Community Chat

[clista]

It is 6:00 AM. I just received a call from someone who could barely speak English. He said he was calling about the loss of my computer. I hung up. Life gets stranger every day.

[Jessa9]

I get that call quite often...it is a scam. I always tell them I don't have a computer and hang up.

[Montana]

Only family members would call me that early in the morning - usually with bad news. Being awakened by the phone ringing at 6am would have scared me. The person who called you was probably in a different time zone.

[Financialgrl]

I never answer calls from numbers I don't recognize. I figure if it's important enough or an emergency they'll leave a message. On my cell phone, I never answer numbers I don't recognize and when the phone stops ringing, I google the number and its always a telemarketer or scam.

ETA: my landline cordless has a button to toggle turning on and off the automatic answering machine. I keep it on so I can hear those messages left as they are being recorded so should it be an emergency I can pick it up right then if I want.

[June Lands]

yes! I Received several of these one week. Somebody from India or a foreign planet with very bad english telling me my computer had a virus or something... the first guy I said I DID NOT HAVE A COMPUTER... he did not know what to say. The second guy I asked him how the weather was in India... he was silent and I hung up. That was the last time they called.

[Lipstickdiva]

I got a call too about a computer virus. I didn't ask about the weather but I did ask him what he was wearing. The phone went dead.

[QueenDanceALot]

I would have said,

"Thank you for your condolences"

and then hung up!

[Topaz Gem]

On 12/11/2014 LipstickDiva said:

I got a call too about a computer virus. I didn't ask about the weather but I did ask him what he was wearing. The phone went dead.

HA! I wish more people would mess with their heads like that, LOL.

[JustJules]

That is one of the biggest scams out there, I've received several calls and it is soooo annoying. They should not be calling you at 6am! Technically telemarketers aren't supposed to call before 8am or after 9pm so that should be a tip that these people aren't legit or playing by any rules. They tell you that your computer has a virus and that they can fix it for you over the phone, if you pay them of course. Unfortunately some people actually believe this. Microsoft is not going to call you EVER, especially at 6am, to tell you your computer has a virus. They always have (or use) a heavy accent making them hard to understand. I usually just hang up the phone, but a couple times I felt like messing with him and played along. It was funny listening to him stammer and try to figure out a way to get my money, he really thought he had a taker. When he told me that my windows was broken, I told him that I was looking out the kitchen window right now and it looked fine to me. Another time the guy said my windows had a virus so I told him I use a Mac, then I told him what a piece of scum he is for trying to fool people out of their money. He hung up, problem solved. I haven't received one of those calls in a long time now, although I do still get calls that show up on Caller ID as my phone number, like I'm calling myself. Now, unless I recognize the caller, I just ignore it. Funny how none of them ever leave a voicemail.

[Topaz Gem]

On 12/11/2014 Jules5280 said:

That is one of the biggest scams out there, I've received several calls and it is soooo annoying. They should not be calling you at 6am! Technically telemarketers aren't supposed to call before 8am or after 9pm so that should be a tip that these people aren't legit or playing by any rules. They tell you that your computer has a virus and that they can fix it for you over the phone, if you pay them of course. Unfortunately some people actually believe this. Microsoft is not going to call you EVER, especially at 6am, to tell you your computer has a virus. They always have (or use) a heavy accent making them hard to understand. I usually just hang up the phone, but a couple times I felt like messing with him and played along. It was funny listening to him stammer and try to figure out a way to get my money, he really thought he had a taker. When he told me that my windows was broken, I told him that I was looking out the kitchen window right now and it looked fine to me. Another time the guy said my windows had a virus so I told him I use a Mac, then I told him what a piece of scum he is for trying to fool people out of their money. He hung up, problem solved. I haven't received one of those calls in a long time now, although I do still get calls that show up on Caller ID as my phone number, like I'm calling myself. Now, unless I recognize the caller, I just ignore it. Funny how none of them ever leave a voicemail.

Good for you, Jules!