Strange telephone call

[SS]

I advise them that my company (dont have one) records all calls for training purposes! the phone usually goes down sharpish.

[Huge]

A credit card number.

[Cash]

Mike.

I had one tell me to look in the Prefetch folder and I would find hundreds of 'infected' files there that would need 'cleaning out' - he put the phone done when I told him that I had disabled [1] this feature in the registry of Windows XP SP3 and that he was trying on a f****g [2] scam to get me to let him have remote control access [3] to my computer so that he could download some rather useless program to clear out legitimate files for a fee - and using my debit card to pay.

[1] Yes I have done this, and no, I don't find that the computer noticeably takes longer to load files or causes other problems. [2] I was in a bad mood that evening as this was the third such call in four days - they haven't rung since. [3] This feature is also disabled on my computer and two others in the house.

Cash

[The Medway Handyman]

I get frequent calls from an Asian man asking where I buy my gas. I reply by asking him where he buys his - which seems to confuse him. I say I'll tell him when he tells me.

[F Murtz]

WTF is STWNFI

[Alan]

In message , Peter Scott wrote

[Nightjar]

I have better things to do with my time. I simply say I don't take cold calls and put the phone down.

Colin Bignell

[MuddyMike]

"She That Whom No Fairer Is" Thomas Bateson

Mike

[Skipweasel]

Bottle blonde?

[John Weston]

Agreed, but then they often ring back.

I prefer to put on an "official" voice and quickly say "Password please" and/or "You shouldn't be calling here and a note has been made of your location. Don't do it again! Goodbye"

Works for me and I'm seldom recalled. Makes me I feel better too :-)

[Peter Johnson]

I had one a few weeks ago, from a woman. I replied that it was a scam and put the phone down.

[Reentrant]

We started to get loads of spam calls from India not long after taking out an ICICI ISA - hardly a coincidence I suspect. In the end we bought a TrueCall box ("as seen on Dragons' Den") and that filters out all junk calls.

[Gill Smith]

your wallet......

--

[Peter Scott]

Oh dear. It's a comedy programme.

[Terry Fields]

After a bit of a search I think that might be (for the sake of accuracy) "...(that) she than whom no fairer is".

Needless to say, my guesses were wide of the mark, so thanks for that.

TF

[Dave]

Joining the telephone preference service cured it for me, now I get annoyed by American based calls.

Dave

[Skipweasel]

"Congratulations, you have won a luxury crui......ClickBRRRRRRRRR"

[Tim]

Simpler still if you don't ever receive legitimate overseas call, a Truecall unit. Second best invention after the TiVo.

Tim

[Skipweasel]

If it works the way I think it does, then there's a potential problem - quite a few organisations you might want to hear from withold their number. The local police usually do, as do most hospitals, for example.

[Alan]

In message , Dave wrote

It will work for most UK calls but most of the S**T I'm now getting is international. I just let the answerphone pick up the call and 99% of the cold callers ring off during the outgoing message.

There area few (Paris Disneyland) who will leave attempt to leave an automated message, but will start during the outgoing message.

Barleycard credit card fraud department have a sophisticated auto phone service. On detecting an answerphone it waits until the outgoing message has finished and then gives a sensible message to contact them.