I got a call today from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Technical Support

[Tony_FLADEM]

and they said error messages were being received from my Computer and it was going to crash in 2 days. They told me to do some something called an "event.vmr" and if there are error messages my computer needs to be fixed. I hate to admit it but I believed them for a few minutes. Then I looked at my caller ID and the number they were calling from is "0". They wanted me to send them $130 via Western Union. I asked what number they were calling from and I then Googled it and I found information pertaining to it being a scam.

I wonder how many people have fallen for that. They got no money out of me but I believed it for a few minutes unfortunately.

[Yavin4]

1. You Should Report This To The FBI

And give them all of the details.

[Tony_FLADEM]

2. I thought they were calling from India

The person who called sounded like he was in India.

[Yavin4]

5. Doesn't Matter. The Crime Was Committed in the USA.

The FBI should be made aware of it, and they can track down the caller.

[bluerum]

4. Agreed.

The day MS preemptively addresses bugs will be a cold day on the sun.

[SCantiGOP]

11. Here's an email link

to report any kind of spam, scams, etc. You just get an automated response that your email was received.

[e-mail]

[Politicalboi]

3. Happened to me, almost fooled me too

They called, and my computer was on. But then I thought WTF. I told them I wasn't interested, and hung up. They tried calling back with the same shit a week or so later, but I just hung up. Now we get calls with unknown caller and number, but nobody is there at the other end. We get that "0" on our TV for caller ID.

[L0oniX]

6. LOL

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Here's what you do...

We get those calls here in Australia as well, and I had to explain to my elderly parents that it was a scam. Just hanging up on them doesn't inconvenience them enough, imo, so to slow them up a bit, what I do is pretend to be really into it and say things like 'Than goodness you called! My computer is full of viruses and I didn't know what to do!'. Then when they tell me to go turn my computer on and let them know when I'm ready to go to a site they'll give me to download virus protection, I tell them I'm heading off to turn it on now and I just put the phone down and continue to do whatever it was I was doing before they rang. After about ten minutes I check the phone, and they've always given up and hung up.

[Poll_Blind]

9. LOL!

PB

[SCantiGOP]

12. same here, violet crumble

I usually tell them I am very interested in what they are offering, but I need to run and take something out of the oven. Then just put the phone down..................

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. I tried to put moral pressure on the person phoning

I got one in the UK - actually at my (elderly) parents' house. So I gave them all the reasons I knew it was a scam, and went on to how anyone should be ashamed of themselves for preying on retired people by trying to bamboozle them with technical BS, and if they had any self-respect, they'd resign from their job, and go home and apologise to their own parents for treating their elders and betters so shabbily.

They did stay on the line through all that. Whether it did the slightest bit of good, I doubt, but it felt good to say.

[GoCubsGo]

8. Does Microsoft even have most people's phone numbers?

I don't remember ever having given them mine. It's not on anywhere on the registration forms that I recall.

[HarveyDarkey]

10. Microsoft Technical Support?

There's an oxymoron if I've ever seen one.

[jberryhill]

13. I love these calls

I tie them up for long stretches of time, pretend that I'm trying to follow their directions but keep screwing up...

Oh, hang on... it wants me to re-boot (go get a cup of coffee).... Okay, it's rebooted now.

Open a browser? What's that. Oh, you mean the internet? Oh, hang on. Hey, it's asking me if I want to save a file...

Alright, let me just close everything. Hang on. I think it will be better if I re-start again... hang on.

And, when it seems that their patience is reaching a limit, I give them a four letter word-laced verbal fusillade about how stupid they are.

[DCKit]

14. I got one today from "Medical Office".

Didn't get to find out what scam they were running. Pity.

[SwissTony]

15. It's BS, pure and simple

We had a similar thread on here a few months ago. Somebody got a phone call from "Microsoft" and he said "I don't use Microsoft, I've got an Apple". Click!

Not a fan of Microsoft as a company, but I very strongly doubt that they would contact customers unless the customer had first contacted them.

In general, if you receive a call or an email which claims you have computer problems, have won a lottery you've never entered (or even heard of), won an all expenses paid trip to some nice part of the world, are the recipient of money deposited in a bank by someone who is now deceased etc etc etc, don't even think about it. it's a scam.

If you hear something that is plausible and possibly worrying (such as problems with your online bank account), don't react to the call or the email. Check your bank's website. It's almost certainly heard of the scam and has posted a warning. If that still doesn't give you piece of mind, contact your bank directly.

Ok, Rant over...now my favourite scam attempt...

I was contacted (by email) by an FBI agent who said he had found evidence of an illegal attempt on my part to import material into the US (I don't live in the US, by the way, I live in Holland so I couldn't import anything into the US). But the agent was very helpful. If I were willing to pay him $1300, he would facilitate the import. For some reason, the agent had an email address in Hungary.

Edited to move a misplaced bracket.