OT: Con Men

[TheVictors]

yeah, I had a housemate who climbed the telephone poll in our alley and hooked up cable. we had it for almost a year before they came and disconnected it and put a lock on the cable box (standard these days, I'm sure).

 

[wheels002]

Somewhat off topic and I have no idea where you actually worked, but fucking hell, AT&T outsourced all (or much) of their customer service recently, didn't they? Now whenever I call, I speak to someone from Jamaica or India. I used to call and speak with an American voice and whenever I call now, I usually have to ask for a supervisor because they don't understand what the fuck I'm saying. Once it actually got so bad that they transferred me to a department that must still be controlled in the US.

They have outsourced a lot especially on the residential side because so many people are going cell phone only. I was a business rep most of the time and sold phone but didnt handle their billing. I was forced into an early retirement 6 years ago Now if your ever calling for tech support and you want an american there is a trick. You have to demand Tier 3 they are advanced tech support in Texas, They will not want to transfer you there but if you refuse to talk to them they will.

 

[hungry]

The guy might've been legit, but still he could have seemed shifty. Let's face it, there are a lot of shifty people around. A few years back, I had a cable guy in my house and he saw my uniforms and asked if i was a C/O. I told him that I was and he started going on about how he used to be in prison and such. I told him that I didn't have a problem with people who made mistakes and did their time. The guy you saw could have been an ex-con.

 

[UMRules06]

*Shrugs* I might have overreacted, but it was just so unusual and seemed off for some reason. Oh well, never heard anything back from the police or anything so probably was no big deal in the end.

The guy also had a very distinct "Northern European/Scandanavian" look to him. Having just recently watched Die Hard with a Vengeance, perhaps that helped fuel my mistrust.

 

[hungry]

*Shrugs* I might have overreacted, but it was just so unusual and seemed off for some reason. Oh well, never heard anything back from the police or anything so probably was no big deal in the end.

The guy also had a very distinct "Northern European/Scandanavian" look to him. Having just recently watched Die Hard with a Vengeance, perhaps that helped fuel my mistrust.

I wouldn't be so sure. The subconscious sets off these alarms for a reason. I've definitely learned to listen to these sort of things in my line of work. If anything ever seems shifty or not right, end the situation as soon as you can. I had a guy in my house trying to sell me this super cool filtration system for our water. Our water at our old house was horrible. Halfway through his spiel, something he did set me off. I quickly told him that we weren't interested and that he had to go. He seemed a little upset, but he packed up and went. I was just about to purchase the system, also. I was going to give this complete stranger my credit information. As soon as I didn't feel right, I had no interest in continuing. Could've been completely legit, but also could've been a scam.

We ended up moving a few years later anyway. Would've been a waste of money.

 

[deathroh]

*Shrugs* I might have overreacted, but it was just so unusual and seemed off for some reason. Oh well, never heard anything back from the police or anything so probably was no big deal in the end.

The guy also had a very distinct "Northern European/Scandanavian" look to him. Having just recently watched Die Hard with a Vengeance, perhaps that helped fuel my mistrust.

I would have done the same thing if I got that feeling. But to be safe you should have asked him for an aspirin so you could find out where he was operating out of.

 

[tomdalton22]

I had my computer freeze up on me a few weeks ago. A Microsoft screen came up and had a 800 number to call. I couldn't get the computer to unlock so I called the Microsoft #. Of course I got an Indian sounding tech. He was very helpful but he asked for permission to take over my screen so he can figure out what went wrong. That's when I got that feeling in my gut. I told him I don't allow anyone to access my computer. He said he couldn't fix it unless he had access. I pretty much told him to fuck off and hung up. I did a hard re-start and the computer worked fine. I plugged in the number in google and it turns out is is definitely a scam. They tie up your computer and then force you to buy software to take care of the problem.

 

[TheVictors]

We keep our front screen door locked at all times just in case one of these door-to-door guys is really just looking for a quick snatch of a wallet or laptop.

its the City

 

[byco42]

I get calls from "Microsoft" saying "there is something wrong with your computer" occasionally. *CLICK*

 

[Michchamp]

We keep our front screen door locked at all times just in case one of these door-to-door guys is really just looking for a quick snatch of a wallet or laptop.

its the City

only the screen door? I keep everything locked and bolted at all times, and I give everyone in my house shit if they come inside and leave a door unlocked.

if they tell me to chill out, I go into my schpiel about how it takes an extra second - if that! - to lock the door, but days upon days & potentially thousands of dollars to replace things stolen in a burglary, file insurance claims, etc.

my wife was hard to corral & would laugh off my concerns because we're in a safe neighborhood, neighbors always looking out for eachother, etc. but then A couple weeks ago my she stupidly left her purse in the car, with the windows down, parked in the driveway, and someone nabbed it. she saw the light after that.

 

[TheVictors]

Yeah, it's a true crime of opportunity and in our situation, we are one block off a rather major East-West artery through Denver so the foot traffic coming from there can be unpredictable as well as provide a quick escape route to vanish after the snatch. We have wrought iron security screens and if we're home, the front door is to be locked at all times. If we leave the house, the inside front door gets dead-bolted as well.

Our garage got robbed a few summers ago. Took my bike and a small stereo as well as my son's baseball bag (bat, balls, crap like that). He did, however, leave behind his crappy POS bike ..which the Police took as evidence.

 

[Michchamp]

the side door on our garage is a flimsy piece of shit interior door. there's not even a security plate on it. someone could easily kick through it. i wanted to replace it, but we had some many other things to upgrade when we moved in, it wasn't a priority. There is so much wood and other stuff stacked inside of it though that it's probably secure. plus our neighbor has a motion detector light right there & its all visible from the street.

in high school, I knew these guys from Rochester that acquired most of their beer by raiding garages. one of them told me "you wouldn't believe how many people leave their garage doors unlocked!"

kids from Rochester, man!

 

[TheVictors]

That's funny ...I am probably meeting up with my buddy whose from Rochester but who now lives in Scottsdale.

His name is Scott ...



Tinsel met him in Tempe, pre-BWW Debacle

 

[Michchamp]

That's funny ...I am probably meeting up with my buddy whose from Rochester but who now lives in Scottsdale.

His name is Scott ...



Tinsel met him in Tempe, pre-BWW Debacle

would be even funnier if he went to his garage to get you a beer, only to discover some neighborhood kids raided his fridge through an unlocked side door.

 

[Monster]

I get calls from "Microsoft" saying "there is something wrong with your computer" occasionally. *CLICK*

Lol if you ever want a good laugh, go on youtube and look up Microsoft windows scammer. Actual people with tech knowledge record their computer screens and the audio for the call. You get to see how disgusting those scammers are and what they actually do to your system.

 

[byco42]

Lol if you ever want a good laugh, go on youtube and look up Microsoft windows scammer. Actual people with tech knowledge record their computer screens and the audio for the call. You get to see how disgusting those scammers are and what they actually do to your system.

Who are the people who thinks this is acceptable? What are their premises? #rhetorical

 

[TheVictors]

A tad OT here, but my work phone has been getting a lot of odd 'telemarketing' calls lately and because I have clients all over, I have to answer my phone.

One is a Radio Contest with a jingle and recorded Trivia Questions such as, 'this actor played BatMan ..is it, Charlie Sheen ..Val Kilmer or Justin Timberlake' and then you hit a button on your phone to answer ..

Another is some Cruise line offering me a cruise ..

Third I have no idea because when you answer, the call is disconnected and you can't call back ..

The last has been a call for insurance that sounds like a real person - she even says, 'whoops, dropped my headset' - but is a recording


All of which seem like a colossal waste of everyone's time

 

[UMRules06]

A tad OT here, but my work phone has been getting a lot of odd 'telemarketing' calls lately and because I have clients all over, I have to answer my phone.

One is a Radio Contest with a jingle and recorded Trivia Questions such as, 'this actor played BatMan ..is it, Charlie Sheen ..Val Kilmer or Justin Timberlake' and then you hit a button on your phone to answer ..

Another is some Cruise line offering me a cruise ..

Third I have no idea because when you answer, the call is disconnected and you can't call back ..

The last has been a call for insurance that sounds like a real person - she even says, 'whoops, dropped my headset' - but is a recording


All of which seem like a colossal waste of everyone's time

I spoke to my mom today. She recently became eligible for Social Security benefits, so she's been expecting a call from them I guess? She normally does not answer the phone with unrecognizable numbers, but since she is waiting for this call she answered a call today.

So it was somebody asking about insurance of some sort. But she said that the person got her to respond with a "Yes" to a basic question like "do you currently reside in Michigan?" Once she said "yes" she said the call got disconnected. She's really worried she's now been a victim of a scam.

It seems these guys just want to get a recording of you saying "yes" over the phone so they can use that to make unauthorized purchases in your name. I really hope that isn't what happened here, but apparently it's a real thing going around.

http://www.omaha.com/money/this-pho...cle_9dcd0d0e-0ed8-5701-9aa1-7c0657f1c1c0.html

 

[byco42]

I spoke to my mom today. She recently became eligible for Social Security benefits, so she's been expecting a call from them I guess? She normally does not answer the phone with unrecognizable numbers, but since she is waiting for this call she answered a call today.

So it was somebody asking about insurance of some sort. But she said that the person got her to respond with a "Yes" to a basic question like "do you currently reside in Michigan?" Once she said "yes" she said the call got disconnected. She's really worried she's now been a victim of a scam.

It seems these guys just want to get a recording of you saying "yes" over the phone so they can use that to make unauthorized purchases in your name. I really hope that isn't what happened here, but apparently it's a real thing going around.

http://www.omaha.com/money/this-pho...cle_9dcd0d0e-0ed8-5701-9aa1-7c0657f1c1c0.html

Yes, she needs to do some backfilling now. Another one is "we're calling about your warranty, do you still own a vehicle?"

 

[TheVictors]

Sounds like the Insurance thing ...and caller ID says 'university of Denver'