So, "Microsoft" called me ...

[AZgl1500]

Oklahoma, USA here.

I have been getting a spate of calls explaining that the "Warranty" on my vehicle has expired, and I must renew the insurance 'now'.

Ummmm, I just answer with "Which one of my vehicles was it that the warranty expired on?"
CLICK....

the only reason I answer those calls, is because I am a resource for folks having troubles..
but, of late, I have taken a new tactic to this situation. IF the Caller ID does not show a Person's Name, or is NOT registered in my Contacts, I let it go thru to Voice Mail.

I changed my Voice Mail message to "This is AZgl1500, if you lost your password, please leave your number here and I will call you back"

strangest thing, no voice mails for me to fool with.

[cliffcoggin]

If only she was alive now to see and hear "robocalls", "scamcalls", as well as a flood of "donation" for some cause or another as well as a plethora of political robocalls, and lets not forget "surveys" phone calls, etc. that we are all plagued with these days...lol...DAMIEN

No, we're not. This seems to be pretty much a US American phenomenon; over here in Europe, political calls and especially robocalls are rare.

I've never had a political call here, I have a feeling they are illegal. The only scam calls I have had were from Indians pretending to be Microsoft support.

[AndyMH]

"Which one of my vehicles was it that the warranty expired on?"

Similar on the indian MS support calls - which of my PCs has the problem (given we have six in the house)?

[KBD47]

No, we're not. This seems to be pretty much a US American phenomenon; over here in Europe, political calls and especially robocalls are rare.

You don't know how lucky you are. On a good day I might get 3-5, but some days 7-8 in a day. I strongly suspect everyone who has our phone numbers here in the U.S. sells them or trades them constantly. Once, when I got a new number, I went for about 6 months without robo calls, but it was a short reprieve.

[trapperjohn]

Hi,

Here in my neck of the woods the mad dialers can masquerade as a local number. The local number that appears on the caller ID sometimes is a hyjacked number owned by a hapless resident. Once my number showed up on another fella's caller ID and he promptly called me back and told me off.

[AndyMH]

The local number that appears on the caller ID sometimes is a hyjacked number owned by a hapless resident

Happens a lot here in the UK as well. Don't trust caller ID unless you recognise the number.

[DAMIEN1307]

Don't be too suprised if you find out that your own IP service sells your information to any and all who wish to buy.

MINE DID!!!

They got a goodly ration of crap from me for doing so, along with a "cease and desist" order as well...DAMIEN

[151tom]

Oklahoma, USA here.

I have been getting a spate of calls explaining that the "Warranty" on my vehicle has expired, and I must renew the insurance 'now'.

Ummmm, I just answer with "Which one of my vehicles was it that the warranty expired on?"
CLICK....

I'm in Oklahoma and I get calls from so called Microsoft folks and the vehicle warranty renewal crap.

I just hang up on the vehicle warranty callers however I'll screw around with so called Microsoft caller and have some fun.

[AZgl1500]

Oklahoma, USA here.

I have been getting a spate of calls explaining that the "Warranty" on my vehicle has expired, and I must renew the insurance 'now'.

Ummmm, I just answer with "Which one of my vehicles was it that the warranty expired on?"
CLICK....

I'm in Oklahoma and I get calls from so called Microsoft folks and the vehicle warranty renewal crap.

I just hang up on the vehicle warranty callers however I'll screw around with so called Microsoft caller and have some fun.

I have an Android phone, and just plain got tired of the BS calls...
4 days ago, I installed an App called Call Blocker

Since then, I have not received any BS calls, either it is a coincidence, or the app works.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... cker&hl=en

FWIW,
I tried at least 10 of these blocking apps, and nearly all of them wanted to upload your contacts list into their domain.... uh, no, forget that.... the point of it is, if the caller does not have a Registered name with the Wireless Registry, they are BS....

I have a paid for Subscription to Verizon's Caller ID database..,
nearly all valid ph#s will show up with the name of the Registered user... ( unless they are paying for Restricted and I don't answer those )

[Pepi]

I lead them on and on and when they get to the part where they want you to login to their site I tell them I don't have internet service. I told the guy the police took it away from me

[lsemmens]

I used to Install and fix the things, then moved on to Telephone Exchanges. I "retired" in 1990.

Varnished wood box and a bakelite handpiece?
old phone.jpeg

Actually, Adelaide River Exchange was from that era when I started in the Territory back in the late 70s. I never needed to fix one of those though, just replace a few cords on the switchboard. It was not long after I started in Darwin that they cut over to automatic in that town.

[RollyShed]

Actually, Adelaide River Exchange was from that era when I started in the Territory back in the late 70s. I never needed to fix one of those though, just replace a few cords on the switchboard. It was not long after I started in Darwin that they cut over to automatic in that town.

And they'd put man in space a decade earlier. About the time you are talking about I'd be sent out to fix private automatic exchanges. These were in firms in place of an operator. I didn't know much, just went and fixed them. Moved on to the VHF radio section as well as answer phones.
Basically, "What is it? Where is the ON switch? OK, I'll fix it."
A decade later starting PDP-8s by keying in a series of binary instructions and then feeding in punched paper tape..

Yes, those were the days.....

[lsemmens]

I had a call from the NBN today The very (not so) nice lady from Iraq or Pakistan or some other 'stan, eventually threatened to set the Federal Police onto me. All I said was "You mother must be very proud of you". They can obviously read the phone book as they knew my address and a technician was going to come out on Friday to replace my modem because it was "faulty". She was also going to disconnect my internet so I can't post this.

[Pierre]

that's Excellent News

did you ask her to tell Microsoft, that you will be off-line, for an while


got one, of those, yesterday, as well.

[DAMIEN1307]

WOW, you guys "down under" get to have all the fun...lol...DAMIEN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SECVGN4Bsgg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

[Pierre]

the IT support desk, used to be in Clayton, Victoria,
but, now, it's over in Mumbai, India.
- - same people - - different building.


http://youtu.be/YM0k_CVQFoM

[DAMIEN1307]

hi pierre...your link doesnt work, perhaps mistyped???...DAMIEN

[xdicey]

On the odd occasions, I picked up my phone without checking the ID, I got the 'Microsoft help desk' call.
I responded once to say 'you must have dialed the wrong number because I do not own a computer. Silence for a beat, then he said, you don't own a computer?
Not at all, I answered. He hung up. During the space of several months I gave the same answer to a couple more calls. Never got another one since. This was more than a year ago.

With the Revenue Service, they'd say, how much I owe and I'd be sued if I don't pay up. Once and only once I said, thanks for calling to remind me but I already paid yesterday. Haven't gotten another call -I stopped picking up my phone.

There are so much of this nonsense going around it's no longer funny. I don't own a cellphone, twitter, FB, Instagram etc. etc. account and I feel having only a landline is a bother. Can't imagine what it's like for those who are connected all the time to pretty much everything.

[RollyShed]

With the Revenue Service, they'd say, how much I owe and I'd be sued if I don't pay up.

So I had this call from IRD and an Indian bloke. I asked for his name and said I'd call back. I did and the girl on the line laughed, knowing why I'd done a call back. "It's OK." she said, "It is genuine, he does work for us and I'll do it for you."

So someone employing a foreign sounding person who is going to do calls might not be the best option.

[lsemmens]

I'm still waiting for them to "fix" my internet, given that they were going to cut me off yesterday, I'm still "not" here.