´John Smith´ of Microsoft service department

[Cyclopssss]

Who else is getting calls from a guy with a thick Indian accent calling himself `John Smith from the service department of Microsoft´ (senior CO) telling them that they have to open their computer right now and write down the SLE (?) code because their computer is downloading a lot of crap files and they are all about to lose their jobs because ´people like me don´t listen` ?

I know this sounds like strange shit, but this guy has called me twice already. I told him I´d call the police if he called me again and he said he´d give me the number? wtf, this guy sounds like he´s in India! 

[Bolsters]

I occasionally get calls from call centres claiming that they are from "the Windows technical department" but I just hang up on them.

[Kotowboy]

I wish they would call me saying my Windows is malfunctioning.

I'd just say "I use iMac. " and hang up.

My grandad had three calls in 5 minutes from the same scammer yesterday.

How they get away with it I dunno.

Recently grandad was away for two weeks and he has a mobile phone so every time the land line would

ring I'd just lift the receiver and hang up. The answer messages were *always* spam.

[Stadler]

How they get away with it I dunno.

Uh, because...

My grandad had three calls in 5 minutes from the same scammer yesterday.

Not that your granddad is a rube or anything (my dad is 75 so he's in the same boat) but computing isn't intuitive to that generation.  My dad is (literally) the smartest person I know personally, and yet it wouldn't occur to him that if the REAL Microsoft wanted the "SLE" number, they would likely be able to get it without need for a phone call, from India no less. 

I'm no IT guy, but I'm pretty sure this is a rather well-known phishing exercise.   I'm at the point where I don't give ANYTHING to ANYONE who calls me, even if I recognize the source.   If I get a call from Microsoft or Bank of America or anything like that, I say "okay, let me check my records and I'll call you back", then I call a number I get from my statement or information packet, NOT the number they give me.  Paranoid?  Perhaps, but I can sleep at night, so it's all good.

[rumborak]

The best thing is probably to put them on hold and forget about the phone.  If it's actually an international call it will cost them money.

[hefdaddy42]

My wife got a call like that last week.

Which is kind of funny, since she is an IT professional.

[cramx3]

That's hilarious although sad that some people do fall for this.  I would pretend to go along with it just to mess with him and then think of something really clever to make him know the joke was on him without explicitly saying it.

[Kotowboy]

How they get away with it I dunno.

Uh, because...

My grandad had three calls in 5 minutes from the same scammer yesterday.

Not that your granddad is a rube or anything (my dad is 75 so he's in the same boat) but computing isn't intuitive to that generation.  My dad is (literally) the smartest person I know personally, and yet it wouldn't occur to him that if the REAL Microsoft wanted the "SLE" number, they would likely be able to get it without need for a phone call, from India no less. 

I'm no IT guy, but I'm pretty sure this is a rather well-known phishing exercise.   I'm at the point where I don't give ANYTHING to ANYONE who calls me, even if I recognize the source.   If I get a call from Microsoft or Bank of America or anything like that, I say "okay, let me check my records and I'll call you back", then I call a number I get from my statement or information packet, NOT the number they give me.  Paranoid?  Perhaps, but I can sleep at night, so it's all good.

My grandad knew it was baloney and was being sarcastic and evasive and hung up on them twice. But they still phoned bank. Cunts.