virus phone call scam: question/wacky replies

Chris Debenham chris at adebenham.com
Thu Jun 21 00:02:50 UTC 2012


We generally tell them we are running linux (or solaris).
I was quite surprised one time when one of them even knew what linux was!!
(most just don't understand at all)
For a period of time we were getting on average 5 calls a week - we still
get the occasional but only 1 a week or so.
Depending on how much time I have I sometimes 'play' for a bit ;)

Some of my personal favourite ways to mess with them are:
* Spent a few minutes trying to load up the control panel on my microwave
* Tried to sell them my car
* Tried to convince them to move to a better customer management system so
that they could reduce costs and improve productivity (I work for a company
which does CMS stuff so even suggested a few products and referred them to
our consulting services number ;) )
* Sang the national anthem (both verses)
* Told them I don't understand computers good and so would pass them onto
my son (who is 12 months old and had a lovely 'conversation' with them)
* Followed their instruction on my ubuntu box and acted all confused when
it did not match what they were saying it should look like
* Transferred them to our household 'technical support' person (me with
different voice) who was too busy so he transferred them to remote support
(me - new voice again) who was in the wrong group so he transferred them to
management (my wife)  She said this was an IT issue and transferred back to
the original person.  By this time the person on the other end hung up.
* Pretended to be an automated phone system (Say "support" for IT support,
say "sales" for Sales etc) with really back voice recognition which kept
messing it up
* Told them that what they are doing is wrong and offered to pray with them
about this
* Call them out on this all being a scam (in the process have had threats
and rather bad language shouted at me)

There are many, many other things to do - any other people have favourite
responses?

Chris

On 20 June 2012 22:22, Boden Matthews <boden.matthews at gmail.com> wrote:

> Last time they called I told them I had a Mac (They claimed to be from
> Microsoft). I don't actually have a Mac, but it makes them hang up :D
>
> Regards,
> Boden Matthews,
> http://bodenm.wordpress.com
>
>
>
> On 20 June 2012 22:20, Tom Sparks <tom_a_sparks at yahoo.com.au> wrote:
>
>> 'We have been getting phone calls say "your computer has a problem..."
>> Most time I just hand up. But I've been think of give these caller a 10
>> question or some wacky replies
>>
>>  1 What Operating System I am I using?
>>  2 What's my local/network IP address?
>>  3 What's my router's IP address?
>>  4 What's my Internet IP address?
>>
>>  * Must be my Atari 2600, How did that get on the Internet?
>>  * let me drag out my PDP-10.... do you want to debug that for me?
>>  * Where my ARPANET IMP?
>> '
>> I am wondering what question or wacky replies would you come up with?
>>
>> ---
>> tom_a_sparks "It's a nerdy thing I like to do"
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
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