Microsoft Calling

[marvholly]

AGAIN!

I have not gotten this call in a while (>6 months?) but did again last week. Went into my 'computers are the work of the devil' tirade. IF I get another (and remember) I will ask what they mean since I have a mac.

Robo calls are a continuous daily event on my landline. I am even starting to get them on my cell where only 5 people have the number.

[Virgil Showlion]

Microsoft calling
To the zombies of death
Quit holding out
And draw another breath

Microsoft calling
And I don't want to shout
but while we were talking
I saw you running out

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

LOL!  Good job, Marv!

Last week, I got one of those calls from the IRS telling me that I needed to immediately pay for some sort of problem with my tax form.  I *just* missed the phone call, dammit.  I need new meat, I've not gotten a call in awhile.

[Abby Normal]

We've recieved the IRS call a few times.  I keeps freaking my son out - who is the first home to hear the message.  Only freaks him out because FIL died owing a bunch of taxes and he knows that the estate wasn't large enough to cover them.  He keeps thinking they are coming after that money.

I told him, rest assured. The irs send nasty grams- they do not call.  And if you are that far behind, they just take your money. 

[violagirl]

We had some elderly friends fall for this scam. They went so far as to head to the Western Union office to send money. As they were telling us the story we were in disbelief. I always wondered who falls for such blatant scams but apparently people still do. I hate that my generation is so cynical. Would be nice if you could trust someone who calls you and tells you you won a cruise. 

My parents are too polite with the scammers when they call, we tell them if you pick up the phone and there is a moment of silence, just hang up it is the call center connecting. Don't even talk to them. 

[Tennesseer]

My landline phone system allows me to block up to 2,500 unwanted caller phone numbers.  So far I have about 250 numbers blocked.  A few of those numbers belong to the bogus Microsoft scam.  A few belong to the IRS scam.

Phone numbers not recognized don't get answered.  I then check 800Notes to see if there are any complaints about the caller's phone number.  Usually there are.  The phone number then gets blocked.  Once blocked, and if they call again from the same number, my phone will note the call but not ring.  So until the scammers call me using a new number, I am not bothered by them.

If you are interested in 800Notes, here is a link to their site.

800Notes

[swamp]

I got the Microsoft call too.

I thanked them for telling my computers had a virus, but said their services weren't needed as everyone in the family had gotten their vaccinations at the vet.

[Deleted]

Have you guys gotten the robo calls that display your own name and number on caller ID?

swamp, I love the "we've already been vaccinated at the vet" response.  I think I will use that one next time. 

[cronewitch]

I am too dumb to own a computer so I just act dumb tell them I don't have a computer, hard to believe but I am sure I couldn't learn to computer it sounds hard.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jun 22, 2015 14:06:00 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Have you guys gotten the robo calls that display your own name and number on caller ID?

swamp, I love the "we've already been vaccinated at the vet" response.  I think I will use that one next time. 

Yes.  What's even worse is that we've gotten a robo call where TD's doctor's office was displayed.  He was waiting for some blood work results, so this really pissed us off.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 22, 2015 14:06:00 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Have you guys gotten the robo calls that display your own name and number on caller ID?

swamp, I love the "we've already been vaccinated at the vet" response.  I think I will use that one next time. 

Me. About five times. Out of curiosity, I am tempted to take my landline phone number off of call block and answer the phone when my phone number calls me just to see who exactly is calling me.

[marvholly]

Swamp
I, too, LOVE the vet line. Even better than my I have a mac line. Hope to remember it. I do not have caller ID on my landline (nor call blocking). I do NOT answer numbers I do not recognize on my cell phone.

[Opti]

Jun 22, 2015 14:06:00 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Have you guys gotten the robo calls that display your own name and number on caller ID?

swamp, I love the "we've already been vaccinated at the vet" response.  I think I will use that one next time. 

Yes. If I get something like that, whether on the phone or via email from "my" account, I know it is spam for sure. No answer/delete is my policy.

Most of the calls I get are spam. Honestly I think sometimes they monitor the line and just after you made or received a call they assume you will answer.  Generally not me, though. I did pick up a scammer doing the Microsoft call because I was waiting for my fellow PTer to give me a call and tell me how the night went or something. I answered the phone something like 'A is that you'?

The caller started on the MS scam script, and I cut him off almost immediately. I said 'I am waiting for a call from A, I don't do scams and scam callers.' Bye. Loud hang up to end call & stew for a few seconds.

Thankfully spoke to A shortly after that.

[teen persuasion]

Jun 23, 2015 6:45:05 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 22, 2015 14:06:00 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Have you guys gotten the robo calls that display your own name and number on caller ID?

swamp, I love the "we've already been vaccinated at the vet" response.  I think I will use that one next time. 

Yes. If I get something like that, whether on the phone or via email from "my" account, I know it is spam for sure. No answer/delete is my policy.

Most of the calls I get are spam. Honestly I think sometimes they monitor the line and just after you made or received a call they assume you will answer.  Generally not me, though. I did pick up a scammer doing the Microsoft call because I was waiting for my fellow PTer to give me a call and tell me how the night went or something. I answered the phone something like 'A is that you'?

The caller started on the MS scam script, and I cut him off almost immediately. I said 'I am waiting for a call from A, I don't do scams and scam callers.' Bye. Loud hang up to end call & stew for a few seconds.

Thankfully spoke to A shortly after that.

I don't have caller id, so I don't see what number they are calling from, but I have wondered if these scammers can somehow monitor your line.  I rarely get phone calls, but if the phone rings once in a day, it rings >5 times that day it seems.  I haven't gotten the IRS scam, but we get the MS one all the time.

Yesterday, I got a call, said "hello" and waited to see who it was.  The other person immediately asks "who is this", which raises red flags - I'm not going there - so I ask who they are calling for.  Then I get a quiet little "Mom?", but the voice is definitely not DD1, DS2, could it be DD3?  DS4 was right next to me.  Nope, it was DS5, he'd forgotten to get a permission slip signed for face painting, so the office let him call from school to get permission!  I'm so resigned to scam phone calls that I answer the phone defensively now at home.

[toomuchreality]

I get the MS calls all the time. I keep thinking they'll get tired of me calling them a liar, or saying I don't believe them, then telling them to put me on their do not call list.

I hate these calls!  I blocked another one, just today.

Maybe next time I'll tell them to hold on, while I get someone that cares, Then I'll set the phone down (without hanging up). I'd like to annoy them and waste their time, like they do me.  Ugh.

[marvholly]

Another thing I have been doing for ALL robo calls this month is to just let the spiel go and sometimes repeat multiple times. Cost them as much $$ ads possible.  Maybe if it is NOT worth their while to make the calls (if enough of us do it) they will stop or at least get reduced.

[skubikky]

Can you get rid of your landline?

[Tennesseer]

Jun 22, 2015 16:58:57 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 22, 2015 14:06:00 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

Have you guys gotten the robo calls that display your own name and number on caller ID?

swamp, I love the "we've already been vaccinated at the vet" response.  I think I will use that one next time. 

Me. About five times. Out of curiosity, I am tempted to take my landline phone number off of call block and answer the phone when my phone number calls me just to see who exactly is calling me.

Update: I got a call from 'myself' yesterday afternoon though I did not bother picking it up to see who it was.

[marvholly]

Jun 24, 2015 7:26:42 GMT -5 skubikky said:

Can you get rid of your landline?

No. My cell is a pay as you go type thing, mostly for emergencies while I am out or letting someone know I am running early/late. Also, I am getting a BUNCH of calls on numbers i do NOT reconize on my cell.  Believe those are probably robo calls.

[Virgil Showlion]

I've never gotten the "Microsoft" call.

How exactly does the scam work? Why would I give my financial/CC info to somebody from Microsoft, even if I believed they really did represent Microsoft?

[marvholly]

Jun 25, 2015 10:33:34 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

I've never gotten the "Microsoft" call.

How exactly does the scam work? Why would I give my financial/CC info to somebody from Microsoft, even if I believed they really did represent Microsoft?

They call saying your computer is infected w/a virus. They DEMAND access to 'fix' it. They end up installing virus/malware/data grabbing programs to get at the least cc and bank info.