Got a WTF phone call this morning

[Cliffh]

Technically, I am the IT guy here - just me & DW & 5 computers - and there's no way she's falling for something like this.

I will let the family and friends know about the call though.  Some of them .... well, it'd be good for them to know about the scam in advance.

[RoadKingLarry]

Do you have a contact number for the scammer tech support operation?  I know several people that need their services.

[Tallpine]

The XO gets these calls now and then because she answers the phone almost all the time.  She doesn't fall for it but she is way more polite than me.

Anymore I just say "not interested" to whatever nuisance calls and hang up.  Don't argue with them.

Somebody calls and asks for me by name and I ask who's calling?

[lee n. field]

Do you have a contact number for the scammer tech support operation?  I know several people that need their services.

Try Google.

Seriously.  Had an older gentleman bring in a laptop the other day.  His son gave him his first computer ever.  He had some confusion over Win 8's local login vs. MS account login, and went looking for help.  Got to one of these people with the "you have 2000 errors, local people can't handle this, $150 to fix this, blah blah blah"  sales patter.

"How did you get this number?" --me

"Google.  He's working with Google." --him

 

He was at least cagey enough to realize the spiel he was getting was probably bogus.  We're all thinking he son should have gotten him an ipad or android thing.  Or a chromebook.

[Cliffh]

Turns out they tried again while I was at work, DW took the call this time.  She simply hung up on them.

I've had family download one of those "Let us check out your computer & then charge you $$$$$ to "fix" the problems we find" programs.  Fortunately, she called here before handing over any payment info.

[KD5NRH]

Got "your photocopier consumables vendor" yesterday.  We don't have a copier in the office, so I dug up the model number of an AB Dick mimeograph machine on Google when she asked for the model. Kept her going for a while, then needed to get back to what I'd been doing, so I put her on hold and then bumped the call to a dead extension so I wouldn't have to watch the hold light blink.

[TechMan]

Got "your photocopier consumables vendor" yesterday.  We don't have a copier in the office, so I dug up the model number of an AB Dick mimeograph machine on Google when she asked for the model. Kept her going for a while, then needed to get back to what I'd been doing, so I put her on hold and then bumped the call to a dead extension so I wouldn't have to watch the hold light blink.

We get those all the time.  The ladies that answer the phone have standing instructions to transfer them to me.  I toy with them for a minute or so and then they hang up.  I will have to remember the mimeograph trick. 

[Hawkmoon]

I will have to remember the mimeograph trick. 

"A B Dick XZL 132? I sorry, Sir, I no see that modew in my catarog. Is that a raser printer or ink jet?"

[lee n. field]

Got "your photocopier consumables vendor" yesterday.  We don't have a copier in the office, so I dug up the model number of an AB Dick mimeograph machine on Google when she asked for the model. Kept her going for a while, then needed to get back to what I'd been doing, so I put her on hold and then bumped the call to a dead extension so I wouldn't have to watch the hold light blink.

The old handcrank Ditto machines?  Ho, ho, ho.

[AJ Dual]

I got my first "Toner Pirate" call on Thursday. I had no idea that was "a thing".

"(garbled)-calling from Customer Service about the copier... Could we get the service tag number?"

I know it's obviously not right. But I want to see where this is going. "We have several, which one in particular?"

"Uh, the black one that also prints..."

"Oh, that's interesting, we don't have any black photocopiers...z'z

(click)