A new variation on the "Windows tech support" phone call scam?

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  1. Posts : 222
    Windows 10/Windows 7 (My Idea- Virtual PC)
       #11

    Diosoth said:
    And while I know people here would be wise enough to not fall for these things but many people still are on a daily basis, as these scams easily target less tech-savvy people, especially the elderly, so it would be worth informing people about this take on the scam.
    It's not simply computer repair scams, there is also a huge scam where they call you to tell you your Social Security will be CANCELLED.


    they prey on user's FEARS, in your case, or your friend's case, it was computer-related. Maybe because they mentioned something abut computer repair on social media, that's how they pick up on whatever you were looking at last, same way facebook abuses the Ad system and shows you ads based on what you were talking about the day before, or even Googol searches you have done.

    There are usually ways to OPT OUT of Info-gathering systems that are intended to give you "Personal" Ads (You look like you need a Guinness, John Anderton!) - But sometimes, there is a system that you can't opt out of. That's where they get you.

    You should ask your friend, were they discussing the subject of the Spam with anyone on Social Media? Because in most cases, that's where they get the info - Since you have opted out of Twitter's Ad system, they mine your actual TWEETS, Facebook posts, even Messenger Messages.
    Last edited by Barman58; 11 Oct 2019 at 01:58. Reason: Removed inappropriate language
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  2. Posts : 1,384
    Win 7 Ult 64-bit
       #12

    Equally important is not to use social media at all. Don't give all your private info away and then complain that you're being spied upon and that your personal info is being sold. Facebook and Twitter are not in business as public services but to make money from ads and selling your profile.

    Then I see people in stores willingly giving away their phone number to the cashier to get a sale item. Occasionally I tell them the phone lists are being sold, but it's a hopeless campaign. One supermarket wanted my driver's license, phone number and another ID to give me a plastic "Loyalty" card. I turned them down.
    Last edited by Barman58; 11 Oct 2019 at 01:54. Reason: Breach of forum Rules no adblock discussion
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  3. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #13

    RoWin7 said:
    ...Then I see people in stores willingly giving away their phone number to the cashier to get a sale item. Occasionally I tell them the phone lists are being sold, but it's a hopeless campaign. One supermarket wanted my driver's license, phone number and another ID to give me a plastic "Loyalty" card. I turned them down.
    I deal with the "need" for a phone number to get a loyalty card by giving out a bogus phone number: a real phone number with the exchange (the three numbers between the area code and the last four numbers of the phone number) changed to 555. If they are stupid enough to try and call that number, they will get redirected to directory assistance (and you would be amazed at how many people do not know about 555). That way, not only do I not get bothered, neither does anyone else nor does anyone else get an opportunity to access my personal data.

    I draw the line at showing my driver's license and and another ID, though.
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  4. Posts : 31,242
    Windows 11 Pro x64 [Latest Release and Release Preview]
       #14

    So that's why so many phone numbers given out on us Movies and TV shows include the 555 - I've always wondered,
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  5. Posts : 1,384
    Win 7 Ult 64-bit
       #15

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I deal with the "need" for a phone number to get a loyalty card by giving out a bogus phone number: a real phone number with the exchange (the three numbers between the area code and the last four numbers of the phone number) changed to 555. If they are stupid enough to try and call that number, they will get redirected to directory assistance (and you would be amazed at how many people do not know about 555). That way, not only do I not get bothered, neither does anyone else nor does anyone else get an opportunity to access my personal data.

    I draw the line at showing my driver's license and and another ID, though.
    For years, I gave a phony name, address and phone # to get loyalty cards. But recently I lost one plastic card, and discovered now they need a driver's license, "so people don't get 2 cards." When Walgreen's asks for a phone #, it's because the customer has already registered previously with a driver's license, and they have to look her up fast.

    Someone in my knitting group doesn't get it. "Why should I care? I'm not doing anything illegal. You're seeing conspiracies everywhere."
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  6. Posts : 1,384
    Win 7 Ult 64-bit
       #16

    Barman58 said:
    So that's why so many phone numbers given out on us Movies and TV shows include the 555 - I've always wondered,
    They've always been 555, going back 50 years or more.


    The bottom line is that I get lots fewer spam calls than people I know because I don't give out my address and phone number freely. Also lots less junk snail mail.
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  7. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #17

    RoWin7 said:
    ...Someone in my knitting group doesn't get it. "Why should I care? I'm not doing anything illegal. You're seeing conspiracies everywhere."
    I'm continually being gobsmacked by how many otherwise intelligent people can be so ignorant. It's like a disease named Stupid (Stupiditis?) has become epidemic.
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  8. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #18

    Barman58 said:
    So that's why so many phone numbers given out on us Movies and TV shows include the 555 - I've always wondered,
    I'm shocked that someone as bright and knowledgeable as you are wouldn't have known that!
    Last edited by Lady Fitzgerald; 12 Oct 2019 at 12:53.
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  9. Posts : 222
    Windows 10/Windows 7 (My Idea- Virtual PC)
       #19

    RoWin7 said:
    Equally important is not to use social media at all. Don't give all your private info away and then complain that you're being spied upon and that your personal info is being sold. Facebook and Twitter are not in business as public services but to make money from ads and selling your profile.
    Twitter has become a #Joke (to use the proper hashtag). I used to enjoy using it to follow Actors or bands I liked, maybe a few other random individuals. Some of them I had pleasant interactions with. But ever since 2016, I had to block over 20k trolls/bots/sycophants. They can't limit their activity to REDDIT or 4/8chan, they have to infect any website that has a discussion board, including news websites, in fact, I'm sure that IMDb delete the hell out of their Discussion areas because of Troll Activity. Unfortunately, the TROLLS moved to the REVIEWS section, and they have taken over THAT. ANY Positive review of ANY film or TV show gets bombarded with hundreds of "Downvotes" (Unhelpful votes). All NEGATIVE reviews, and they are all verbatim DUPES of each other, get massive "helpful" votes. I mean even reviews that are less than once sentence that says "it sucks", it'll get 500 helpfuls. And the NEWS Sites, well even earlier, in 2012, and especially Huffington Post, the discussion areas under each article got appropriated by 8chan twits. As far as News sites go, I'm not interested in seeing people TALKING about any news item, it should be JUST news and that's IT.

    You can use Facebook to talk about that poop. And that's what people used to do until 2016.

    These days? You read any important news item, and there are always links to TWITTER posts, by you-know-orange-who. Like, WHO CARES!?!?!?! So I try to keep away from News Sources that link Twitter crap all the time. I just want FACTS that I can corroborate on more than one news source, I want to see how it is reported at different places, and like HELL if I am interested in someone's TWITTER reaction to it. Gah! Fook That NOISE!

    So mainly when I use Twitter any more these days, I react to those POS tweets by spamming one of my bands or band videos. That's the only good use of Twitter, cos I get lots of hits from those tweets where I link songs and videos, especially on what's his arse's timeslime.

    As far as facebook, I really depend on it, not for the main Facebook app, but for Messenger. But when I do venture out into the main facebook Area-Of-Dren, I keep to my friends and followers. I do have to keep a Cell number on my FB Business page, cos it's business. And Business is Business! lately I have deflected any SPAM that may mitigate from my FB Business page by using a free Obomaphone I got when I was at a 99 cent only store, I figured, if they are handing out free phones, I'll grab one. I even offered to PAY them for more Data BW, but they would not let me! Which was the craziest thing I have ever seen. But that free UMX phone, a crappy snapdragon device, fortunately cannot be used for any social media whatsoever, cos it's too weak to run the apps. But it gives me an alternate phone number I can use on my facebook Business and band pages. This allows for way less SpamCalls on my real iPhone.

    In fact, I do approve of NOT using Social Media especially after I was hit with the ADAME virus that wiped out 3/4 of my irreplaceable Pro Tools session files. Fortunately, someone told me, that the files ADAME encrypts are actually first, deleted. So, I was able to use that free undeleter app Recuva to locate and restore a bunch of those Sessions, in fact I just got done going through the sessions, and they are all there and complete, so it is a slight relief. I still have to go through the rest of my storage drives, but I haven't seen as positive of a result on the drive I just started the scan on. So I think I just got lucky with the sessions I WAS able to "recuva"

    I may indeed start curbing my Social app activity, I'll stick to using those for Band promotion, cos I did spend about 10 years building those accounts up from scratch. I really don't need to talk to anyone else, I have a core of about 200 people I interact with daily, and it's mostly for real-time and real-life events. And for setting up computer repair jobs, I get about 10% of my calls from my FB Business page. But now with the Obomaphone, I can easily VET all of those calls.

    Then I see people in stores willingly giving away their phone number to the cashier to get a sale item. Occasionally I tell them the phone lists are being sold, but it's a hopeless campaign. One supermarket wanted my driver's license, phone number and another ID to give me a plastic "Loyalty" card. I turned them down.
    Usually, it's Guitar Center, or Moze Guitars, or Alans Music cos I have been buying equipment and accessories from those places for 40 years, and I do not mind #Spam from those places, cos I WANT to see those ads. I look at em, then delete em. I'm thankful for them cos I found an early 80's Peavey Renown in one of those Guitar Center ads. For 250 bucks! I RACED down to GC and bought it, those heaps are 160 Watts RMS, and although they are Transistor amps, they SOUND like Tube. They even gave me a GC credit card! I was amazed. I used it to buy the Amp, and some strings and stuff, then paid it off and am not using it anymore.

    However, Office Despot, Home Cesspool, Staples (least offensive of the lot), FRYs (a real stinklhole), And it used to be RADIO SHACK, always insisted on my Phone number, my response was always like Hugh Jackman in X-Men First Class. Sometimes they try to not finish the sale, so THAT's when I start yelling "Manager! Manager!"

    Haha!

    But I wholly agree, be prudent what you put up into your profile, EVEN if it says "Nobody Else can See it!" -- The SPAMMERS see it and bombard you!

    (I Tried to edit out any cursewords, I might not have gotten them all)
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  10. Posts : 222
    Windows 10/Windows 7 (My Idea- Virtual PC)
       #20

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I draw the line at showing my driver's license and and another ID, though.

    You mean when they ask you for a "2nd" ID? Most places have a sign that says they need "2 forms of ID"

    For many years, I got past this by using my Passport, until it expired. Most places got bent out of shape, they could not DENY the transaction I was doing, cos it is a valid Federal ID. Mostly I used it at my own bank, when I wanted to cash a 3rd party check, and they never gave me any grief about using my passport. Until one day I was an a Bank of America, and they were trying to refuse to cash a check written out to me on their bank. So I started yellin' MANAGER, MANAGER, and the manager came out and did it for me. But he said he would never do it again, I told him **** Off, I'm never coming back here, and I never have.

    What they really want is a credit card though. I want to know, how in 57,000 bloody blue blazes, a CREDIT CARD can be defined as an ID? About a year after the BoA incident, I actually got a Debit card which was a MasterCard, and it could not be used as a credit card. And then, the very next place that tried to pull the "2 forms of ID" cack on me HAD to take it as my "2nd form of ID".
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