been discussed didn't want to read 14 pages just to put in my 2 cents in) Do your time - read the thread like the rest of us!

Ramboss

127 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 627514 18-May-2012 20:30
keewee01: Ramboss: (sorry if this has already been discussed didn't want to read 14 pages just to put in my 2 cents in) Do your time - read the thread like the rest of us! Sorry but time is money and its 14 pages of reading and as i said i only put my 2 cents in, reading that much is way more than the 2 cents i wanted to put in.

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