# Microsoft phone scam



## AccidentalAquarist (Sep 11, 2013)

Hey all

I just got a phone call from a "Microsoft" representative. 
He said that my operating system and office software licenses had been compromised. I played along for a bit while he described how he could fix the problem remotely from his office, he just needed some info from the computer and some of my personal info to confirm it's my licenses that are affected. 

That's when I started laughing, I've been running linux for about 15 years. 

Anyway the caller ID showed "New York" 052-790-061 - only 9 digits and 052 is not a New York area code AFAIK.
I've heard of this sort of thing before but never actually experienced it.. 

Hope no one falls for this crap


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## Sliver (Apr 19, 2011)

i've been praying that i get one of those guys calling me since i first heard about it years ago. i'm going to have SO much fun with them!


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

I sometimes get these calls. Usually I just ask him flat out - Why are you trying to steal my money?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Yup, had these calls too.

My brother-in-law's sister actually fell for it and it wasn't even her own computer. She ended up screwing up and compromising her sister's computer. Boy, was her sister POed.


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## Kimrocks (Aug 30, 2011)

Got a call last Monday. I exclaimed loudly - oh Thank God you are here to save me! - Guy said that they had detected porn and that they have been asked to investigate. I said - Wow you guys are really good. Do you need my credit card now?

I think I sounded too sarcastic cause the guy hanged up on me . . .

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## jhj0112 (Jul 30, 2013)

When I get these kind of calls, I do one of the following.

1. I just play along for 30 secs then say "can you hold?" leave the phone on.. watch hockey/football game for 5-10 mins.. say " sorry just one sec" then continue watching it..then they hang up.. ( I do have call waiting option so I don't miss any call)

2. Just say hello first. when I realize it's them, I start speaking gibberish non-english language for 30 secs then they hang up! always works for me lol


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## AccidentalAquarist (Sep 11, 2013)

Gee and I thought asking him what BASH command to use in order to get the info he needed was creative.
I started laughing when he went silent then hung up
guess I have to work on something a bit better for the next time.


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## scott tang (Jan 29, 2012)

i had this hapen no one elts was home im sick atm so im kinda board i spent 1 and a half hours mesing with the woman giving fake numbers i mean like after geting it rong 2 times youd think she woulda figured out im mesing with her


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

well unfortunatly alot of people fall for it. I have a friend barb and her friend carol and her husband asked to borrow 500$ as she got a job with microsoft doing computer work from home but she needed to send money so they could clear the payment........a week later they needed $1500 more and would pay them back in a week . then they came to say they coulnt pay them back cuase it fell thru.....as soon as barb told me i googled it. i knew as soon as she told me microsoft needed money to pay her. well, I guess the money they borrowed from barb was their last resort as they had already sent all money they had accesss to. turned out they got sucked in for $20thousand all together. in oder to pay off this money , carol had to seell the house her mom left her. it was the house she grew up in. alot of people get fooled. thread is a good reminder to not get complacent about things


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Some people just shouldn't be allowed to answer a telephone or go outside.

Honestly when you see and actually hear the recordings and so on of how these people con others out of money it makes you wonder how someone could be so naive to fall for something like this.

BTW I just got a new job, but I need some money so I can cash my first pay cheque, first 10 people who send me $100 I will repay the loan at . 3% in the future, please message me for your banking details =)

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hrmmm doesn't seem to work no one messaged me


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## Fishy_Addiction (May 3, 2013)

My boyfriend almost sold a vacuum to one of these guys! XD except this was back east in Ontario. The guy who was trying to scam him was about to give him his credit card number. When he said the first number, he hung up or said I was joking around something like. 

Sent from my GT-P6210 using Tapatalk 2


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

I had a guy call me with a heavy Jamaican accent and after every question he said "okay"...I played along with him for about 15 minutes. I asked him how long it would take him to connect to my computer, he said we already are connected...I said really cause I don't have my computer connected to the internet. I said.." the police have traced this call and will be arriving a you door shortly, all I heard was CLICK


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

For one scam, I actually kept them on the phone while I googled the number on my caller ID. It turned out to be in Montreal, so after about fifteen minutes of the guy trying to convince me that I had won an RV and I just needed to send them $2000 to cover the paperwork, I told him that my buddy whose in the RCMP is going to be dropping off the money for me and he hung up when I gave him the address of the office building he was scamming from. Hehehehe. That was sooooo much fun.

Back in the day, my sister used to get crank calls all the time from two kids (sounded like boy & girl). This was before caller ID. What I would do is have her talk softly into the phone while I set up my dad's big, powerful stereo system so that it would play static at full volume. Then I would take the phone and hold it up to the speaker and hit power. For some reason, they always hung up. How rude, eh?


On a less positive note:

My wife's friend, a doctor from Winnipeg, has been scammed $35,000 by those Nigerian scam artists who claim that they were representing some old lady in the UK who heard her speak and died, with a final wish of wanting to donate all her savings to the doctor. All they needed was some money for legal fees. The forms and letters they emailed her had all sorts of spelling and grammatical errors. Totally unprofessional. No possible way it could be from a bunch of lawyers. Yet she fell for it. Even though everyone told her it was a scam, she kept sending them money for years. It was like her ego could not accept that she was being ripped off and so she just kept perpetuating this fiction in her head until she drained her bank account and was borrowing money from others to send to the scam artists. It was very sad to watch this senior losing everything, including her mind over this scam.


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## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

its definetly 90% nigerians regardless where the phone calls came from, other 10% south koreans


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

nigerian prince said:


> its definetly 90% nigerians regardless where the phone calls came from, other 10% south koreans


So sayeth their "Prince", so it's NOT racist :bigsmile:


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## nigerian prince (Mar 8, 2013)

if you ever hear something along these lines in your life: western union money order (or any combination of these words, or western union in general), regardless of who it is walk away its a scam


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## davefrombc (Apr 21, 2010)

They don't just use Western Union now .. There are other money transfer services they also use .. There are so many scams out there , from the phone call claiming your computer is sending out spam or other crap, to the "you have won........." The relative or friend needing money because they were arrested , medical problem, wallet stolen ( calling seniors and pretending to be a grandkid needing help is a favourite of the scammers) are common.. Then there is the call from a "lawyer" claiming you inherited some fabulous amounts from a relative you ever heard of, or someone you befriended years ago who remembered your kindness .. If the caller wants money for ANY reason, it is a scam. If they want your banking information or access to your pc to fix a problem, it is a scam. Don't be gullible and give those scammers any access to your information or money ..... Send it to me instead  I always appreciate any supplements I get to my pension.


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## AccidentalAquarist (Sep 11, 2013)

davefrombc said:


> ....If the caller wants money for ANY reason, it is a scam....


Yup, especially if the caller is one of your own kids.. :lol:

It's unfortunate that there are blood suckers out there that try to take advantage of others.


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