Just a reminder

[GillD46]

I have just had a call from "Windows" (not even the sense to say Microsoft) informing me that my PC. was showing an error and requesting I switch it on so they could talk me through correcting it. I told him he was lying that there was no such error and he then told me I was lying, then when i told him I don't have a PC with Windows, he hung up! The telephone number had been withheld.

Just a reminder to everyone not to be taken in by this scam.

[Jacknian]

Hi gill, we also get phoned at least once a week by people claiming to be from windows, saying we have a fault with our computer. I always say " oh dear that's strange because I don't have a computer ! " they then hang up. But doesn't stop them .

[GillD46]

I know it's been happening for ages, but just thought it worth reminding everyone. It's annoying because we have always been so careful about giving out our ex-directory number.

[david63]

Don't normally answer such calls as we have Caller Display so no International, Withheld or Unavailable numbers get answered but on the odd occasion that I have answered, and had nothing better to do, I have managed to tie them in knots for ages - good fun.

[Quizzical Bob]

We had one of these calls last week. My wife is sensible enough to know when it's a scam. These people only need a few mugs to take up their offer. This is what happened when they called the wrong person:

http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligen ... -trash-pc/

[Jan Rosser]

Hello Gill thanks for bringing this up again - it's one of those cold calls that comes around in cycles and I was called last week - my response is always "nothing wrong with my computer" and I put the phone down but I know someone who was almost taken in by this scam and was worried sick afterwards because she was on the verge of giving details of bank account etc. The Telephone Preference Service is supposed to stop cold calls but this and the PPI calls still manage to get through - so annoying - I am thinking of changing my phone to caller display liked David to get over this problem.

[david63]

There are two situations where TPS cannot "kick in":

- if the call appears to originate from outside the UK

- if the call is, ostensibly, not selling anything

With this scam both of these would normally apply

[jay-ell71]

We too put the phone down if the display says "international" or "Unavailable". We have to answer calls that say "withheld" as we discovered that a friend "withholds" his number from display phones (don't know why) and we had cut him off a couple of times. Otherwise the display method works well. You still have to get up and answer the phone though, so it is still annoying.

I was caught by that "Windows error" some time ago. They wanted to charge me to fix the "error". Obviously at that point I ended then conversation. Now I don't have Windows any more, I just hang up.

[Meg 50]

windows? I've already got double glazing.....


we have caller display and ignore unavailable and international calls.
Withheld we have to answer cos a couple of friends use them and also our daughter's office

[Kendhni]

I occasionally receive such calls and depending on what mood I am in will depend on how i handle such calls. I will either humour them and waste their time (often telling them that I need to put them on hold and then go and watch TV) ... or I inform them in (mostly) monosyllabic words what I think of them until they hang up.

On one occasion we managed to reverse the connection and we took control of their computer .. but they realised what we had done and immediately disconnected us before we could could trash their hard disk.

[Dancing Queen]

I'm another that never answers unavailable or international calls when they come up on caller display, on the odd occasion that I have ( by mistake ) I then just say no thanks and put the phone down, it's a bit like "cold callers" that knock on the door, I'm usually saying No Thank You as I'm closing it.

[Boris+]

Thanks for the reminder - that's very thoughtful. We had a couple of silly phone calls when we were away - but as we didn't recognise the numbers on some of them we terminated the call and didn't answer. Seemed to be the wisest thing to do at the time.

Em

[Stephen]

I would say, 'due to the nature of my work all calls are traceable, so please state your business and who you are or expect a visit very SOON wherever you reside in the world, which will not be pleasant'

Let them pick the bones out of that.

[GillD46]

With most of our close friends and family having numbers withheld, our son living in Vietnam and having calls from patients, we have to answer everything!

[Southwinds]

Because of these nusence calls we've brought the new phone from BT that lets you block...overseas and number withheld calls...now don't panic if you are expecting an over seas call you can un set it quickly. ... But it's great, you can also add numbers to withhold ...again you can unset them...

Thanks for the reminder Gill I had one of these calls once and it floors you for a minute then common sence kicks in ...I said thanks for the tip off, my husband is in IT I will get him to check , any way he hung up !