RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted October 31, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 31, 2011 When I worked in a call centre - an entirely legitimate one, I should add; and we waited for people to call us - some of my colleagues, particularly those who sounded as if they were from overseas on the phone, would get very annoyed with callers who would accuse them of being overseas! Some would go as far as asking them questions about the city we were based in to try to "catch them out". My wife had what turned out to be a genuine call from 'the bank' (albeit trying to sell some sort of 'service) from someone with a very foreign accent of the sort one associates with scam calls so the person was politely told 'I can't talk to you'. Herself then advised the bank that if they were going to use overseas call centres they had better be careful because they were beginning to present themselves as scammers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonB Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Had an email today from:- manager-no.707@facebook.com [Hello Your password will be changed automatically on November 1. Please find a new password attached to the letter. Best regards, FaceBook Service.] Attached was a Zip file. Since I don't have a facebook account, I think that I can safely say this is a spoof! Do face book have an address where we can forward such rubbish for their attention , or would they not be bothered? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted October 31, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 31, 2011 Had an email today from:- manager-no.707@facebook.com [Hello Your password will be changed automatically on November 1. Please find a new password attached to the letter. Best regards, FaceBook Service.] Attached was a Zip file. Since I don't have a facebook account, I think that I can safely say this is a spoof! Do face book have an address where we can forward such rubbish for their attention , or would they not be bothered? Probaly insist you open an account before you can tell them about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cary hill Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I have had the "Microsoft" scam calls, but the other day I had a call from the "subcontinent" with the usual abysmal spoken English, which appeared to be taking the format of a badly structured lifestyle survey interspersed with clumsy "charity chugger" type questions. Naturally my lifestyle answers were all untruthful and I declined all the "charitable" contribution proposals until I got bored with it all and ended the call after two or three minutes. I assume the object was to obtain my credit card/bank details for "charitable" purposes. Am I a "pathfinder" for this particular scam or have other members had the same type of call? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted October 31, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 31, 2011 I have had the "Microsoft" scam calls, but the other day I had a call from the "subcontinent" with the usual abysmal spoken English, which appeared to be taking the format of a badly structured lifestyle survey interspersed with clumsy "charity chugger" type questions. Naturally my lifestyle answers were all untruthful and I declined all the "charitable" contribution proposals until I got bored with it all and ended the call after two or three minutes. I assume the object was to obtain my credit card/bank details for "charitable" purposes. Am I a "pathfinder" for this particular scam or have other members had the same type of call? Not sure on that one - I never let 'em get that far with me as long before then I will have instructed them to go forth and multiply (or words to that effect). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Except for one niggling minor detail. It would be your number that would be doing the diversion, not theirs. Not a great problem if the landline is replaced by the premium-rate number. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium mezzoman253 Posted October 31, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 31, 2011 Had an email today from:- manager-no.707@facebook.com [Hello Your password will be changed automatically on November 1. Please find a new password attached to the letter. Best regards, FaceBook Service.] Attached was a Zip file. Since I don't have a facebook account, I think that I can safely say this is a spoof! Do face book have an address where we can forward such rubbish for their attention , or would they not be bothered? Also from UPS, Fedex, New York State traffic dept, Twitter, HSBC, etc, etc. It's a numbers game. Send out millions of emails, and you eventually get the right combination of account and company/service. The one poor reciepiant who bites loses the money out of his/her account or credit card. The chances of any of these being genuine and yourself falling foul of the sender are very minimal. Forward any you get to email@actionfraud.org.uk they will be looked at by the police for trends. Rob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Reading your replies gents I can make up my mind whether to laugh or cry! Beast - thanks for the offer, I'll let you know if I need any tips mate Mike - not so sure I've lead a sheltered life, I have been known to cross the county border from time to time! I've actually encountered more scams on my works mobile than we have via our landline, which is somewhat more worrying, all sorted now though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLD Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 We used to get a firm ringing up every few days in the signalbox offering us the deal of a lifetime if we bought a fitted kitchen from them. How good they were and their rep would call and measure up and design your kitchen for you for free, and then you got a discount on the purchase. One day some wag said yes rather than putting the phone down, gave the postcode and sure enough a couple of weeks later a snake oil salesman in a suit turned up at the cabin door, he was not amused to find that he had been had! Oddly enough the calls stopped though! That reminds me of the time a friend invited the double-glazing salesman to do a survey for a conservatory... on his third floor flat... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 That reminds me of the time a friend invited the double-glazing salesman to do a survey for a conservatory... on his third floor flat... I did that for a 1st floor flat, the sales person on the phone wouldn't take 'no' for an answer even when I said i didnt think it would be possible to fit a conservetory "oh, you'd be surprised what they can do" the call ended with "our sales engineer is looking forward to visiting you" "I'm looking forward to see how he plans on fitting it to a 1st floor flat" queue swearing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
QRModeller Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 There was a news feature two or three nights ago about this type of scam. They even showed how easy one of the methods of accessing peoples' computers is. I can't remember the full details but it included the victim providing details on a website and once that was done, the scammer had complete control over the other computer. Personally, I think it would be hilarious if someone was to reverse-engineer this method so to speak and end up having complete control over the scammers computers! While I'm at it, here's a few more of my little 'games' that I play when one of these pri*ks calls. Say 'My name-a Borat!' like he does when you answer and then continue like that if the caller hasn't already hung up. Inhale helium and then talk gibberish. When they say 'Is Mr./Mrs. [insert name here] there?', reply with 'Sorry, he/she's dead. But you can talk to me!' in an unusually happy/creepy way. Have an Ipod/Iphone or sound effect machine handy that has a realistic gunshot sound then play it loudly. Have badgerbadgerbadger.com handy (yes thank-you Boris that is still stuck in my head) and then hold the phone next to the computers speakers. Do a Robert de Niro with 'Are you talking to me?' etc. Ask them what time they'll be home for dinner. Have Agadoo or Justin Beiber playing loudly in the background. Have a line like this handy then repeat it: 'I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request. Means no!' (Pirates of the Caribbean 1) Type about a paragraph of meaningless dribble into the text to speech program on your computer then play it to them. Say 'I have massive diarrhoea. It's just pouring out of me and it's kinda green and has this chunky...' (continue until they beg you to stop or most likely hang up). Say in a loud voice 'I'm sorry but you'll have to speak up. I've got a boiled egg stuck in my ear.' In a childish voice say 'When I grow up, I want to be..' (continue on as you wish). Say in an inquisitive sort of way 'What does this button do?' Then hang up. Please note though that I'm yet to try the Robert de Niro and asking what time they'll be home for dinner ones yet. And also that sometimes the desired outcome is not achieved and the caller usually ends up hurling abuse. But, seen as I'll be home alone during the day for the next few weeks, they will surely be tested. As for the scammers hurling abuse at me, that's their problem. Sticks and stones. Anyway, I can hold my own against them when it comes to shouting through phones and besides, if I get bored of hearing them wasting their breath I can simply hang up. Matt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I do keep sasser worm in a handy place on my hardrive incase someone does hack into my mac (doesn't affect macs as it's looking for windows registry files) but generally I just mess with their heads a little bit and let them get bored. I did propose on behalf of my 'daughter' to one annoying caller a little while back, asking for six cammels . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mod5 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 As the op has had his query answered and this is going around in circles much as it did the last time this sort of thing was discussed (and the time before) I think it is as good a tine as any to close it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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