Viruses?

rossignol · Jun 28, 2011

I have joined here from UK as I am concerned about a repetitive unwanted/unsolicited call from the following number: *****. This then has a little tag beneath it saying Salem, OH. (There be witches! - my own interpretation.)
Because this comes from outside the UK call prevention appears to be impractical - does anyone know better?
Calls started about ten days ago, and I had 7 yesterday and 5 already today, so you can see it's really aggravating.
Googling this leads to a website "Whocallsme" - if you enter this number into their search engine it comes up with 13 pages of small blogs, going back to 2007, from hundreds of other people suffering from the same thing - but maybe not all iPhone users, perhaps.
I am particularly concerned as to whether this is sending a virus to my iPhone which may then be picked up by my computer - so I haven't synchronised my iPhone for the last ten days at least. This is another pain, as I have photographs on it which I wish to download.
Also, if I have a virus, does this then get forwarded to all other mobile phones that I call?
Any ideas at all, anyone?
R

Gregoris · Jun 28, 2011

they are scammers just ignore the call

heartbeat · Jun 28, 2011

If they are that persistent with calling you, I suggest you change your phone number. You don't want anything bad to happen to your iPhone anyway

Gregoris · Jun 28, 2011

they never stop and never give up, changing number wont help

heartbeat · Jun 28, 2011

Well it's worth the try, anyways. At least that will lessen the times they actually do try to contact you. Been there, done that

bab2010 · Jun 28, 2011

Set up an appointment with them and invite the police as well. Once the come to the meeting place they will have to explain to the police why they calling you. These kind of things used to happen here, but ever since the police get involve in the matter they've gave up.

heartbeat · Jun 28, 2011

The police are able to track those phonies too, right?

bab2010 · Jun 28, 2011

heartbeat said:
The police are able to track those phonies too, right?

I don't think that the police will be able to track those phone numbers, they will have to involve carriers in the matter then, so no police will get a carrier involve in this kind of thing unless the matter hit a real boiling point. Also those phone numbers are not real, those who calling use for sure fake phone numbers or apps like skype etc... Depend on the reason why those scammers calling for, you can try to fix an appointment with them and invite the police dicretely to come take part of te meeting, over here, the chance for them to ever be free again in the nature for the next 50 years to come a extremely extremely extremely small, so no one dare calling you for scamming you, and if they call once and you made it clear to them to not call you anymore they don't call anymore. Scammers move the hole thing to the Internet nowadays here but the police try their best at least.

Gregoris · Jun 28, 2011

well the callers are usually indian, not from the uk.. just scream at them enough times down the phone and make sure you tell them you know they are trying to scam you and eventually they stop

heartbeat · Jun 28, 2011

Haha yeah, I'd definitely do that! Curse those so-called viruses!

TGTyler · Jun 28, 2011

Whenever scammers call my father in law, he reads the Bible to them until they hang up.
He also sends all of the ads that come with his bills back to them with his payment.

bab2010 · Jun 28, 2011

TGTyler said:
Whenever scammers call my father in law, he reads the Bible to them until they hang up.
He also sends all of the ads that come with his bills back to them with his payment.

Ahahahahaha damn it. He's really good your father in law

Gregoris · Jun 28, 2011

interesting approach to dealing with the scammers!

this one Doctor from australia fell for that and he kept sending money to nigeria and he was on tv saying they threatened him and his wife but was was crazy was the fact he believed that some one form nigeria could come even close to them and physically harm them so he kept paying out of fear and through emails or phone calls they make probably thousands a day and eventually they find some one that falls for it and make a tone of cash even though the few are wise to it and tell them where to go..

they kept telling me i had viruses on my computer and tried to get me to type commands but when you tell them your on a mac they hang up on you, so the next time i told them i was on windows and tried to go along with it but it gets to a point where they kept asking me what i saw on my screen but i could not answer it and even though i have a few windows machines no way was i going to type int he commands and see what it did lol..

you won the lottery send us all your money and we will give you 24 million lol

crowd pleaser · Jun 28, 2011

Had a couple from an Indian very serious sounding woman telling me I had virus on my system.

So i asked her what operating system i had and my ip address, which if she truthfully knew I had real virus she would know.

I then told here I was IT CONSULTANT who advises on virus prevention and removal to several Police Foces including Scotland Yard., funny as we lost connection then

.

I can't e anyone else doing this -:
couple if tactics I've used, on such calls say your very very interested but the door bell has just rang - hold on in a moment please, now string it out as long as possible by returning to the phone to say you need paper, and then a pen has dried up wait a minute or so longer.

Get their attention making sure they are in the line speak very sift, then blow a football whistle real hard into the mouth piece.

These boiler room operators normally have s headset - so it REALLY REALLY hurts.

Tends to send them a message

.

CP

Gregoris · Jun 28, 2011

crowd pleaser said:
Had a couple from an Indian very serious sounding woman telling me I had virus on my system.

So i asked her what operating system i had and my ip address, which if she truthfully knew I had real virus she would know.

I then told here I was IT CONSULTANT who advises on virus prevention and removal to several Police Foces including Scotland Yard., funny as we lost connection then .

I can't e anyone else doing this -:
couple if tactics I've used, on such calls say your very very interested but the door bell has just rang - hold on in a moment please, now string it out as long as possible by returning to the phone to say you need paper, and then a pen has dried up wait a minute or so longer.

Get their attention making sure they are in the line speak very sift, then blow a football whistle real hard into the mouth piece.

These boiler room operators normally have s headset - so it REALLY REALLY hurts.

Tends to send them a message .

CP

nicely done! i was kind of interested in what they where trying to get me to do.. sort of play dumb until i see what it is they where going to try do but i end up telling them i know they are trying to scam me and before i finish they hang up and eventually they get the message even after a few of them call they probably cross the number off the list to say this number wont fall for the tricks