What can you do when you are receiving a fake Microsoft Service phone call?

You know it is a scam. Why even bother talking to the twit?

You are on a computerized list. You answered their call once. They think you are a mark and they call you

Just hang up. Curse him out if it makes you feel better.

srm

@srmorgan Because I want him to be punished for breaking the law

My friend Marc posted this on that other F site recently. He works in IT and is generally hilarious. He has given permission to share:

“So…
A hacker from India called me, claiming to be Microsoft Tech Support and that my Windows PC has been sending malicious files; he offered to help me fix the issue.
After letting him give me instructions on how to open my PC’s system settings so he can hack my box (I’m not even home), I told him that now that I had him on the line for 60 seconds, I was a network engineer for an Internet Security firm and that I’d be forwarding his phone # to the FBI.
It was entertaining to hear him defiantly exclaim that there was no way I could trace his number.
Moral: If you ever get called from a restricted phone number, have good shtick ready to go. Being an NSA or FBI agent always works.”

Then, two days later…

“So…the “Microsoft Technical Support” rep (phishing hacker from India) called me back…
I told him that I don’t have time to play today and to please remove me from his call list. I said that I already logged his number and I already sent it to the FBI…to which he responded by hanging up on me.”

Microsoft will never call you, ever. They have better things to do with their time.

@Seek Thats funny, I’ll have to try something like that if he calls next time just to mess with him haha

I haven’t had that type of guy. If I did and had time, I might have some fun with him. Is it the same actual person calling back? Does he acknowledge he has called before, or is it like he doesn’t realize he’s called you multiple times?

There are so many things that can be done, depending on what result you want. Things I have done to spam phone callers in the past include:

* Politely say “no thanks”.

* Hang up on them.

* Tell them to take me off their list.

* Tell them to put me on their do not call list.

* Tell them there is no way I will ever ever ever be interested in their product.

* Tell them exactly what I think about their business.

* Pretending I am interested and going along, but making up information and seeing how much of their time I can waste, or what I can get them to say.

* Speak other foreign languages to them, that they don’t know.

* Invent alien languages to speak to them.

* Roleplay a mental illness.

* Roleplay a fun or weird character.

* Forward their call to various businesses or government numbers.

* Pretend I want to buy whatever they are selling, but be so slow and incompetent about it that they eventually get fed up and hang up on me.

* Talk to them about something I feel like talking about.

* Tell them I’ve told them before to put me on their do not call list, and request more information so I can detail it for the log I am keeping for my lawyer.

* Ask for permission to record the call.

* Tell them that the call is being recorded.

* Put them up to one of the recordings on YouTube that is a “please hold” recording for telemarketers, that gets more and more hostile. “Your telemarketing bullshit is very important to us, so please hold…”

In the case of a “Microsoft support call”, being a computer programmer, I would likely try to figure out what they are trying to get from me, and go along as far as I could to try to get as much information about them and their hi-jinks as I could. I’d make up some disinformation for them. I might also 3-way dial them into an actual Microsoft line… perhaps I should look up an actual number for Microsoft information security. Or a cyber-crime number at some government agency.

I might also ask some computer security type folks if there is a counter-hack to use.

This sounds like what a gullible, naive 10yr old would do :D
We had one call like this ages ago, I let him twitter on then told him to fuck off, after a brief pause he rightly hung up.

I want one of these calls! All of our computers but one are Macs. I’m dying to “struggle” to find the things they want me to click on or open so they can help me.

As for what you can do, I love the list provided by @Zaku .

I also have a Mac. And I have a 100 db whistle which I blow into the receiver!

I’ve enjoyed using this hold message before for annoying telemarketers. It was funny how long they stayed on the line (they had poor English skills).