Yesterday, someone claiming to be from TalkTalk support rang me about my slow internet (which it has been recently). They connected to my computer via remote software. I got very suspicious & ended the call & shut down my computer. They tried to ring back several times afterwards. The number they rang from was a Hartlepool number but the woman had an asian accent, possibly Thai or Phillipines. The number is 01429870782. I suggest you block it if you are a talktalk customer. They may also be calling other provider's customers as well so I would block it anyway.
If you have your PC security settings correctly, they shouldn't be able to control it remotely...........I suggest you get some free Malware scanning programs and check that you haven't got something nasty in there..........Zone Alarm do a free one which has firewall and anti-virus; and you could do a free trial of Webroot. Malwarebytes is good as well.
They get you to install TeamViewer, that's usually how they get remote access. My grandfather got stung for £500 by them claiming to be from Microsoft. I myself wind them up and pretend to be a computer buffoon. They called from Microsoft and told me about all the problems on my computer they were going to show me. I went through a long a painful process of pretending to not know how to properly turn it on, then couldn't work the mouse etc... then I finally told them I couldn't locate the start menu because I had a Microsoft PC with an Apple on the front :tearsofjoy:. Best bit then was that Microsoft (yeah right), then put me through to their Apple department :tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy:! If you have the time, wind them up and string them along. It's less time they have to con people like my grandfather.
I find it easy to pretend to be old and stupid when these guys ring up.I convinced the last guy from 'windows' that I was perfectly happy with the recently installed double glazing,and the installation team were brilliant.He gave up pretty quickly.
They come in phases. Latest one is someone calling form BT Openreach. I cut them off but one time I played along. "They are going to cut of my internet" OK go ahead. Call ended. BUT had some real fun as I picked up the paten of the call coming through and answered "hello this is BT" I told them I was going to cut them off. Bit of fun. But you should just not do it. Brother in law swore at them badly and they started calling him at 3.00AM
When we first started to get them on the office phones, I set a divert on the system to reroute the call to themselves. Now, the number seems to change every day and the number doesn't accept incoming calls :thumbsdown:
We get them several times a day and now regard them as great entertainment. We have various strategies, latest is to ask where they are speaking from, answer is normally Manchester so sound puzzled and state that Microsoft/Talktalk only had a technical section in Lincoln/St Ives/Chester seems to put them on the defensive! After asking them which of our computers is showing the errors, hand the phone to spouse/daughter/visitor to say hello who is this and continue handing the phone back and forth, seems to p*ss thm off too! All the time they are on the 'phone to us they are not scamming someone else!!
When they come through to the office we put them on loudspeaker, string them along for a little while then say I'm a sys admin...phone goes down then!
Use caller id and an answer-machine : and don't answer any number you don't recognise. If it's important they'll leave a message... That way, no problem...
