nuisance cold calls from India

Tell them to hold on a minute then sit the phone down and wait until you hear the beeping when they finally hang up.

I play a game where I try and get them to hang up on me. I keep telling them I can't understand what they are saying. I tell them I know they are speaking english, but their accent is too strong for me to get their meaning. I make them repeat the same thing over and over until they finally give up. I had one guy going for about 5 minutes, he even resorted to literally spelling words trying to tell me some stupid scam about my computer and how he was there to help me. I just kept saying I didn't get it and he finally gave up like all the others. My husband was laughing so hard in the background I thought the caller might hear and figure out I was scamming him. There is no legal way to make them go away that I know of.

I've had at least 4 recent calls from callers claiming to represent Microsoft, wanting to talk about something to do with with the performance of my computer, I think?

I've refused to answer any questions about whether I am actually me. (How the hell did they get my name & phone number? ) ... instead insisting that they explain the purpose of their call/s.

After a few more attempts at verifying my identity, with more of the same responses from me, they hang up.

What do they hope to achieve by these phone calls?

Seems a strange thumbsdown.
No one else has had this experience?

This is a good explanation of the scam:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres

Sounds like a phishing attempt by identity thieves to me. Good for you that you didn't say anything!

Are you expecting any genuine calls from India or Australia these days? If not, maybe you can ask your phone provider to block calls from these country codes for you.

Thank you, Green Witch!

Virus phone scam being run from call centres in India:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres

Interesting, very interesting!
And very good to know.

I explain to them I own a Mac and demand to find out how they got my information.

And what response do you get?

I ask them if they're happy doing what they do. What sort of parents they must have that would make them do that sort of job. They hang up eventually, nobody likes listening to a list of insults especially when you target their parents.

talk back in an extremely heavy Indian accent - tell them your name is Peggy.

Also, I once had my daughter answer my phone when I was getting a telemarketer call. They started talking with her asking her if her parent is there to talk with. I got on the phone and started screaming at them for calling my kid's cell phone.

I enjoy playing with these guys.

We went through a few months where we were being called by these same scammers every day. I faked going through the 'fix' once, and when she asked me what was on my screen, I asked her what should be on it and she promptly hung up. After that, I just laughed at them when they called, and then I'd hang up.

I don't think they are put of that easy because I believe it is a computer that rings initially and if the phone is picked up a human voice takes over so whether they engage you in a conversation is of no consequence because the phone was answered and if you dont answer the call the computer doesn't care.Correct me if I'm wrong.philcottie.

I think these call centre's and others get these names and phone numbers from people you have given you phone number to, for whatever reason
philcottie

Either way, there's no way to stop them. I get them all the time from banks and other institutions - recorded calls. If I see it's a 1-800 or 1-866, etc number, I answer, let the recording start and just hang up.


Carl Hiaasen wrote a fabulous novel about a woman who got one of these calls during dinner - it's called 'Nature Girl' - you should read it! It's sort of like the Fargo movie where everything spirals out of control

OK - I'm going have to get me that novel.

I also thought that the robo calls were no longer legal. Not that would stop them - their techniques and calling people on the do not call lists are all illegal any way.