Windows Support Call - yeah, right

[Adrian Essex]

I think I get more telephone calls from complete time-wasting strangers than I do from my time wasting friends and family. Hard to know which is more irritating.

But today I got one from an 'unavailable' number - said his name was David calling from Windows support in Washington and gave his number as 00120620112374 - I haven't checked to see if it exists. He wanted  me to sit and do something at my computer, but pretty soon got fed up with my asking him who he was, how he knew about my problem etcetera. 

Don't be taken in - if you actually do have a problem with Windows you will never get through to a real live person on the support line!

[Maria K]

This is indeed a scam; I've heard of people that don't own Microsoft products getting these calls too..

[Graham White]

I get this type of call a lot, despite being TPS registered. If you've got time to spare, know a little about computers and want to have a bit of fun with them you can, as they can't deal with things that aren't within their script, like being asked their company details, where they got the number, asking where exactly is "The Internet" they claim to be calling from, and so on. The callers also get very upset when I'm unable to go through all the steps they want me to, like press ing the Windows key; when I tell them it's not there it takes them ages to work out I'm on a Mac!

More importantly though, this is a known scam. The caller is trying to get you to log on to a legitimate site that allows your computer to be controlled remotely, however they're doing so to get details from your machine that you wouldn't want them to have, so whatever you do don't type in any web address they tell you to. As it says above, Microsoft don't call you, nether does "The Internet" or "The World Wide Web" or "the Windows Operating System", and your computer hasn't been sending them error messages, either. When you challenge them on what error messages it's been sending they always want you to log on to a site and they can never confirm any specific details about your computer, generally referring to it as "your Windows computer".

One final thing, and I do this with all cold calls, if they happen to use your name when they call you, never admit that they've got it right. I never react to my name, always ask who's calling, and when they re-use my name I always state quite clearly that I haven't said that I am Mr "X". Anything that throws them off the scent is always worth doing.

[OpinioN8 Administrator]

There is actually an obscure registry key in Windows which has the same value on every computer. This means they can quote the character string at you and appear to be knowledgeable about your particular computer. But they're not

[Anette]

I used to get these calls all the time. You have 3 options the way I see it. 1. SCREAM as loudly as you can in to the phone and hang up. They'll have a headset on, and it will hurt their little ears. Won't achieve much, but it's strangely satisfying. 2. Say "please hang on a moment" put the phone on the side, go about your business, checking in from time to time to see if they're still there. Waste their time! Again, quite satisfying. 3. Go ex directory. That stopped 99.9% of the calls for us. Changes are your number is on a list that gets sold on, these lists are renewed every few months, and your number will drop off, stopping the calls.
The TPS is a complete waste of time.