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Anyone getting calls from "Windows"?

lulu

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Messages
2,328
I need help. I have received several phone calls from the Windows folks in India and I know they must be important because they call very early in the morning.
Caller number one told me that my computer was infected with viruses and she wanted to help me. We had a nice discussion, but when I asked her if I could actually contract any of these viruses through the laptop she hung up on me.

Second caller was surprised when I told him the computer was still in the box and had never even been turned on. But he was open to the suggestion that maybe the dog or cats had turned it on. I told him the cats were not as smart as the dog but they are trickier and offered to have the cats call him. When I said I wanted him to call them back on their own little cellphones(I don't want to pay for calls to India) he hung up on me.

Then this morning they called again and said someone must be using the computer(presumably the cats) he said my computer had viruses from websites all over the world. But when I asked him if any of the websites were African, and maybe it was ebola, and could the cats get ebola he hung up on me.

I tried to call them back to get to the bottom of this thing but when I called the number on the id it was not a valid number. I know this is important and I have many more questions for these guys, so if they call any of you please get their phone number for me. The cats and I are very worried.
 

Sky56

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
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1,038
They are scammers who want access to your computer, bank accounts and credit cards.
It's a big problem and lots of people have been called by them, including myself. Three months ago, they called me a lot. I did research on this scam, and many people have been ripped off by them. Beware! Ignore, unless you want to report them, which I did!
 

monarch64

Super_Ideal_Rock
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18,394
I think next time you should put them on speaker phone with the cats and let them handle it. :lol:
 

ruby59

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 5, 2004
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3,553
I have been receiving the same calls. I have reported them to the attorney general in my home state and to the FCC. They are scammers. I was told to just hang up when they call and not to say anything to them. It just encourages them to call back.
 

VapidLapid

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 18, 2010
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4,271
I had a call today about my final opportunity to lower my interest rates as regards to the financial stimulus. The nice gentlman said he would try to get me down to as little as 1.3%so we talked for a while about debt and credit cards. He was calling from credit services, which a quick search on the internet dhowed is in Orlando FLA, nice to be working with an American company. Although he did sound much like the Bangleseshi cab driver I had the other day. He let me know that they are contracted by the credit card companies to help people lower their payments. It warmed my heart to think of all the creditcard companies paying third parties to lower their revenue. I asked him from where he had gotten my number, and he said my credit card company. So thoughtful. I asked which one, and he said Mastercard discover visa amex. WOW Everyone it seems. Then I told him that I have no credit cards and never have. And he started calling me a lying f@&&ot and a litany of other epithets. I made a few more points that I shant post. Having looked up the company I found that the BBB has a jihad of complaints about them already, to which I added my little prayer.
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
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10,928
Scam. Scam. Scam.

I've gotten the same "Windows" call, and I have an Apple computer.

I figure anyone who calls me who I don't know and/or with whom I haven't initiated a business relationship is either a scam, or asking for money. Either way I feel perfectly OK hanging up on them. And that goes double if they pretend to be from my bank or loan company or credit card company or whatever... and they're vague about which bank etc. it is... because I HATE being lied to.
 

Karl_K

Super_Ideal_Rock
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13,191
I just wish they would call me... I could have a couple hours of fun.
They called a friend of mine and he kept them on the phone for an hour and half until they hung up.
I want to see if I can beat that!
 

JewelFreak

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
7,768
Definitely, your cats should take the next call -- and give him their bank account no.

I got a bunch of calls informing me that I had won a full scholarship to nursing school. Which interested me no end, because I didn't apply to nursing school & I graduated from college mffm years ago. When I inquired as to which school it was, the callers always had a coughing fit. I told each of them how very concerned I was about the other Jewel Freak who had won this scholarship & didn't know it. The more strongly I regretted for her, the quicker they hung up. Guess they were in a hurry to find the real scholarship winner. :rolleyes:
 

MissGotRocks

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Messages
14,341
I have gotten that Windows call several times. It is very difficult to understand the caller and no matter what I say, they persist in carrying on with their scam. I once told them I have an Apple (which I don't) and they hung up on me!
 

ame

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Jul 7, 2004
Messages
10,794
We don't answer our home phone. DH works from home, so he dials in, and the only calls that come to that line during his hours are work calls that are really calling his desk line. After he disconnects that line, we don't answer that line, unless the caller ID flashes on TV and it's his mom or something. But typically anyone who actually knows us calls one of our cellphones because they know not to call the house. That usually solves the problem with the scam calls.

On the RARE occasion my husband gets a call that's not work related on the main line and answers it, he either immediately hangs up before they can get a word out, or it's something that belongs on a recording for later amusement because he messes with them SO badly.
 

TooPatient

Ideal_Rock
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Sep 1, 2009
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9,984
Microsoft takes these things VERY seriously and would like things like this reported directly to them. There should be information on how to contact them somewhere on the website. They actually have people who specifically work on these scams.

(I had a similar problem but in e-mail form. DH passed it on so I don't know where the specific contact info is)
 

purplesparklies

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 28, 2010
Messages
743
Re: Anyone getting calls from "Windows"?

I had a guy call me with that scam a year ago or so. I told him I only use an iPad. He actually argued with me. He was very rude and insistent. I hung up and he called me back! Twice! He told me he would keep calling because they would keep getting a "signal" from my computer. I finally left the phone off the hook.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Dec 17, 2008
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25,387
:clap: Got a good laugh from your post...Be careful, that ebola might take out all the computers in your house...cellphones too :cheeky: .
 

luv2sparkle

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 3, 2008
Messages
7,937
I LOVE when those people call! I always ask them if they would like my bank account and pin numbers. I have had more than one of them cuss me out and hang up. It's entertaining to make them think I am buying their line before I let them have it. Usually, I am the one irritated by phone solicitors so to make them mad give me just a little tickle.
 

CJ2008

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 31, 2006
Messages
4,750
What makes these types of scams so scary is that they EVENTUALLY get someone to bite...and usually, they're seniors or someone who just isn't savvy... :(sad

I have not received these calls, but I sell a lot of stuff on CL. And even me, very savvy, who doesn't trust anything even remotely weird, almost (and by almost I mean still pretty damn far away from doing it, but the fact that I CONSIDERED it was scary to me after because I know had they gotten a hold of a senior or someone else, they might have fallen for it.) Went back and forth several times with someone who said they were interested in a broken monitor I was selling - long story short, first he asked me how far I was from where he was. Then said he might have a friend pick it up since he was out of the country. Then said friend wouldn't and begged me to ship it (internationally - biggest red flag right there) that he would pay through PayPal and even open a UPS account etc because he thought he could learn something from trying to fix the monitor since he was trying to get into the PC repair business. He agreed the screen would be considered sold immediately after UPS picked it up and not returnable for any reason. It was all very slow and he said a lot of things that sounded OK and was very nice and he built up to the asking. Ultimately I said I would not do it that when he's back in the US and he can come and pay cash to give me a call.

I can't say 100% for sure that it was an attempted scam of only $15 but I still reported the whole email thread to [email protected].

I feel like even though *I* didn't fall for it someone else might.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Aug 14, 2009
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:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

lulu, thank you, you made my morning!
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
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CJ2008|1410364049|3748401 said:
What makes these types of scams so scary is that they EVENTUALLY get someone to bite...and usually, they're seniors or someone who just isn't savvy... :(sad

This. Absolutely.

My father is hard of hearing, so when my mother was alive she took all the phone calls. I spent quite a bit of time at their house in the first few weeks after she passed away. Twice my father asked me to follow up on robo calls that sounded promising to him. One in particular had to do with medical alert devices, something that we'd discussed and which is of course of particular interest to seniors. Both times I was able to look up the key words and show him that the call was a scam... and reiterate the basic rules - if it's an unsolicited call from someone you don't know, it's most likely someone who's trying to scam you. I know the message sunk in because now when he gets a phone call he looks at the caller ID and ignores calls from callers he doesn't recognize!
 

diamondringlover

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 12, 2006
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4,268
I have caller ID I do not answer any calls from anyone that I dont know...they never leave messages!
 

CJ2008

Ideal_Rock
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VRBeauty|1410372094|3748502 said:
CJ2008|1410364049|3748401 said:
What makes these types of scams so scary is that they EVENTUALLY get someone to bite...and usually, they're seniors or someone who just isn't savvy... :(sad

This. Absolutely.

My father is hard of hearing, so when my mother was alive she took all the phone calls. I spent quite a bit of time at their house in the first few weeks after she passed away. Twice my father asked me to follow up on robo calls that sounded promising to him. One in particular had to do with medical alert devices, something that we'd discussed and which is of course of particular interest to seniors. Both times I was able to look up the key words and show him that the call was a scam... and reiterate the basic rules - if it's an unsolicited call from someone you don't know, it's most likely someone who's trying to scam you. I know the message sunk in because now when he gets a phone call he looks at the caller ID and ignores calls from callers he doesn't recognize!

Yes...

I can't tell you how many times I get calls from my parents asking the same...or "we saw theses commercials for x or y do you think it sounds good?" and 99.9% of the time they are so OBVIOUSLY things they should stay away from.

And I've had to call and reverse charges - like the time my mother paid $200 for antivirus protection. :sick:

I actually called my parents and left a message on their machine about this Windows thing, warning them. And like you, I took the opportunity to remind them about calls from people, but I tell them even people who claim to be from ANYWHERE, even companies they DO deal with. I tell them "take their number and information, then call the NUMBER ON YOUR BILL and tell them so and so called you. Don't call the # they give you." Yes, sometimes those calls will be legit and she'll waste a little time but it's worth the peace of mind she'll be talking directly with the legit company.
 

TC1987

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
1,833
Karl_K|1410332479|3748249 said:
I just wish they would call me... I could have a couple hours of fun.
They called a friend of mine and he kept them on the phone for an hour and half until they hung up.
I want to see if I can beat that!
That's hysterical, Karl! :lol:

They are scammers. The same outfit was running some other scam about a year ago, and then transitioned to the Windows scam. I have my numbers on the do not call list. So, I tallied up 3 calls and the number used, and then the next 3 calls and the number, etc. And reported that to FCC via the online form. Doing that ended all scam calls on my phones, regardless of the scam.
 

lulu

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Messages
2,328
I'm with you, Karl. If I have time I love messing with these folks. You have to make your own fun!
 
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