Our "Front Porch" ....

OK - Just got off this ridiculous call and had to share on the porch...

I got a call a few days ago from a guy with a heavy Indian accent. He tells me that he is calling from Microsoft and that my computer has notified them that it is infected with a virus. He asks me if my computer is running slow or acting peculiar and I say, "no, not that I can tell". He then says (and I can tell now that he is reading from a script), "Oh no! The virus must be running in your operating system and collecting data from your computer and sending it to somewhere. This is called Malware."

So now I'm very skeptical and I ask him for his phone number so I can call him back. He says he cannot give that to me since he is calling from a calling center via Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). So then I asked him what should I do? He says, I can access your computer remotely and run a malware scan on your computer. I just need your IP address. At that point I just said, "No thank you" and I hung up. The guy called me back 5 minutes later and started the same spiel!!!! I said, "Please don't call me again" and hung up.

So just 10 minutes ago I get a call and this guy with a heavy Indian accent asks for my wife by name. Now this is my work phone number (I work from a home office) and no one ever calls my wife on this number. So I asked him what is this in reference to. He says, "This is microsoft and her computer has contacted us that it is infected with a virus". So I just said, "Please don't call here again. Remove this number from your list." and I pulled the phone away from my ear to hang up.

Then I hear faintly, "Fuck you, you American Bastard". I put the phone back to my ear and said, "Excuse me?" and he says again, "Fuck you you American Bastard". I burst out laughing!!! One because of the way he said it in his heavy accent but mainly because it was so ludicrous!!! I said, "You're calling me, lying to me about a computer virus and working for microsoft, and you're calling me a bastard?" He hung up...

I'm still chuckling about it. What a poor douchebag.... Must be a frustrating job trying to scam people...
 
I get these calls a lot myself
same deal
sometimes I like to have fun with them I'll put them on speakerphone while doing the dishes or something and see how long I can keep them on the line
the first time I just wanted to see how they planned on scamming me what their end game was plus fun questions like "how did you get my phone number' from your ip address "how did you get my ip address" "what IS my ip address" "specifically how are you affiliated with microsoft" "here take my credit card number please fix my computer I dont care what it costs I just want it fixed!"
the second time I wanted to break my record
I lasted a whole ten minutes before my girlfriend and I couldnt hold back the laughter any longer
if I dont feel like playing I tell them I own a mac and berate them until they hang up on me

why on earth isn't there a way to stop these kinds of calls?
they are becoming more and more frequent and elaborate
 
Just act over-excited that someone is calling in response to your recent personals ad...get creative with how far out of the "norm" you want to go with this...can be the highlight of one's day.
 
I guess we all get subjected to this phone harassment , so like N2K I try to have fun with the caller. Usually the call comes in right when you sit down at dinner time so I let those go to the answering machine and usually they do not leave a message, however the times that I do pick up and it is "one of those calls," I try to exact revenge on them. Of course they start out with butchering your name then their spiel, then can I sign you up or CC #.

So I ask them for their name (operator 42 not acceptable), their home phone number and where they live. I tell them I am very interested and I can call them at their house when they are sitting down for dinner, or better yet I can stop by their house to continue the conversation. If they protest I just tell them you know my name, home phone number, and where I live so I think I'm deserving of the same. I tell them I would love to stop by their house but first I have to get permission from my parole officer to leave my house or I can tamper with the ankle bracelet and I would love to meet them and their family.

After I hear the loud click, I go back to supper with my wife and she usually asks who was on the phone, I tell her telemarketers, her response is it took them that long to hang up on you.
 
I got rid of my landline(s) several years ago after much teeth knashing by my Wife and even more from Verizon which only served to reaffirm the decision in my mind. Anytime a business gets as aggressive as they did during my request to discontinue service - you know you are making the right decision.
I have not regretted the decision once in all the years I have NOT heard a phone ring in my house.
It was a particulary dicey decision given where I live, we did have to swith cell carriers and are careful on phone picks because of being remote, in the woods and on top of a mountain.
For now, I NEVER receive solicitation or unwanted calls. We ALL had cell phones anyway so, the landline was just an additional bill that was being paid in order to be harrassed. Nobody I wanted to communicate with ever called me on anything other than my cell phone anyway, IF the landline rang it was like hearing someone break-in to the house ...... it was an easy decision for me.
Verizons last ditch effort to keep us from cancelling the house phone was a "Manager" calling and basically accusing me of Child abuse because " Did I know that IF something happened to one of my kids I would not have access to a 911 call"
I simply said, "Really, my cell phone won't call 911? and it doesn't have a GPS chip in it for exact location determination, that's odd - I better call Verizon about that because that is who the cell phones are thru".
She hung up on me and cancelled my house phone as requested.
So anyway. We live in interesting times.
I still remember my phone # growing up, it was one digit removed from my "neighbor" who shared a "party line" with us.
Private lines were $ .50 more a month, a luxury my Dad would not abide. See Dad was apparently like me (other way around) He figured IF the phone rang it wasn't anybody He wanted to talk to anyway (including the nightly call by his Mother which was for my Mom) If Dad was unlucky enough to be in the kitchen when the ONE Black wall phone (twisted cord) rang.... He would Sigh loudly and broadcast his extreme irritation to all within earshot and seeing as Dad was a Radio TalkShow Host and TV NewsMan - His voice "Broadcast" far and wide - Dad would pick up the phone and grunt, place the phone receiver precariously atop the phone frame and pronounce loudly, "Lois, it's for You" and walk away.
I often wondered what would happen to the dog or cat IF that phone receiver ever fell from its perch and landed on one of them - Phones doubled as weapons back then.
I ossasionally still call that old number except I deliberately go one digit up because you see, everyone has passed away and is long gone at one number down - believe it or not the neighbor still answers albeit slower and after more rings these days, a Farmer and active as such all these decades later.
I apologize and thank him for his time never saying " Mr. Hopkins, it's Me Scott.... The little guy lived up the road that used to work for you remember me?"
He is in his mid-90's now and I don't want to scare him :)

My house growing up had the Biggest Front Porch ......and the phone was a long way away.
 
As usual, great story Rubi. I am one step away from disconnecting my land line as well. That last step though is my fax line which I'm sure very soon will be obsolete. I wonder if people living at the turn of the last century felt like things were changing "so fast" during their lifetimes? My 3 kids will never know what it was like not to have cell phones... As adults they may say something like, "Remember when we had to carry cell phones in our pockets?" as they text using a virtual keyboard and screen projected from their glasses or a small amulet on a neckchain or a small earpiece...
 
Great story Rubi, brings back memories. Glad you stood your ground against that manager, it amazes me how pushy and lack of civility has permeated the service industry. Of course up on your mountain there is always smoke signals, especially your Hinderer flame horse!
 
I've had a few of these phishing calls over the last few years, the first was the best.

I let them talk on for about 5-6 mins, telling me about my PC having a virus, how my Microsoft Windows needed additional software to fix said virus and telling me where to go to download the software to fix my PC........

Well, I have worked in IT for 7 years before getting into engineering and clocked this scam instantly but the biggest giveaway????

All my computers are Macs!!!!

After the woman with the thick Indian accent got to about 6 minutes (enough to incur a reasonable cost to them for calling NZ) I informed the woman "I do not have any PCs, all my computers are Macs, Apple Macintosh from Apple.....several seconds later the line is hung up from their end.
 
I wonder....... not a lot but occasionally I have wondered What might happen IF one day (only one) by some incredibly coincidental "Cosmic Accident" EveryBody ALL woke up one Day, which by rights would span more than just One Day IF it was really Everybody.

And Everybody Simply ........ Behaved.

Was Nice, Kind, Treated others as they wanted to be treated, obeyed "their Gods Laws", Did what they were supposed to do AND didn't do what they weren't supposed to do, Told the Truth, was Honest, didn't steal or Kill anyone in the name of some "Worthy Cause".......I Wonder.

That's all there is because it'll never happen but........ it was worth wondering about (especially if it was on a Porch) :)


Disclaimer: Not Crazy, Not an Idealist....... Just Tired of Rude people, getting ripped off, worrying about getting ripped off, flipped off, cut off, put off, pissed off, - Funny how the thoughts keep coming back to the Porch.
Back when "they" were invented, popular and prevalant - People "were" nicer, friendlier and less worried about the things I mentioned so,
What changed? and worse...... Why?
 
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Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one.

John Lennon

Your thoughts are with good company Rubi ! :)
 
Unfortunately we live in a society where morals and family values have been suppressed and destroyed. We watch our leaders lie, cheat and break the law with no retribution or admonishment. We now sit back as a society and watch God be stricken from our lives as to not offend a minuscule few. We sit back and watch our liberties slowly taken from us and fail to hold accountable the corrupt that take them from us. We watch those that are elected and appointed to uphold and administer our laws as set forth in our constitution, selfishly break them and manipulate them for their own personal gain. We watch strangers pass by someone in need or in peril only to look the other way and consider only themselves. We watch parents fail to meet there obligations as a role model and leader to there children only to seek personal gratification for themselves.

Yes Scott, our world is growing with these types of people who care only for themselves. It is up to folks like you, I and many others here that still value God, family, community, service, ethics, fellowship and hard work to make your voice heard and rise above by example as we preserve these cores of our society for our children and grandchildren. Sorry to rant a little...but I to am sick of people from all walks trampling on our freedoms and values. A lot of people I encounter feel this way but sit back and do nothing....
 
Chemdawg you eloquently summed it up perfectly, amazing that so many on this sub forum have overlapping values and beliefs. I'm sure if you ever met Rick and his crew or know anything about them it is obvious their philosophies align themselves with ours, that is why having a Hinderer in your pocket means more than just carrying a knife, it is the man behind it.
Thanks for your thoughts Chewdawg!
 
Thanks brother for the kind remarks. Well stated and yes I've had the honor and pleasure to meet Rick, Rob O, Rob R, Mike, Rich and Pete...some of the finest gentlemen I've encountered in my adventures which is the reason I proudly support RHK. There are many reasons I carry a XM every day...being an incredible knife is only one of them!
 
Pulling over to type. Well said Gentlemen would be a gross understatement.
Thank you.
 
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