Strange telephone call

[MuddyMike]

A very nice Asian sounding man called Barry from Global UK working on behalf of Microsoft! Keeps telephoning me and STWNFI insisting that our computers are infected with a virus that is bombarding them the internet with spam. He tried to convince me that our IP address had been identified by the International Routing System and this had alerted Microsoft to call in his services. I led him on a bit this afternoon and he asked me to run EVENT VWR on my PC. Sadly at that point the other phone rang and it was a call I was waiting for so had to take it. Anyone know where this was leading? I know its a crock of shit, for one thing we don't have a static IP address that could be traced back to my phone number.

Mike

[tony sayer]

In article , MuddyMike scribeth thus

[Andrew Gabriel]

Oh, I'd love to get one of those.

All I seem to get at the moment are "Sir, we've been told that you or a member of your family were involved in an accident recently"... which isn't true, so I just tell them they've been ripped off by the person who sold them the data (and this sector is now a large business, so it's not surprising people started selling fake data).

[ARWadsworth]

How odd. I was a witness to a car accident last week. I have had 3 calls/texts already about my claim! I managed to keep one woman on the phone for 15 minutes before she realised I was making my injuries up and was not involved in an accident.

[fred]

In article , ARWadsworth writes

Next time break off when you get to 10mins to tell them how sorry you are that their career in prostitution didn't work out as you're sure they wouldn't have to work in such a low down, shitty job if it had worked out for them. Were they too stick faced to make a go of it?

[Skipweasel]

Did you at any point give permission for your details to be passed around?

If not, I suspect this selling of data (whether you're a witness or directly involved) is illegal. You have no business relationship with them and the Data Protection Registrar really ought to look into this.

IANAL - but the uk.legal nest of vipers might be worth poking.

[Graham.]

already about my claim! I managed to keep one woman

and was not involved in an accident.

I'm surprised they gave up so easily if they were genuine claims management people. She would be about as bothered about how genuine your injury was as a defence barrister is about the actual guilt or innocence of his client.

Witnessing an accident can be the cause of much mental anguish and trauma ;-) ;-) ;-)

[ARWadsworth]

Considering it took her 10 minutes to realise that "I poked myself in my eye with my bellend" in the accident was a wind up, I assume that she was stupid. Her timing was perfect, I was in the wholesalers and put the call on hands free to amuse the staff when I realised it was a ripoff/ambulance chaser type of call.

Adam

[Robin]

That does not help much if (as is often the case) the call is coming from India from an Indian firm working on the commission they get for providing "leads". All such firms overseas know as well as your local yobs that "you can't touch me".

The government tells us the £250m or so a year the UK provides in the form of overseas aid to India improves our national security. But sadly it does not seem to buy us any security from (in the past week alone here) telephone offering release from my debts, savings on gas and electricity, cheaper insurance and entry in a free draw if I'll just answer a few questions about my savings.

[Graham.]

I didn't feel that way when several firms contacted me to try and get me to make a personal injury claim. After all, I had nothing to lose. As it happens, I didn't want to peruse a claim.

[ARWadsworth]

See my reply to fred. I did take the piss out of her.

Not witnessing one is bad enough. I remember the MiL getting run over by a snowplough and I missed it.

[Andrew Gabriel]

The information is sold by your insurance company in the first instance, and yes, you did given them permission to do so - it's a condition of your insurance, and it's a big earner for them. Ironically, it ends up costing them much more in claims, but as they pass that on to you, it's not their problem. It's grown enormously in the last year, and is indirectly responsible for all of the 30% average increase in motor insurance premiums over the last year (a period during which accidents have dropped), due to much higher payouts due to rapid increase in ambulance chasers.

Many insurers have said this should be made illegal, because they can't stop doing it unless everyone stops doing it.

[Owain]

If it wasn't for the seatbelt and the beer belly ...

Owain

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ah, was that the accident where your head became detached from your body?

As my wife said when asked if she could remember exactly when the accident occurred 'No, I've lost my head and cant remember anything'

[Bob Eager]

True, but he wasn't the insured, was he?

[Peter Scott]

Listen to past episodes of The Bob Servant Emails on BBC radio 4. Object lessons in how wind up and waste the time of spammers. If we all did it they'd get a real job (or go into politics I guess)

Peter Scott

[John Rumm]

Common story - usually leads you to letting them have remote control to "fix" your computer and then them billing your CC either for the remote fixing of various "problems" or flogging you some worthless (or worse) software to do the same.

[The Natural Philosopher]

You left out 'and adding you to their botnets and having stripped all your passwords as well'

[geoff]

Did it stop her talking for more than 10 seconds?

[fred]

LOL, I should have known I could rely on you to make the best possible mileage from it.