Calls from India

[artme]

Ordering acryy usually fixes the problem!

[Tonyz]

Ive just hung up from an Indian young lady who introduced herself
" hello Iam Prisilla"

being very quick tonite I asked.
"Are you the queen of the desert"

complete confusion reigned I started telling her who Prisilla was but I lost the plot laughing too much.

I do feel sorry for them after all they are just doing a job and if succesful come out here and get jobs in the banks advising me what to do.

[_fly_]

Fly,
I have a nephew, staying in a country town with my parents in the granny flat behind their house. At a bit of a loose end during weeknights and for similar philanthropic reasons to you (at least that's what he claims). Has taken to seeing how long he can hold them.

Record to date (including him having tea during) is over 2 1/2 hours !!

Regards
SWK

Tell him he's a legend, I couldn't go that far.

[lightwood]

We got a call the other day that came up Overseas as the caller ID, naturally didn't answer it. Went to the machine.

In an Indian accent -

This is the Australian Tax Office, we are holding a tax refund to the amount of $1855.98, please call this number and qoute this number and provide your details and the money will be sent to you - NOT

I watched a thing on the box a while ago that said the scammers are fully aware that 99% of people are smart enough to recognise a scam as such and hang up or delete, but the 1% that aren't so smart are enough to get them what they are after. Working on economy of scale I suppose.

BTW, I have just been left a bazillion dollars by a wealthy industrialist in Kenya, once I provide them with my bank details and ID, I'll get the money. So. look out for a vaccum of woodworking tools to occur, very shortly.

Ozhunter,
About 5 years ago I needed to call the tax office for discussion about my business and personal tax affairs, and the first person I spoke to was sympathetic and said some documents needed to be received, and an officer would contact me in a few days.

Sure enough, a few days later I got a call from a lady with a strong Indian accent, claiming to be from the taxation office. She started out with her intro...and quickly said...." I am actually calling you from the office in Albury, not from India" and we both had and a little chuckle. She told me plenty of people just hang up on her without saying a word.
It made a very light-hearted start to what could have been a very difficult conversation.
I got, from her, a VERY sympathetic hearing, and lengthy terms in my favour. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, as I had expected the whole weight of the Taxation Department to come crashing down on me.

Regards,
Peter

[Sebastiaan56]

I feel for these people, its a hard way to make a living I reckon, particularly if they are on commission. Still enough people pay up to make it worth while.

We just tell them that my dad is busy with the neighbours wife.

[jimbur]

I'm fortunate in that I don't seem to get these nuisance calls at home but I'm not surprised that a proportion of the population get sucked in. One thing that drives me mad is the number of people who are willing to pass around hoax warnings of viruses via email. They never check on the veracity and never send blind carbon copy.
Cheers,
Jim

[Bob38S]

Sick to death of these parasites who try to prey on the gullible, elderly or mentally challenged in our society.

Most pleasing thing I read years ago was that call centre workers were going on stress leave because they were dealing with too many abusive Australians - I say, ring me on the phone I pay for and have put in for my benefit and try to sell or solicit something then do so at your ear's peril.

What has worked the best for me is after the usual opening blurb - I interrupt with a question -

"Are you interested in travel?"

To this I get a variety of positive answers including how much they would like to come to Australia.

I then ask the second question "Are you interested in sex?"

This usually brings a "pregnant pause" - I have even had a "Yes" in reply.

I then close with "Well then, why don't you F... Off!"

Not a usual word in my vocabulary and certainly not one I would normally use in mixed company, but, this works every time and closes the conversation with a very satisfying [to me] clunk - I'm beyond caring what they think.

I don't buy the argument that they are only doing a job and deserve better treatment etc - I could go on etc but you get the idea.

[Chief Tiff]

The other day I had the "hello I'm from microsoft" call; the thing that interested me was that they knew my name.

They told me I had a problem with my computer, I asked "which one, I have 3?"

"Your main one sir"

"Which Windows operating system?"

"Windows 7 sir"

"That's not my main computer but nevermind. Please tell me the Windows license number so I can check"

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep........

I don't have a listed number, very rarely give out any phone numbers and I'm on the "Do not call" register so generally if someone knows my details I pay them a little bit of attention....if only to find out how they got my number in the first place

Had I not read about this scam in this forum; who knows maybe I would have been one of the unlucky 1% who get sucked in. We all like to believe we are far too smart to get caught, but...............

[Allan at Wallan]

We get about three calls per week with the same deal,
"having trouble with computer, Microsoft etc".

They ask for me by name so my wife and I have the same
answer, 'Hold the line I will get him".

Leave the phone off the hook for 10 minutes then check
it. Same thing every time ... they have gone.

Works for us.

Allan

[bsrlee]

Haven't had any of those calls since I told one that the Federal Police were monitoring all calls to my number.

Try asking them for their ABN

[Bushmiller]

An elderly friend of ours in town received a call saying that her computer was running slow. The caller took her through a number of steps, which she went along with.

Finally she informed him that she didn't actually own a computer.............

Regards
Paul

[old pete]

Hi Folks,

I try to be helpful to the hard workers from the sub-continent. I ask them to shift their focus away from IT issues and re-focus them on what they desperately need to about the state of their test cricket team. At least that's productive for them.

Cheers Old Pete

[12bolts]

I try to be helpful to the hard workers from the sub-continent. I ask them to shift their focus away from IT issues and re-focus them on what they desperately need to about the state of their test cricket team.

Yep, that, or if its in the evening, I tell them I am having trouble cooking a curry and ask them for advice, or a good recipe to use next time! Or if I havent got the time to waste I get my one of kids to chat with them for a while. They love stringing them along.

Cheers Phil

[fenderbelly]

Sick to death of these parasites who try to prey on the gullible, elderly or mentally challenged in our society.

Most pleasing thing I read years ago was that call centre workers were going on stress leave because they were dealing with too many abusive Australians - I say, ring me on the phone I pay for and have put in for my benefit and try to sell or solicit something then do so at your ear's peril.

What has worked the best for me is after the usual opening blurb - I interrupt with a question -

"Are you interested in travel?"

To this I get a variety of positive answers including how much they would like to come to Australia.

I then ask the second question "Are you interested in sex?"

This usually brings a "pregnant pause" - I have even had a "Yes" in reply.

I then close with "Well then, why don't you F... Off!"

Not a usual word in my vocabulary and certainly not one I would normally use in mixed company, but, this works every time and closes the conversation with a very satisfying [to me] clunk - I'm beyond caring what they think.

I don't buy the argument that they are only doing a job and deserve better treatment etc - I could go on etc but you get the idea.

A few days ago after reading this thread i got "The Call "
and responded as above.

It worked a treat

[Ashore]

I have two methods of answering
1... short on time ....tell them my mother was a gypsy and I curse them and one member of their family will did because of what they are doing
2 ... Plenty of time put on speaker and lead them on , this is usually when I'm working on the puter, after about 20 minutes I tell them I don't have any underwear on and are they excited because I am , then ask ( if there still there) if their wearing any underwear never had to ask any more because they all have hung up by then ..........ahaaa...the joy of having time to kill.