nasty telephone call

I have received a nasty/ stupid telephone call advising me that my desktop computer is infected with virus !!. The caller purported to be from " windows service" not Microsoft. My wife who answered the call initially was taken in. The caller wanted me to switch on my machine and he will show me where the virus is.!!
I do not know what one must do in such circumstances, calling the police is pointless.
Needless to say I checked my machine ( full acan- nearly 5 hours) and found nothing ( microsoft security essential). Has anybody received similar calls and what can one do about it??

Lots of this and similar scams about. Be polite, refuse all help and put the phone down.

Hi

We get these sporadically. If I'm in the mood, I engage the caller in conversation, such as; "aahh, now which computer are you referring to?" to which the answer is almost invaraibly " your main computer...." " Yes, but which one? The Unix box or or one of the linux servers.... there's about 20 here......." and so on. All lies of course, but only responding in kind. Or perhaps " computer..... what computer??? "

They eventually hang up.

If I'm not inclined to chat with them I simply reply "no, you aren't being honest are you" and I hang up.

Scare tactics. Ignore.

Cheers

John

Just ignore it...

In reply to a post by Dick_B:

Lots of this and similar scams about. Be polite, refuse all help and put the phone down.

When someone cold-calls me and uses scare tactics to try and sell me something I don't want, I feel no overwhelming urge to be polite...

Same here - I used to try a modicum of politeness by merely stating that we're registered with TPS once I could get word in, but they can often get rude or persistent.

More recently, if it's 'number witheld' or 'unavailable', I usually lift up the reciever and then hang up.

I had the Microsoft or Windows suport scam call too before I'd heard about it elsewhere - only days after getting a new computer that was bang up to date for scans, firewalls and updates.
I just felt sure that Microsoft wouldn't make such a call.
He insisted he needed to check my computer and I insisted he did not - he hung up!

My Mum got one on the phone a couple of months ago. She kept him on the phone for at least ten minutes then told him she doesn't have a computer. I wouldn't worry.

Don't be polite, be as rude as you can possibly bear. This works !

I know I have done it and they can not stand foul language or worse.

They are scum trying to scam you and get confidential information, treat them as such.

I usually have a wee bit of fun with them just depends how I feel when they ring.

Usually goes along these lines :-

Brrrr brrrr

Yes ?

This is John from the Computer maintenance company

Yes ?

Maaaaaam - we have been having reports that you have some problems with your windoze computer

Yes ?

Would you please switch it on

Why ?

So we can help you

Oh ?

We can tell you why you are having problems.

When did it tell you I was having problems ?

Yesterday maaaaaam

Strange - it's not been switched on for the last three months !

Phone is hung up on me.

Did I do something wrong ?

I'd agree with this, do not be polite to scammers. Growing up I travelled with my parents and as little boys do, I acquired a foul vocabulary in several languages which I remember to this day even though I forget what I did last week ...

Arabic, Hindi or Urdu does not seem to matter, the volley of obscenity works a treat as well as being very satisfying. They drop the phone like a hot potato