Beware phone scam: We fix PC problems

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Mad Scientist
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#600523 26-Mar-2012 23:02

hahaha hmmm screen record for youtube? ;p

alexx

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#600867 27-Mar-2012 18:08

My daughter got a call this afternoon.
Sounded indian she said.
Knew the surname (we are in auckland and listed in the phonebook).
Wanted her to go to some website and were quite insistent, telling her that the computer would crash if she didn't do what they told her.
She hung up on them.

#include <standard.disclaimer>

xpd

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#600870 27-Mar-2012 18:14

Best thing you can do.

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nexttothemoon

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#601465 28-Mar-2012 18:53

We are getting these calls quite often now. We used to just hear from others about these "computer fixer" scam calls but ever got any but now in the last few weeks they are getting more and more regular.

Sometimes we tell them to F-off but depending on my mood I've also strung them along just to see what they'll do.

About a week ago I was called by one saying I had computer errors and they went through the typical routine... getting me to look at files on the computer and saying there were errors in there. Then they told me to go to this site:

www.tbs123.com and to type in a code.

Apparently that would let them look at my computer and they would "fix it". Obviously I didn't type in their "helpful code"... I think it was 9005 to allow them access to my computer.

I eventually said I was a computer tech and could fix my own PC after stringing 2 of their "technicians" along (they pass you off from an intro fellow to a "higher level" tech one once they have you hooked) for about 30 minutes.

Now today I got yet another call from an Indian lady with a strong accent who says she is from Auckland with firstpcsolutions.com

I typed that in to my computer and it says Server Not Found. I said I don't have time right now and I'm going out so could I get their phone number.

She gave me it... 098890239

So I thought I'd ring it back to see what's at that end... bother them a little in return. Sure enough a chap answers with a strong Indian accent and I ask is this PCSolutions... "It is yes". So I ask him "I'm trying to bring up your website address but it doesn't seem to work." Spent 5+ minutes with him making him repeat the website spelling and I still can't make it come up. Finally HE gets frustrated with me after asking if I'm a registered user of his company. I keep saying no... I keep saying "I need your website address spelled correctly so I can go to your website... how can I access anything if I can't get to your website?"

This goes on for a while in circles and clearly he's getting more frustrated with me... "I just can't seem to get the website up" and he keeps saying "I need to be a registered user"... so basically I keep going in circles with him to see how long he can stand it... eventually he hangs up in frustration. :)

If anyone wants to play around with them... that phone number seems to work... so if you are having major problems with errors on your computer and need some help with your PC and you really don't know what to do... hopefully everyone can ring them around the clock, 7 days a week and get them to help out. They shouldn't get frustrated so easily though... not a sign of good customer service. :)

Gilco2

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#601470 28-Mar-2012 19:06

we still get these calls.Last one was from Windows Repair in Wellington. They said I have a virus. I said I know you are scammers and even if a Windows machine sent message to you, why would my Linux machine call a windows centre. Didnt stop her at all. She said doesnt matter Linux, you download movies and music you got virus.
I didnt have time to carry on so hung up.
But yeah saying you run linux etc doesnt seem to bother them and they seem to start adapting now

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robjg63

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#601475 28-Mar-2012 19:17

Hmm - here is a link to http://www.firstpcsolution.com/contact-us.html
That phone number that nexttothemoon mentions is listed here.

The 'site' says at the bottom of the page it is
"POWERED BY ACE INFOTECH" - that link takes you to a site that says it does all sorts of lovely things - seems to be Indian based and has a number in the USA as well.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

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nexttothemoon

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#601489 28-Mar-2012 19:34

Good spotting. No wonder I couldn't get firstpcsolutions.com to come up. :) I typed in an extra s.

In my defense it's very hard to understand them with their strong Indian accents.

Is that site at all legit?

I'm wondering if the first lady who gave me that number is actually affiliated with that site as well... or is that a number she just gave me to throw me off their trail?

With all that info you'd think the authorities in NZ would have enough to charge and prosecute them and stop these scams once and for all.

Has no one in the appropriate NZ government department thought to try and follow up and track down these companies and actually do something about this? Maybe we can get the FBI involved as well as they seem to have some authority to actually get things done in NZ. :)

PaulZA

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#609322 14-Apr-2012 16:24

we got one of those calls a few days back. My dad answered, when they realised he was having none of it, and he was joking with them, they told him to F off before hanging up the phone.

freitasm

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#609380 14-Apr-2012 18:55

The irony...

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kfella2000

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#609630 15-Apr-2012 16:58

Gilco2: we still get these calls.Last one was from Windows Repair in Wellington. They said I have a virus. I said I know you are scammers and even if a Windows machine sent message to you, why would my Linux machine call a windows centre. Didnt stop her at all. She said doesnt matter Linux, you download movies and music you got virus.
I didnt have time to carry on so hung up.
But yeah saying you run linux etc doesnt seem to bother them and they seem to start adapting now

After about 3 or 4 calls maybe of telling them I use linux I havent had a call from them in ages and hope it stays that way. I still find it funny that they get a message from people that dont even have a computer and they ring these people to say they have a virus on their computer that they dont have.

MurrayM

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#609898 16-Apr-2012 11:47

I had one of these calls a few months ago and I decided to have some fun with them.

They said they were from "computer support" and so I said "Oh, you want the computer support department? One moment please" and then paused a few seconds and put on a different voice "Computer support department, how can I help you?"

They kept trying to say that they were ringing me to offer me support, and I kept saying "But I'm the PC support technician, how can I help you?"

This went round and round for a while, with me asking them which part of the company they were calling from and trying to tell them that they had called a large company that had its own computer support department.

Eventually they gave up.

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sen8or

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#610200 16-Apr-2012 19:56

I wonder how long that phone number would last if it was listed on a telemarketers hotlist? Get them phing trying to sell skytv packages, power company ones etc or the old "youve qualified for a prize, let me put you through to the prize department" ones, surely something can be done with a working ph no?

keewee01

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#610242 16-Apr-2012 21:36

I had some fun with them last month... led them on for ages and ages, made them repeat everything heaps of times.

Then I asked them "What's plastic and goes click?". They repeated it a couple of times and then I asked again and hung up.

They rang back apologising that they had lost the call and so we continued for a few more minutes and then I asked again and hung up. They rang back twice more...

After a bit longer they were asked me to do something and I responded that it had thrown up an error message. This threw them as they didn't expect it and they wanted me to read them out the error message.

"Indian Scammers are trying to infect your computer" I read out to them.

"Indian Scammers are trying to infect your computer?" they replied back to me.

"Indian Scammers are trying to infect your computer" I repeated to them.

The guy then asked me to repeat the steps that led up to this, which I told him I was doing (whilst reading my email and browsing the web).

"Indian Scammers are trying to infect your computer" I reported to him again...

This really had him stumped... to the point where he went to get his supervisor and I read the message to him. He was stumped also...and they talked about it for a few seconds in a confused manner before there was an exclamation and the call was ended.

Oh I had some fun that night!

Tarq57

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#610600 17-Apr-2012 15:28

That's a real good error message.
Brilliant.

Oh God, what've I done to it now??

Athlonite

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#610914 18-Apr-2012 02:04

Ha Ha ROFL @ "Indian scammers are trying to infect your computer"

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