I missed the call, so glad to hear it is a faker. BUT ... I think I have the BEST way to deal with them. Last time, he said, "Your computer is running slow ..." and before he could finish I said, "Oh thank you SO MUCH for ringing back, I DO hope you can help fix my computer! Oh, can I pay you with a Credit Card over the phone?"
Naturally, they think they have a REALLY gullible sucker on the line! SO, they go through the rigmarole, THEN start to give the instructions that will give THEM control over my PC ('Go to C: prompt' etc) and I pretend to do it. BUT, next, instead of doing whatever, I say, "Oh, I need my glasses, they are downstairs, can you hold on. I'm disabled, on crutches, so it might take 5 minutes to get back to you." OF COURSE they are eager to wait!
SO .... I put the phone next to a radio and pretend to go away -- meanwhile, just browsing the Web or a magazine. When I think he's about to hang-up, I pick up the phone and say, "Oh, before we go any further, I only have $450 of credit left on my Visa, will that be enough?" -- that keeps them on the hook for even longer.
THEN, keep pretending to do what they say, except start getting confused and "Doing it wrong" so they have to keep repeating and repeating. If they seem like they're getting impatient and wanting to hang-up, I say, "I feel really guilty about you helping me SO MUCH before I've paid you ANYTHING! How about if I pay you just the first £50 now? That would make me feel much much better!"
THEN .... "Oh, I brought up the wrong card, silly me!" Can you hold on while I go downstairs again and get my Mastercard?"
SO .... just keep repeating and asking more and more stupid questions and making up more and more ludicrous excuses to go downstairs!!!
It's really a LOT OF FUN if you have nothing better to do! I had some Indian guy from 'Microsoft' in California who was actually in a small Computer Repair shop in London. (While he was on the line I Googled his IP address -- from the info that pinged back from the C: prompt -- BEING EXT. CAREFUL NOT TO ACTUALLY PASS CONTROL TO HIM!!!!).
I kept him on the line for over 40 minutes, driving him completely crazy, before he eventually realised that I was conning HIM!!!!
Caller ID: One Twentyfour - seems to belong to a Locksmith. So now telemarketer (or spammers) is also steeling phone numbers and caller ID, good grief, is there no end to this?
If you pick up the phone for any reason, even though I really like the horn idea, all you doing is confirming that they have a good number. They will then move you up on the list to be called again and again because they know you are real. Best practice is reject the call.
I missed the call, so glad to hear it is a faker. BUT ... I think I have the BEST way to deal with them. Last time, he said, "Your computer is running slow ..." and before he could finish I said, "Oh thank you SO MUCH for ringing back, I DO hope you can help fix my computer! Oh, can I pay you with a Credit Card over the phone?"
Naturally, they think they have a REALLY gullible sucker on the line! SO, they go through the rigmarole, THEN start to give the instructions that will give THEM control over my PC ('Go to C: prompt' etc) and I pretend to do it. BUT, next, instead of doing whatever, I say, "Oh, I need my glasses, they are downstairs, can you hold on. I'm disabled, on crutches, so it might take 5 minutes to get back to you." OF COURSE they are eager to wait!
SO .... I put the phone next to a radio and pretend to go away -- meanwhile, just browsing the Web or a magazine. When I think he's about to hang-up, I pick up the phone and say, "Oh, before we go any further, I only have $450 of credit left on my Visa, will that be enough?" -- that keeps them on the hook for even longer.
THEN, keep pretending to do what they say, except start getting confused and "Doing it wrong" so they have to keep repeating and repeating. If they seem like they're getting impatient and wanting to hang-up, I say, "I feel really guilty about you helping me SO MUCH before I've paid you ANYTHING! How about if I pay you just the first £50 now? That would make me feel much much better!"
THEN .... "Oh, I brought up the wrong card, silly me!" Can you hold on while I go downstairs again and get my Mastercard?"
SO .... just keep repeating and asking more and more stupid questions and making up more and more ludicrous excuses to go downstairs!!!
It's really a LOT OF FUN if you have nothing better to do! I had some Indian guy from 'Microsoft' in California who was actually in a small Computer Repair shop in London. (While he was on the line I Googled his IP address -- from the info that pinged back from the C: prompt -- BEING EXT. CAREFUL NOT TO ACTUALLY PASS CONTROL TO HIM!!!!).
I kept him on the line for over 40 minutes, driving him completely crazy, before he eventually realised that I was conning HIM!!!!