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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Told him to PISS OFF!!

206 replies

Aprilsinparis · 12/09/2018 08:43

Had yet another phone call telling me that my internet had been hacked by someone in America, and if I hand over my computer access to this person, they could "fix it". I told him I am sick to death of these scams, he told me to shut up, and I told him to PISS OFF! AIBU to think they will probably keep ringing all the time because I lost my temper.

OP posts:
Oldraver · 13/09/2018 19:32

We absolutely love the Call Guardian. OH works nights and our phone rang so many times I had to resort to switching it off...then would forget to switch it on for days.

It annoyed my Mum as I kept forgetting to add her to the 'allowed' list.

Papergirl1968 · 13/09/2018 19:33

I used to be a journalist, then worked as police staff for many years. I like to think I’m intelligent and savvy, but I very nearly fell for one of the scams in which they say they need you to go on your computer as your account has been hacked.
I got as far as turning it in, but thankfully then came to my senses. The stupid thing is they said they were with BT and I’m with Virgin which should have sent alarm bells ringing right away.

TooManyPaws · 13/09/2018 19:33

I once got a scam call at my then work, and answered with the location, my name, and job title.

He can't have listened to me and launched into his spiel. With total incredulity in my voice, I asked him whether he realised that he had actually called a police number?

Never known a phone slam down so quickly.

LakieLady · 13/09/2018 19:38

I did get a £50 bonus for selling a conservatory though.

Grin

DP once kept a conservatory salesman going through his spiel for nearly half an hour. Then he said "There's just one thing I don't understand. How will it stay up?"

Salesman gave a long explanation about the footings etc, then DP said "And how will you dig the footings for a 2nd floor flat?"

I guffawed loudly and the salesman hung up.

ilovesouthlondon · 13/09/2018 19:47

When that happens to me, I either have "fun" with the caller (Really enthusiastically try to persuade them to meet me somewhere for dinner and won't be distracted from begging them to meet up) or I say "fantastic! Just give me a second" and I leave them on the line and go and watch TV. I think a red flag comes up with my name as the calls have died down considerably. Sky protect completely eliminates these types of calls! I miss taking the piss out of them really!

Smudge100 · 13/09/2018 19:48

I had one of these and pretended to follow all the instructions. Finally i said, ‚oh, i forgot to mention, i don‘t actually have a computer‘.

Figlessfig · 13/09/2018 20:00

Got one of the “let me access your computer” scams a few weeks ago. It wasn’t the first occurrence either. This was my 5th such call, and I was getting annoyed by it. I got more and more fractious with each one.

On this 5th occasion I strung the guy along, asking him completely pointless questions, and by refusing to understand what he wanted (I did know what he wanted. Access to my money.)

He tried like a bear, but he got nowhere with this ridiculous script he was reading from. So I very slowly explained to him that I disapproved of his scandalous and criminal and hoped he would be locked up.

Actually, I didn’t use those words. I called him for everything; every swear word I could think of was thrown into the mix. Put the phone down.

2 minutes later he rang me again and threatened to rape me. I laughed! Who do these little fuckers scamming money from innocent people think they are?

Fiderer · 13/09/2018 20:22

We live abroad and I usually find answering them in English is enough to put them off but my daughter used to enjoy regaling them, also in English with bollocks like "Why are you calling me, I've just broken up with my boyfriend/girlfriend and I am TRAUMATISED how dare you call me at this tragic time? Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

Amused her and it worked.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 13/09/2018 20:43

I've posted this before, but there's usually someone around who's not yet heard it so here you go ... enjoy Grin

MissConductUS · 13/09/2018 20:50

If you're in the US there's a free service that works with most phone service providers that has cut the number of robocalls to our land line to almost zero, from one or two a night:

www.nomorobo.com/

I pay to have the same service on my mobile phone.

4everhopeful · 13/09/2018 21:49

DH gives us all much amusement with these.. 'new windows? But we don't have any windows.. No we bricked them up.. Don't like the sun.. We're actually vampires..' 'PPI, Nope never heard of that? What's PPI? Could you explain what that is to me?' 'Am I the homeowner? Actually no, I've just broken in, but don't tell anyone' Grin

searose · 13/09/2018 22:53

I once picked up a call from someone who was concerned to help me with the accident I had apparently had, they caught me at the wrong moment. I shouted down the phone at them you are a disgrace you should be ashamed of yourself and get a proper job. It has given me many moments of pleasure since laughing at myself for getting so cross with them.

toxic44 · 13/09/2018 23:28

Something to be aware of with some of these scammy (scummy?) calls is that if you say 'Yes' the centre records it and uses it to 'confirm' details if they're trying to hack you. I don't understand how it's done but it is. I've got in the way of saying, 'h'm' if I'm speaking to someone I don't know. I got so nervous of fake calls I told my bank manager to clock off when he phoned me recently.

dysongirl · 14/09/2018 00:17

Oh it amuses me no end when I get these callsWink
I'm in Ireland and used to get a lot of the (can you turn on your computer as there is an issue with it)
In an Indian or Nigerian accentHmm
I'd play along for a brief 10 seconds and then put my phone beside the radio and blast it on full volume

Itsnotme123 · 14/09/2018 07:05

My chatty child likes to answer the phone, so when they say “how are you today” he rattles off how his day went, what he had for lunch, who he played with etc. They don’t ring back.

Bouledeneige · 14/09/2018 07:48

Not unreasonable. My kids blew a whistle down the phone at one of these calls and then left it off the hook a long time. That seemed to be effective.

Ozzy0103 · 14/09/2018 08:02

Have a whistle by the phone and blow it continuously. It’ll hopefully burst their ear drum

babybythesea · 14/09/2018 08:05

My niece loves these calls. She's 2. Normally she's not allowed to talk on the phone but if it's a cold caller Daddy hands her the phone and let's her chatter away for as long as she likes. The cold caller gets to hear all about who she played with at nursery and what she had for lunch and she doesn't wear nappies any more and she saw a dog poo in the park and lots of other babble in between!

celticprincess · 14/09/2018 10:26

I’m recently going through a genuine accident claim. The insurance company asked me to set a password. The 5 million calls I’ve had since from other companies son hang up when I ask for the password.
As for the Microsoft ones. I just tell them I don’t have a computer, or that I don’t run windows. That seems to get me hung up on quickly too.
Have also had ‘BT’ telling my my internet will be cut off. Again it’s bulls* considering I don’t use BT for calls or internet so I’ve told them I’ll take it up with my internet provider.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 14/09/2018 10:50

Wouldn't bursting someone's eardrum on purpose be causing actual bodily harm, @Ozzy0103 - which is a criminal offence?

VelociraptorRex · 14/09/2018 11:45

MIL gets so many of these calls a day, at the moment her hearing aids are broken so she doesn't answer the phone thankfully, once they're fixed I think we'll be getting her one of those phones that block numbers! She had loads asking to speak to her husband, who had died a few years ago and she got quite upset when they wouldn't accept that he wasn't available - I like intercepting those calls, not sure the callers enjoy it so much though!
I remember my mum answering a spam call years ago when we still had a phone with a curly wire - she hung the phone over the dining room door while we had dinner, the chap on the the end wasn't impressed after listening to feeding time in our particular zoo Grin

CruCru · 14/09/2018 12:32

Re blowing a whistle down the phone. Yes, it probably is ABH but, given that the caller is based in another country and is doing something disreputable, I would be amazed if the whistleblower could be prosecuted. It’s quite hard to prosecute people in other countries.

I still wouldn’t do the whistle thing though.

MothertotheLordsofmisrule · 14/09/2018 15:00

My eldest did the setting up a visit from the Church of the Latter Day Saints as a way of being irritating.

Who duly appeared on my doorstep and then left confused when I said I didn’t attend their church despite knowing my full name.

Ds1 then (idiotically) immediately appeared from his pit and goes “Oh was that the church people?”
I wonder how they got your details?”Hmm

Thinking back I remembered him saying to one of his friends online “Yeah do that, it’ll be really annoying”
He really has no idea who he is messing with.Grin

MissRoadie · 14/09/2018 15:52

I hand the phone over to my 2 year old. She LOVES talking on the phone and can usually resolve most IT issues.

Kazziemb · 14/09/2018 17:16

I tell them I work for the police and the line is tapped and all conversations are recorded and if they don't clear down immediately we will be on to them Grin

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