scam
 

I had six (6), yes 6 phone calls yesterday from Apple, Inc. saying my support had been breached, to call number back. I never picked up the phone, and went to Best Buy, the geek squad, had to wait an hour for appt. but, they said that is a scam, which I thought it probably was. He said Apple or Microsoft never calls, they will either text or email. Geek squad checked my ipad and nothing suspicious on it. So irritating, those phone calls.

The Apple support number is 800-275-2273.

The Apple Education Dept. number is 800-692-7753.

I've called them and they have been very helpful. I called the first number when I got a suspicious screen, e-mail, or phone call.

I don't answer my phone unless it is someone I know.

My DH got a phone call about our Discover card - they actually left a message for him to call back. So he asked me if I knew where the card was. No, because we don't have a Discover card. But I did find the real Discover phone number and call them to confirm that no one had open an account with our name on it. These scams are driving us crazy.

If you get a phone call from "the IRS" demanding that you pay your back taxes in the next two hours or there will be police and/or a federal agent on your doorstep to arrest you, simply inform them that *you* are a federal agent. Or if you think you can't pull that off. that there is one sitting across the room from you, and would they like to speak to him? FBI/CIA/NSA/NCIS -- doesn't really matter which alphabet soup agency you choose. They hang up in microseconds! :D

For the last several years, I get calls from these people that say that "Microsoft" called them to "fix" my computer... That I had terrible porn on it. I finally told them that I was so discussed by the pictures on it that I threw the computer away... Told them I didn't want that stuff in my house. The guy got upset and told me to run out there and bring it back from the garbage can. I told him, "Too late". It was already picked up. He told me to buy a new one and he could fix it. .... Yikes! They still call. Since then, I told them that I died... that I had dementia and they have to call my daughter, that I couldn't figure out how to turn on the computer.... that my son is an FBI agent... nothing helps.

We immediately tell the caller we have a "no call" telephone number and if they call again they will be reported to the government that over see's this. They then leave us alone for days.

I keep my blood pressure under control by not answering the phone unless I know the caller. Yes, we frequently get 6 or 7 of those calls in a day.

Try hitting number nine. This is the highest pitch tone on the phone. It will blast their eardrums out of their head.

If I feel full of it I play along with them for a few minutes. I tell them the most outrageous things like how my butler took my cat and wanted a ransom, my chauffeur was arrested drag racing my cars, that my cook and the housekeeper was charging for tours in my home when I was out of the country and on and on until they hang up.

One day my cranky DH answered the phone to get a scammer. He used unfriendly words and hung up. A minute later before he could relay his call to me the phone rang. Knowing he was on the way from the shop to the house, I answered the phone from my sewing room without looking at the number (dumb, I know!) Lo and behold, it was the scammer who called to complain to me that my husband had called him a 'very bad word' and that I needed to 'talk to him.' I calmly answered him that I have no desire to control my husband and that perhaps he should consider another profession that did not include scamming old folks. Needless to say, they have called again but we ignore them as best we can.

Any more evil suggestions? I pretend to be the ditzyest old lady who ever lived. DH has been warned that if I holler "FRANK! HOW DO YOU TURN THE COMPUTER ON?!?" that I'm winding one up. (His name isn't Frank, of course, or anything close.) Then I pretend to be hunting for the right key on the keyboard, all the while nattering about how my grandson usually turns it on for me, but we had a power outage Thursday-- or was it Wednesday? Yes, it must have been Wednesday because that was the day that Boopsie got out of the yard, and we just hunted and hunted for hours and hours and hours...

I kept getting lots and lots of calls like all the above. I don't answer the phone either if it doesn't show who is calling; which has been a mistake a couple of times, but aside from that I finally got a phone that has call block on it. Oh my it is THE best thing I've ever done. I get very few calls now. IF a blocked call does try to call (again and again); the phone rings one time then the phone shows call blocked; so I know the call came in but the phone doesn't ring and ring and ring. One place; I think Dial America or Call America calls and calls (well - used to) several times a day. They of course are now blocked; but I looked them up online; they have petitioned to the FCC to be EXEMPT from the 'do not call' list? Really people? I was livid. We'll be in trouble if everyone does that.
So when the calls come in and I don' recognize them, I just hit the call block button and wa-la; done. If I do miss a call, say I' gone, it can be put in manually. The best thing on a phone!

sometimes these idiots may actually know where you live, so just hang up. scary world out there.

I do too, but then my HMO calls me to make an appointment for my annual and I don't answer becuz they don't have a name attached to the phone number!! But I still don't answer if I don't know.

This girl has the best “waste their time” response to a scammer. I love inventing ways to waste their time. Funny thing is, they seem to have stopped sharing my number so much, sinceI just pi** them off and waste their time. We have gone from multiple calls a day to only getting one once in a while now. Maybe they warn each other about us? Lol.

https://youtu.be/tHGcnG4Z-eU

The other evening I saw a commercial from a company "helping" you get out of debt and they were talking about the IRS phoning you. That's baloney!!!!!!! I feel badly for people who don't realize what a scam that is.

I installed nomoro (no more robocalls) and it has been 95%successful in cutting off calls. We also have caller ID which flashes on the tv and also has a snotty voice that tells who is calling. If I do not recognize the caller or the number, I do not answer. I got several of the IRS calls on voicemail last year. I got the information and reported it. Also last year got the Microsoft" calls at the time when my computer had just come back from being fixed by a very reputable person.

That cracked me up! You told them that you died!! lolol!!!

Thanks! I will try this. I've tried everything else. :)

I got that call from Apple a couple days ago. After the recorded message, if you hold, you can be transferred to a live person. When he came on, I told him that it might be good for them to find out if the person they were calling actually had any of their products before they tried to scam them. I hung up and they called twice after that. I did not answer. They haven't called since. I tell Microsoft I don't have windows. But I did get a call from Christ, Jesus (that is how it was listed on caller ID) along with Jehova Witness, IRS, Harris and Harris (collections but have never received any mail about overdue debt or knock on door from them. I only "owe them money" over the phone.) Wish we could get together and have a class action suit against solar, and all the others.

I was a federal agent for 32 years, and I know they do not call people. However, when I get a call from the FBI, I ask for the supervisor's name, and what I need do and then tell the caller that my attorney will contact them. Shuts them up pretty quick.

I also give the same info for the IRS, and any other scammer that calls and I accidently answer the phone, just to be complete.

Some of the calls we receive are recorded, they start talking, ask a question then there is a pause so you can answer. If you answer the recording continues, if you say nothing it gets disconnected. Sometimes we do answer a number we don't know but we do not say hello. It disconnects and we have the number so we can then block it. A few times we didn't say hello and the caller said is this "Jane", I'll say no, then the person says well maybe you can help me anyway. That's when I hang up.

you can't even block numbers anymore as they come in "spoofed" to be similar to your number. I actually watched as a call from a midwestern state number that I could not get to in time, changed into a local number in my "recent history". I have been getting calls from someone on the other side of the state, I know it is not really them, it is that their number is similar to mine so they are spoofed numbers.

When the "IRS" calls, tell them you have a hearing problem and could they transfer you to someone who does not have an accent. They won't be able to do it as they are calling from a foreign call center.

Even when you get an email - DO NOT RESPOND TO THAT EMAIL. Go directly to their website and look at your account. Almost every company has a messages/notifications link for you. If they have sent you an email, there will be a copy in your folder. If you answer the first email, a scammer has access to your computer!

I totally agree with Jingle. The phones you buy now that give the readout of who is calling and the number are worth the extra $$, which isn't a whole lot. Saves a lot of time and frustration. We got ours at Wal-M.
Mariah

We only have cellphones and many times I get a number that looks a lot like mine. Or I get one from a state where I know nobody. I just let it go. If it's important they will leave a message. No more problems.

My loving husband and often a sales clerk with laugh at me answering a number I do not know..I speak in a monotone..." Hello, this is a recording. Please leave a message after the beep." They will hang up at the word 'recording'. It has worked every time and they do not call back or question why my cell phone has a recorder.:o

Gee, I wonder what would happen if you answer the phone with: "the number you have reached has been disconnected and is no longer in service"?

I love the IRS calls...so professional! If you don't pay up the "cops" are going to come to your door. Since when would a federal agency use the word "cops" instead of police or agents? Just have to shake my head...Never answer these, just listen to the messages they leave.

Oh, and by the way, "yes I have windows. I have 26 of them. They tilt in and have storm screens. Is this a window washing company??? Can we set a day for you to come was my windows?" They hand up every time.

I hate the spoof calls. We live in a fairly small town and the spoofs usually come up with our neighbors or other folks in town. I let my machine answer all my calls.

My friend got angry with the IRS scammers that were calling her. She called the number back repeatedly asking to speak with their supervisors and giving them what for. Every time they hung up she called them back. At the end they said "Lady-what is wrong with you! PLEASE quit calling!" Ha ha, unfortunately there is always another call, but it gave her some satisfaction and I'm pretty sure THEY won't be calling her number again.

I had a scammer call to tell me that my microsoft had a virus but it could be repaired for some amount that I now forget. I told him thank you for the call but I didn't use microsoft and to knock off the bulls--t because I knew he was a scammer. He gave me the quickest hangup ever.

I'm contemplating answering the phone "National Security Agency. How may i direct your call?"

Actually, I rarely answer the landline any more. Friends and family know to call my cell.

I never answer area codes that match my number. mainly due to the fact that they are Colorado and i am now in Texas. but the other day i got two texts. no ring, just were there. a 410 or 401 area code. My son finally looked at the texts because i wanted to delete them. he said there were only about two words in English! odd.

410 is Maryland, 401 is Rhode Island.

I accidentally answered one, but thankfully I thought fast on my feet and decided to pretend I couldn't hear him.
He would ask, "Hello, ma'am, this is--" and I'd say, "Hello? Hello?" and he'd repeat his name. "I'm sorry, who is this? And who are you calling?" This went on an on and I could barely stifle my giggles because I could tell he was getting annoyed but trying to say professional-sounding. Finally he said, "I guess we have a bad connection," and I said, "Guess we do," and hung up!

My SIL does the same thing, she won't answer if she doesn't recognize the number. One of her grandkids had a medical emergeny and borrowed her friends cell to call grandma. Of course grandma didn't answer any unknown phone numbers so her granddaughter sent the police to check on grandma. Now I always answer the phone I will hang up as soon as they start their speel.

Seems like there is a new scam every week. We are on a do not call list but I can't tell that it has reduced the number of unknown callers.

I agree. Irritating and getting more frequent. Thanks for sharing what you found out.