5 ms·

“Windows Technical Support” scammers call me again

13 points by chinmoy 14y ago

meaty 14y ago
I've had these guys loads of times. "We're from Windows" Pretending you are partially deaf and old keeps them on the line a while. 6 minutes is my record so far :)
- astrodust 14y ago
  "What? Windows? No, my windows are closed. Honey, are the windows closed? It's the winter. Why would my windows be open?"
- lunarscape 14y ago
  This is my favourite response: http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/10/can-you-fix-my-windows-95-computer-how-to-troll-a-tech-support-scammer/ http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/10/can-you-fix-my-windo... My personal best is 2 calls lasting just over 40 minutes. I was bored at the time and curious about their methodology. I was really impressed by their professionalism and technically competent scare tactics.
UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
Sometimes they're literally not allowed to hang up. You could just set the phone down and leave it for a few minutes.
- MichaelApproved 14y ago
  That's more likely a rule in legitimate customer service operations. This guy was probably following the principal that the longer you keep a customer on the phone, the more likely you are to make a sale.
wonderyak 14y ago
My dad was unlucky enough to be a victim of these guys. I was surprised, being a lawyer for so many decades, that he didn't realize that no one at Microsoft is that nice as to give you a call because your machine is slow. Common sense people!
BetterLateThan 14y ago
I did this: * Ignored the caller's pressure and sense of urgency. * Repeated every phrase she told me with a question mark added: "My computer is slow, eh?" * Every time she said "Yes", I asked my own question: "What department do you say you work for?", "Who is your manager?", "What number should I call if I need more help from you?" I never let her lead, never said Yes or No and never acted like an ahole. I was nice and calm. In five questions she got very nervous and hung up.
chinmoy 14y ago
Previous article's HN discussion here http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4612022 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4612022

13 points by chinmoy 14y ago

meaty 14y ago

I've had these guys loads of times. "We're from Windows" Pretending you are partially deaf and old keeps them on the line a while. 6 minutes is my record so far :)

astrodust 14y ago
"What? Windows? No, my windows are closed. Honey, are the windows closed? It's the winter. Why would my windows be open?"
lunarscape 14y ago
This is my favourite response: http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/10/can-you-fix-my-windows-95-computer-how-to-troll-a-tech-support-scammer/ http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/10/can-you-fix-my-windo... My personal best is 2 calls lasting just over 40 minutes. I was bored at the time and curious about their methodology. I was really impressed by their professionalism and technically competent scare tactics.

UnoriginalGuy 14y ago

Sometimes they're literally not allowed to hang up. You could just set the phone down and leave it for a few minutes.

MichaelApproved 14y ago
That's more likely a rule in legitimate customer service operations. This guy was probably following the principal that the longer you keep a customer on the phone, the more likely you are to make a sale.

wonderyak 14y ago

My dad was unlucky enough to be a victim of these guys. I was surprised, being a lawyer for so many decades, that he didn't realize that no one at Microsoft is that nice as to give you a call because your machine is slow. Common sense people!

BetterLateThan 14y ago

I did this: * Ignored the caller's pressure and sense of urgency. * Repeated every phrase she told me with a question mark added: "My computer is slow, eh?" * Every time she said "Yes", I asked my own question: "What department do you say you work for?", "Who is your manager?", "What number should I call if I need more help from you?" I never let her lead, never said Yes or No and never acted like an ahole. I was nice and calm. In five questions she got very nervous and hung up.

chinmoy 14y ago

Previous article's HN discussion here http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4612022 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4612022