"Microsoft Scam" Beware

You all are having so much fun and I feel so left out. I've been ready and
the phone doesn't ring from Microsoft. Except for the credit card
companies that call to reduce my interest rate. I don't pay interest on my
credit cards. As soon as a bill comes in, I write a check and run hard
taking a short-cut through the Swamp to catch the mail carrier at the next
bend to send it in.
And there's the calls from assorted political candidates and parties and
even the state police benevolent fund. Mississippi doesn't have state
police.
Sometimes I answer: Switchboard, what extension please?
They are bumfuzzled.
Sometimes I answer: Bubba's Barbeque (that's always fun)
Sometimes they ask: May I speak with Mr. Esther.
I say: no
and 'no' to anything else they ask. (more fun)
This afternoon I got a call from my neighbor's Yorkie. She sat on the
phone and somehow her bum pressed 'redial'. I could hear neighbor talking,
door opening, dinger going off because door was open . . . obviously nobody
knew I was 'on' the phone. Finally I picked up my Boy Scout whistle and
blew hard. I'm betting none of you ever were called by a quite clever 5
pound pup. Polly



"Sally Swindells" wrote in message
...
This is the reply DS sent me. He works in computers for a firm that
delevops really big commercial systems.

'We get these calls all the time… you get good fun out of them by
pretending to be stupid…

Scammer : - “please press the start button”
Me : - “ok I have done that”
Scammer : - “great so what does it say at the bottom of the screen now?”
Me: - It says “Sony”
Scammer : - “no,no, what does it say on the actual display”
Me : - “nothing, the computer is now turned off”
Scammer : - “but you just pressed the start button”
Me : - “yes, my start button is on the main box, pressing it again turns
the computer off”
………
Scammer : - “please type www.blahblahblah into your browser”
Me :- so that is 6 letter u’s???
Scammer : no, I mean whiskey whiskey whiskey!
Me :- How are you spelling whiskey?

You can go on for hours and it really is amazing the patience some of
these people have.. we have already discussed themes for the next calls -
try chatting them up, a marriage proposal, pretend stutter, suffer a
medical emergency while on the phone to them, burst into tears etc etc
etc.

Wasting their time is what they hate the most, it costs the scammers money
and the call-centre staff get paid on their success rates.. so the longer
you keep them on the phone the better.'

I think next time I will ask them which computer it is with the virus - we
have the one in the Study and a laptop each. That seems an opening which
could be quite interesting, especially if they say all of them and I have
to go from room to room.

I'm almost hoping they will ring again!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://picasaweb.google.com/SallySeaside

On 30/11/2011 21:01, Sally Swindells wrote:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...a-call-centres

I had the second one of these 'phone calls today. The first time I said
'Its a scam' and put the phone down, but this time when I said I knew it
was a scam the Indian Lady said it wasn't. When I said it was she
replied that she would contact the police with my name and address for
defamation!!

My reply was that if she did I would sue her for threatening behaviour -
didn't bother to wait for her reply.

Now what can I think of for next time - a chat about the weather?

The best revenge is to put the phone down quietly and walk away. Let them go on and on and on and on and .... without you. They'll get the hint and go away. For that call. On repeat calls, I highly advise going along with it for about half a sentence and then screaming 'Oh no!!! The kitchen is on fire!!!!! Throw the phone and make lots of loud screaming, banging sounds. Then press the 'off' button quietly. They will not call back. Guaranteed.

Sunny