Topaz Posted July 5, 2012 Report Posted July 5, 2012 Officials are warning computer users to beware of scam message from RCMP. CSIS and the FBI. Ones computer freezes up and the only way to unfreeze is to pay $100.00 and of course, your computer still is frozen and paying it. Read more............ http://ca.news.yahoo.com/ransomware-extortion-program-uses-fake-legal-threat-090515686.html Quote
Wild Bill Posted July 5, 2012 Report Posted July 5, 2012 Last week I got a phone call. The call display said that it was anonymous, which is always suspicious. When I answered, a gentleman with a thick 3rd world accent identified himself as an employee of MicroSoft who had detected a virus in my computer. If I would just cooperate with him he would remove it for me. I couldn't help it, I started to laugh! It was so obviously a scam! And a very lame ass executed one at that! After a few moments of hearing me laugh uncontrollably he realized that it wasn't going to work and hung up! Unbelievable that anyone would believe that MicroSoft would call them personally to fix one computer with a virus... Quote "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw "There is no point in being difficult when, with a little extra effort, you can be completely impossible."
Michael Hardner Posted July 5, 2012 Report Posted July 5, 2012 I talk to those guys as much as I can when they call, taking it as free entertainment. "Where are you calling from ?" "Canada" "Really ? Which city ?" "Toronto" "Where is the building you're in ..." "um... downtown..." Quote Looks like someone has a new patronizing catch phrase ! Michael Hardner
segnosaur Posted July 5, 2012 Report Posted July 5, 2012 Last week I got a phone call. The call display said that it was anonymous, which is always suspicious. When I answered, a gentleman with a thick 3rd world accent identified himself as an employee of MicroSoft who had detected a virus in my computer. If I would just cooperate with him he would remove it for me. ... After a few moments of hearing me laugh uncontrollably he realized that it wasn't going to work and hung up! I've received the same call a couple of times. (Not sure if its been the same group each time or if there are multiple groups using the same scam. Its amazing... even when I tell them I use Linux they don't seem to clue in. I use a different tack when dealing with them... I pretend like I'm playing along (even though I'm nowhere near my computer), telling them things like "I clicked on the link you wanted but my browser is giving a blank screen". Hopefully the more time of theirs I waste, the less time they have to bother the more innocent and gullible. A response I should try should they ever call again: - Oh, I have a virus? Will that affect all the naked pictures of your mother I have on my hard drive? Quote
Shakeyhands Posted July 5, 2012 Report Posted July 5, 2012 hahah... nice. I kept them on for about 25 minutes a couple weeks ago, pretending to click on save instead of run, making the repeat their tiny.url dozens of times etc... finally after pretending to do exactly as they told me, the guys says "ok what does it say on your screen" to which i replied "it says - you must think I am a really stupid mf'er to download anything from you or to go to your sites" to which he said "I knew you were....F-OFF!!!!" So much fun. Quote "They muddy the water, to make it seem deep." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Argus Posted July 5, 2012 Report Posted July 5, 2012 Last week I got a phone call. The call display said that it was anonymous, which is always suspicious. When I answered, a gentleman with a thick 3rd world accent identified himself as an employee of MicroSoft who had detected a virus in my computer. If I would just cooperate with him he would remove it for me. I couldn't help it, I started to laugh! It was so obviously a scam! And a very lame ass executed one at that! After a few moments of hearing me laugh uncontrollably he realized that it wasn't going to work and hung up! Unbelievable that anyone would believe that MicroSoft would call them personally to fix one computer with a virus... No it's not. As someone pointed out recently, these kinds of things are aimed at dumb people. That's why they're dumb. They don't expect it to work on most people. That's okay. They'll keep it up until they find someone very credulous who'll give them money. Quote "A liberal is someone who claims to be open to all points of view — and then is surprised and offended to find there are other points of view.” William F Buckley
bleeding heart Posted July 6, 2012 Report Posted July 6, 2012 I use a different tack when dealing with them... I pretend like I'm playing along (even though I'm nowhere near my computer), telling them things like "I clicked on the link you wanted but my browser is giving a blank screen". Hopefully the more time of theirs I waste, the less time they have to bother the more innocent and gullible. This is a decent pursuit, Seg. I once read a lengthy account of someone doing the same thing to one of the "Nigerian Royalty" scams, keeping them going for weeks. Quote “There is a limit to how much we can constantly say no to the political masters in Washington. All we had was Afghanistan to wave. On every other file we were offside. Eventually we came onside on Haiti, so we got another arrow in our quiver." --Bill Graham, Former Canadian Foreign Minister, 2007
GostHacked Posted July 6, 2012 Report Posted July 6, 2012 This is a decent pursuit, Seg. I once read a lengthy account of someone doing the same thing to one of the "Nigerian Royalty" scams, keeping them going for weeks. As I said, I kind of miss the 409s .. I should have said 419. http://frontalot.com/index.php/?page=lyrics&lyricid=19 Listen to the tune while reading the lyrics .. love this dude. Quote
Guest Manny Posted July 6, 2012 Report Posted July 6, 2012 Yeah, until they find out and that you're messin with them. Then, they probably won't come find you and cut off your most treasured body parts, and vital organs out. Quote
bleeding heart Posted July 7, 2012 Report Posted July 7, 2012 Yeah, until they find out and that you're messin with them. Then, they probably won't come find you and cut off your most treasured body parts, and vital organs out. Seems unlikely, but you never know! Quote “There is a limit to how much we can constantly say no to the political masters in Washington. All we had was Afghanistan to wave. On every other file we were offside. Eventually we came onside on Haiti, so we got another arrow in our quiver." --Bill Graham, Former Canadian Foreign Minister, 2007
cybercoma Posted July 7, 2012 Report Posted July 7, 2012 No it's not. As someone pointed out recently, these kinds of things are aimed at dumb people. That's why they're dumb. They don't expect it to work on most people. That's okay. They'll keep it up until they find someone very credulous who'll give them money. I've been called by that stupid Indian "Windows Service Centre" scam probably half a dozen times. It's really starting to get annoying. Quote
segnosaur Posted July 9, 2012 Report Posted July 9, 2012 No it's not. As someone pointed out recently, these kinds of things are aimed at dumb people. That's why they're dumb. They don't expect it to work on most people. That's okay. They'll keep it up until they find someone very credulous who'll give them money. I wouldn't necessarily call the people that they're targeting "dumb". A better word would be inexperienced. Your average grandmother who might fall for this type of scam may be an otherwise intelligent person, but with the internet you suddenly have a large group of people who are exposed to a new technology that can be complex/confusing to many. Quote
segnosaur Posted July 9, 2012 Report Posted July 9, 2012 This is a decent pursuit, Seg. I once read a lengthy account of someone doing the same thing to one of the "Nigerian Royalty" scams, keeping them going for weeks. I've heard of several accounts of people doing the same thing... - In one case the 'victim' was asked to send a scan of his passport... so he made up a fake one with the name "James T. Kirk" - I one attended a skeptics conference where they had 2 actors who actually took the emails between the scammer and victim and turned it into a stage play. Quite entertaining Quote
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