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> Mac users probably have more money (on a broad average). I sadly suspect this is part of the reason. They have more money and chose a Mac because they are e

by Deestan 14y ago

> Mac users probably have more money (on a broad average). I sadly suspect this is part of the reason. They have more money and chose a Mac because they are educated and can get a decent salary and mentally independent enough to make a conscious purchasing decision. If you just obediently go with what the trustworthy computer salesman pushes at you, you end up with a Windows computer. And obedient trusting people are what the scammers want to target.

untog 14y ago
They have more money and chose a Mac because they are educated and can get a decent salary and mentally independent enough to make a conscious purchasing decision. I'm going to have to disagree with that. I know plenty of people (with money, yes) that want to "get a Mac". There's no mentally independent purchasing decision, it's just what other people have, and they look cool. As it happens, it's a good choice. But it could easily not be, and they'd still do it.
- jiggy2011 14y ago
  Perhaps even knowing enough to discern between a Mac and PC is enough to make them a poor mark. Notice that they are saying "Windows support" not "Microsoft Support", not knowing that Windows is a product from Microsoft would suggest they are looking for people with a very low level of knowledge. I'm guessing retired people who have a good pension coming in. OTOH that must put an upper limit to the amount people are willing to spend to get their computers back from the scammers. If you only paid $300 for a PC from wallmart you won't pay more than that surely.
  - bradleyland 14y ago
    > Notice that they are saying "Windows support" not "Microsoft Support", not knowing that Windows is a product from Microsoft would suggest they are looking for people with a very low level of knowledge. They do this to avoid being cornered. On one occasion, when screwing with one of the callers, I had a little rage fit accusing them of breaking all kinds of laws. The "manager" informed me that "We never claimed that we were calling from Microsoft, we're calling from Windows Tech Support, which is the name of our company." The agents are very careful not to say they're calling from Microsoft. I suspect that this is some attempt at circumventing exposure to local fraud laws wherever they are based. I'm not saying it will be effective, mind you; just that I suspect that's why.
    - lindenr 14y ago
      It could also be that they're trying to filter out people who know "Windows support" sounds dodgy. This also fits with the fact that they still seem to all have Indian accents -- an immediate off-put to those who have heard about these scams. People who don't hang up when they hear the words "Windows support" coming from someone with an Indian accent would probably be very much more likely to fall for it.
- JimmaDaRustla 14y ago
  I have to agree and disagree - lots of Mac owners have them because their parents bought them, but it goes both ways of course. The target audience is for the non-tech savvy. These people, I imagine, are people who spent very little on a PC/laptop, most-likely running Windows. So, I wouldn't break it down by who has more money, but by who they are more likely to get money out of.
- scott_w 14y ago
  Not necessarily true. People store a lot of important personal information on computers, and would hate to lose them. That's perhaps one of the reasons this scam can be so effective.
lutze 14y ago
I recently had an intelligent, highly educated, highly paid woman tell me that "Macs are immune to viruses". Education and money don't necessarily translate to domain expertise in everything. I don't have to tell you that Macs aren't immune to viruses, just that they're targeted less. Like malicious software, there simply aren't enough Macs out there for the scammers to give a shit about, yet. You don't go trawling in your garden pond when you live next to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Deestan 14y ago
  > I recently had an intelligent, highly educated, highly paid woman tell me that "Macs are immune to viruses". I don't doubt that, but you can't really refute a general argument with a single data point. It's not as if I said "all Mac users are more intelligent than all Windows users", which would be nonsense. "Women in IT are generally paid less than men." cannot be refuted by "I know a lady who makes a ton of money in IT."
  - lutze 14y ago
    You make a completely unfounded generalization and then ask ME for citations? You first bub. Edit: and frankly, I don't see how you're refuting my point that being intelligent and educated doesn't necessarily make you a domain expert in fields you have little experience in. Or are you the kind of guy who lectures the mechanic with 30 years experience on how to fix your car?

by Deestan 14y ago

untog 14y ago

They have more money and chose a Mac because they are educated and can get a decent salary and mentally independent enough to make a conscious purchasing decision. I'm going to have to disagree with that. I know plenty of people (with money, yes) that want to "get a Mac". There's no mentally independent purchasing decision, it's just what other people have, and they look cool. As it happens, it's a good choice. But it could easily not be, and they'd still do it.

jiggy2011 14y ago
Perhaps even knowing enough to discern between a Mac and PC is enough to make them a poor mark. Notice that they are saying "Windows support" not "Microsoft Support", not knowing that Windows is a product from Microsoft would suggest they are looking for people with a very low level of knowledge. I'm guessing retired people who have a good pension coming in. OTOH that must put an upper limit to the amount people are willing to spend to get their computers back from the scammers. If you only paid $300 for a PC from wallmart you won't pay more than that surely.
- bradleyland 14y ago
  > Notice that they are saying "Windows support" not "Microsoft Support", not knowing that Windows is a product from Microsoft would suggest they are looking for people with a very low level of knowledge. They do this to avoid being cornered. On one occasion, when screwing with one of the callers, I had a little rage fit accusing them of breaking all kinds of laws. The "manager" informed me that "We never claimed that we were calling from Microsoft, we're calling from Windows Tech Support, which is the name of our company." The agents are very careful not to say they're calling from Microsoft. I suspect that this is some attempt at circumventing exposure to local fraud laws wherever they are based. I'm not saying it will be effective, mind you; just that I suspect that's why.
  - lindenr 14y ago
    It could also be that they're trying to filter out people who know "Windows support" sounds dodgy. This also fits with the fact that they still seem to all have Indian accents -- an immediate off-put to those who have heard about these scams. People who don't hang up when they hear the words "Windows support" coming from someone with an Indian accent would probably be very much more likely to fall for it.
JimmaDaRustla 14y ago
I have to agree and disagree - lots of Mac owners have them because their parents bought them, but it goes both ways of course. The target audience is for the non-tech savvy. These people, I imagine, are people who spent very little on a PC/laptop, most-likely running Windows. So, I wouldn't break it down by who has more money, but by who they are more likely to get money out of.
scott_w 14y ago
Not necessarily true. People store a lot of important personal information on computers, and would hate to lose them. That's perhaps one of the reasons this scam can be so effective.

lutze 14y ago

I recently had an intelligent, highly educated, highly paid woman tell me that "Macs are immune to viruses". Education and money don't necessarily translate to domain expertise in everything. I don't have to tell you that Macs aren't immune to viruses, just that they're targeted less. Like malicious software, there simply aren't enough Macs out there for the scammers to give a shit about, yet. You don't go trawling in your garden pond when you live next to the Atlantic Ocean.

Deestan 14y ago
> I recently had an intelligent, highly educated, highly paid woman tell me that "Macs are immune to viruses". I don't doubt that, but you can't really refute a general argument with a single data point. It's not as if I said "all Mac users are more intelligent than all Windows users", which would be nonsense. "Women in IT are generally paid less than men." cannot be refuted by "I know a lady who makes a ton of money in IT."
- lutze 14y ago
  You make a completely unfounded generalization and then ask ME for citations? You first bub. Edit: and frankly, I don't see how you're refuting my point that being intelligent and educated doesn't necessarily make you a domain expert in fields you have little experience in. Or are you the kind of guy who lectures the mechanic with 30 years experience on how to fix your car?