SCAM ALERT!!

[BigPimping]

I have experienced a few scam attempts here. Classic signs are when they say they have no telephone access and have only email contact. I laugh and report them to the Ban Hammer.

[hermosabeach]

well the IRS called me and I sent them all my money....

not the microsoft support team is upset that I cannot pay their fee

[bsg]

thanks for the heads-up on Howard. as far as the nigerian prince, i've only received one request for money from someone claiming to be him, and now i'm thinking he may have been legit.

[orangeusa]

What about the guy who calls and says he needs access to your computer because he found a virus on your computer?

That fool called me twice. I screamed at him and felt better. "So how do you know I have a virus if you don't have access? How could you have pushed an upgrade if you don't have access.

I think they say the virus is in a program I supposedly bought. They are very agressive.

.

[Dave626]

IRS called me from a Washington area code number telling me they will sue me for my outstanding balance. IRS no need to sue, they just freeze my account and take whatever they want.

Indian dept of Microsoft called me 4 times on July 4th want to fix my computer by remote access.

[OutlawStar]

Ha! @Dave626 I've had multiple calls from both the "IRS" and "Microsoft" with those exact details. It was on my work phone number so I knew it wasn't tied to me. But since I can talk to people on the phone and do actual work at the same time, I decided to do a little counter-scamming. I asked for a manager, cited fake case-law entitling citizens to discuss matters with certified personnel. You can tell when panjeet doesn't know what to say when he's off script for the scam.

"Under Civil code 3724.6 I demand to speak to a supervisor, and if you deny me that I am entitled to lawfully sue you, personally, for all undue damages including dismissal of any IRS levies and lawsuits against my person and property" They usually lose it after that and you can hear the call center of drones trying to scam other people.

[CinnamonBear723]

In all honesty this is a federal fraud crime and should be reported through the FBIs website. These are the same guys who run the IRS scams and lottery scams. I would encourage you all to report this even though I know it requires you contacting "the man."

[SonofWWIIDI]

I counter troll the MS guys.

Act shocked.
Ask them "how do I fix this...can you help?"
Don't even bother going to your machine. Say you're aging and not very computer savy and it might take you a minute. Have trouble "turning on" your computer. "My grandson usually takes care of my computer for me..." Etc.

If I have the time, I string them out until I get bored, and then either;

calmly inform them that they are a giant POS, to go home and ask their wife and mother "how she liked my **** when I PIIHB?...oh, and you won't recognize her when you get home, I shaved her back while I was at it."

Or

It tell them there's someone at the door and to hold on then set the phone down and walk away. Go back every few minutes or so and tell them you're signing for packages and almost done.

There are other variations for the solar, nigerian prince and other scams. Have fun with it. The longer you keep them on the phone, the less money they get scamming and the less time they have to scam the next potential victim on the list.

[geoint]

Month or two ago I had guys buy AK sling and gun parts via PayPal gifts. I told them I'd be happy doing regular PayPal transfers but that it increased he price by 3% since I wasn't gonna eat those PayPal charges. For the low value items, these guys decided to trust me and all went well. I'm sure they only did it because I have a high post count and a decent (though small) iTrader history.

Another guy bought an ACOG from me in Arizona. He paid the extra 3% to have some security through an official PayPal transaction and I don't blame him at all.

I don't imagine it's hard to fake iTrader history so I wouldn't trust somebody even with a great history of his way of doing business looked sketchy. And most scams I've seen are blatantly obvious...