Scammers

[Markadiddle]

First thing that always comes to mind on this... Since when do credit card company's call you about information on your credit cards? Banks too for that matter.

It's kind of a sad world we live in now-a-days.

[PopsOldSkins]

Lesson I have learned over the years.
Phone rings. You don't recognize the number.
Don't answer. Look up the number To see if it is a freeloader.
If it is something of importance. They will leave a message.

[rickthedrummer]

Hmmmm.... You got me thinking, Rick. Gotta try that sometime.

That's a great story.

Mark and Mark,

You have to realize that:

1) My GF thinks I'm nuts.

2) I have 1 of the shortest fuses ever recorded.

3) If someone calls and wakes me up, my opening line is, "You have just awakened me from a sound sleep so this better be freakin' good." My GF tries to get to the phone before me in case it's something really important.

4) My brother went car shopping with me when I bought my '88 GT and on the way home, he told me he would never go shopping with me again, not even for a pack of butts.

I have a low tolerance for a lot of things, in fact, no tolerance for almost anything. The printer was only 1 out of many.

[late8]

Thanks Rich. As we get older we seem to be target on these scammers. Our generation is a little more cautious then our parents were. We are also more in the groove of things and are aware of scammers. Thanks for sharing some info that will surely help others here on DC.

Thanks for sharing your experience today. You're absolutely right about our generation verses the elder generation. My mom doesn't own a computer. She still uses a typewriter and still mails letters.

[Markadiddle]

My mom doesn't own a computer. She still uses a typewriter and still mails letters.

Funny you should say that Rich, so does my mom(writing letters either by hand or a typewriter). The thing that kills me... my dad was an electrical engineer his entire life. He understands computers and such. At 83 years old, he's no dummy. I just can't believe he fell for it as well. I take after him in many ways. Researching subjects, asking a ton of questions, skeptical, etc.

[Squeakthedrummer]

My own mother was nearly scammed a couple of years ago. Someone called the house claiming to be from Microsoft. They said that they were "looking at her computer and they found several viruses on it." The person said they "needed" to be allowed to remotely access her computer so they could "get rid" of the "viruses."

Luckily, Mom knows nothing about computers, so she handed the phone off to me. He went through his "speech" again, but before he could finish, I cut him off and told him I would deal with the "problem" myself. He wasn't happy and kept insisting that the "only way to remove the viruses" was if he did it remotely (controlling Mom's computer from his location). I figured he wanted to download some malware he could then use to steal personal info. So at that point, I hung up on him.

During my "conversation" with him, I noticed the following red flags:

1. He said he was from Microsoft, which, as far as I know, does not produce antivirus/antimalware software.

2. He claimed he could tell Mom's computer was infected by "looking at her computer" from another computer, without having any known (certainly not remote!) access to the computer in question. (To the best of my knowledge, it is impossible to tell if a computer is infected with malicious software/viruses from another computer without having remote access to said computer!)

3. He had a very heavy Indian or Nigerian accent.

I'm still quite furious that Mom almost got taken (and who can say exactly what that scumbag might have obtained from Mom's computer). Scammers are out there, and they tend to be very good at what they do. I consider myself fortunate that I do have a good amount of computer knowledge, so I was able to see right through that loser's fear tactic ("your computer will crash, or hackers will steal your personal info if I don't "fix" this problem right away").

My advice for others is: don't ever give out any personal information to anyone or allow anyone remote access to your computer unless you are the one who initiated the transaction (via phone, internet, etc.).

[Markadiddle]

1. He said he was from Microsoft, which, as far as I know, does not produce antivirus/antimalware software.

Good post, Squeak but.... the above is not true.

There is Microsoft Malicious Removal Tool, Windows Defender,LiveCareOne and a couple others I believe, but I digress.

You are absolutely right. Microsoft DOES NOT call people. These people who claim to be from Microsoft are just trying to scam you out of money for fake services and plant backdoor access.

[N2Bluz]

I was scammed about 17 years ago. The party in question gained full access to my bank account, cleaned me out and stole my personal identity. Regardless, I'm still married to her.

[kay-gee]

I was scammed about 17 years ago. The party in question gained full access to my bank account, cleaned me out and stole my personal identity. Regardless, I'm still married to her.

Double LOL!!!

My spleen hurts!

all the best...

[Markadiddle]

I was scammed about 17 years ago. The party in question gained full access to my bank account, cleaned me out and stole my personal identity. Regardless, I'm still married to her.

I must have been married to her sister. Same here. The Ex used to think just because there were blank checks in the checkbook, there was money. Same with credit cards.

My condolences brother.