# Can anyone shed any light ( computer confusion)



## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Some know i started a thread yesterday about something going wrong with my laptop, well anyway it was sorted out but then about 2 minutes ago i got a call from a chap saying he was from a computer engineer shop and he said we have recived severel error reports from your pc and i am ringing to tell you this is dangerous to your pc i would like you to turn your pc on and let me talk you through how to fix this, with that i hung up and alarm bells started ringing, like because i have a error on my laptop some guy suddenly rings and knows all about this how??????

Anyone ever heard of this ?


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## Sugarbum (Jul 6, 2010)

WHAT WHAT WHAT????! That sounds like a scam surely? Did he say where he was phoning from exactly? 

I bet thats a scam, but wait for the computer boffins like North and PhilT to put you straight


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Sugarbum said:


> WHAT WHAT WHAT????! That sounds like a scam surely? Did he say where he was phoning from exactly?
> 
> I bet thats a scam, but wait for the computer boffins like North and PhilT to put you straight



He said he was from an independant place he was indian and very hard to understand.


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## Catwoman76 (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> Some know i started a thread yesterday about something going wrong with my laptop, well anyway it was sorted out but then about 2 minutes ago i got a call from a chap saying he was from a computer engineer shop and he said we have recived severel error reports from your pc and i am ringing to tell you this is dangerous to your pc i would like you to turn your pc on and let me talk you through how to fix this, with that i hung up and alarm bells started ringing, like because i have a error on my laptop some guy suddenly rings and knows all about this how??????
> 
> Anyone ever heard of this ?


It's a scam Steffie a good friend from our childrens school told me this happened to her and she wanted to warn me because i am on my own. She told me about this 4 to 6 weeks ago.Sheena


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

sheena76 said:


> It's a scam Steffie a good friend from our childrens school told me this happened to her and she wanted to warn me because i am on my own. She told me about this 4 to 6 weeks ago.Sheena



but we did have issues yesterday with a red screen appearing says fradulent site, how would they know i had that happen?? and how have they got my phone number ive only lived here 6 weeks


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## ypauly (Jul 6, 2010)

Did you buy full cover with all the fancy dan live help stuff? Usually an expensive subscription.

If not then you were right to panic


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

ypauly said:


> Did you buy full cover with all the fancy dan live help stuff? Usually an expensive subscription.
> 
> If not then you were right to panic



dan live help stuff?


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## ypauly (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> but we did have issues yesterday with a red screen appearing says fradulent site, how would they know i had that happen?? and how have they got my phone number ive only lived here 6 weeks


It's a form of spyware they use that fakes faults. They offer to repair the fault usually very reasonably priced but to pay for it you have to enter you bank details on to their webform. 

Then your account is raided.


Never come accross it personally, so how it is done exactly is still a mystery, but have heard a few horror stories recently.


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## ypauly (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> dan live help stuff?



No sorry that just a term for the posh stuff as in *fancy dan*  maybe a brummy term you havn't come accross lol.


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> Some know i started a thread yesterday about something going wrong with my laptop, well anyway it was sorted out but then about 2 minutes ago i got a call from a chap saying he was from a computer engineer shop and he said we have recived severel error reports from your pc and i am ringing to tell you this is dangerous to your pc i would like you to turn your pc on and let me talk you through how to fix this, with that i hung up and alarm bells started ringing, like because i have a error on my laptop some guy suddenly rings and knows all about this how??????
> 
> Anyone ever heard of this ?



SCAM! IT'S A SCAM!! IGNORE IT!!!

I had one of those phonecalls a while ago. Just string them along for a bit, if you're bored.

Andy


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

ypauly said:


> No sorry that just a term for the posh stuff as in *fancy dan*  maybe a brummy term you havn't come accross lol.



ive spoken to a mate and he said if he rings back ask if he minds if i tape the conversation, i did ring 1471 but alas no number, and he never actually called me my name, im betting it was whomever is behind it that sent whatever it was that caused all the hassle yesterday.


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy HB said:


> SCAM! IT'S A SCAM!! IGNORE IT!!!
> 
> I had one of those phonecalls a while ago. Just string them along for a bit, if you're bored.
> 
> Andy



im scared now though i need some one to explain to me why i was targeted and how they got my phone number?


Northerner , phil , tez any of you???????


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## ypauly (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> ive spoken to a mate and he said if he rings back ask if he minds if i tape the conversation, i did ring 1471 but alas no number, and he never actually called me my name, im betting it was whomever is behind it that sent whatever it was that caused all the hassle yesterday.



I have the same bad vibes as you (probably due to the horror stories) but I would definitly be wiping the computer either re-formatting the hard drive or putting a new one in.

But I am probably over protective, But at minimum I would be getting a techy person to check it over.


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> im scared now though i need some one to explain to me why i was targeted and how they got my phone number?
> 
> 
> Northerner , phil , tez any of you???????



They didn't get your phone number specifically. They phone lots of people. It's just a coincidence that you've got problems with your laptop at the same time.

Andy


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

thanks pauly ill tell him when he wakes up he knows nothing about it yet, he can do a new re-install or sumit.

Andy thank you you calmed me down abit, i was worried my bank details would be in danger.


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

ypauly said:


> I have the same bad vibes as you (probably due to the horror stories) but I would definitly be wiping the computer either re-formatting the hard drive or putting a new one in.
> 
> But I am probably over protective, But at minimum I would be getting a techy person to check it over.



Agreed (well reformatting the drive and re-installing the computer to its factory settings), if you haven't already got a good virus protection or have been doing a lot of internet browsing of unknown sites (and they could be perfectly 'innocent' sites at that).

Andy


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> thanks pauly ill tell him when he wakes up he knows nothing about it yet, he can do a new re-install or sumit.
> 
> Andy thank you you calmed me down abit, i was worried my bank details would be in danger.



I wouldn't worry about that phonecall. The scam comes later when they try to get you to log on to their website.

Andy


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy HB said:


> I wouldn't worry about that phonecall. The scam comes later when they try to get you to log on to their website.
> 
> Andy



And of course i  did'nt i hung up before it got that far


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## Northerner (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy HB said:


> They didn't get your phone number specifically. They phone lots of people. It's just a coincidence that you've got problems with your laptop at the same time.
> 
> Andy



I think Andy is probably right Steffie, given the number of potential problems (mostly minor and unimportant) that people have with computers the likelihood is that anyone they get through to will have had some sort of glitch recently. Do you have Caller ID? can you see where the call came from? To be honest, I know very little about PCs and viruses etc. as most of my experience has been on big IBM machines that simply cannot be programmed with viruses in the same way PCs can. I just rely on a good anti-virus program - I presume you have this Steff, so if it hasn't thrown up anything then try and forget about it.


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> And of course i  did'nt i hung up before it got that far



Very wise! If not as much fun as stringing them along! 

Andy


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## ypauly (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy is probably right. 

Andy
Just for my peace of mind on these matters (I'm not that techy) if your internet is provided through a phone line is it not possibly to obtain the number?


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Northerner said:


> I think Andy is probably right Steffie, given the number of potential problems (mostly minor and unimportant) that people have with computers the likelihood is that anyone they get through to will have had some sort of glitch recently. Do you have Caller ID? can you see where the call came from? To be honest, I know very little about PCs and viruses etc. as most of my experience has been on big IBM machines that simply cannot be programmed with viruses in the same way PCs can. I just rely on a good anti-virus program - I presume you have this Steff, so if it hasn't thrown up anything then try and forget about it.



we use avast and it usually throws up any nastyness, i called 1471 and it said number witheld.


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy HB said:


> Very wise! If not as much fun as stringing them along!
> 
> Andy



tryed that in the past never works Andy.


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

ypauly said:


> Andy is probably right.
> 
> Andy
> Just for my peace of mind on these matters (I'm not that techy) if your internet is provided through a phone line is it not possibly to obtain the number?



I'd say not. 

Information is passed over the internet in little packets and I don't think that they are tagged in any way with your phone number. 

They are tagged with IP address information and it uses that to determine where the data packets came from and where they are going to (it's more complicated than that and I don't claim to understand it 100% though!) 

Andy


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> tryed that in the past never works Andy.



Oh well, never mind. Atleast you can get on with other more interesting things instead! 

Andy


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## ypauly (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy HB said:


> I'd say not.
> 
> Information is passed over the internet in little packets and I don't think that they are tagged in any way with your phone number.
> 
> ...


Thanks, have an internet beer


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

ypauly said:


> Thanks, have an internet beer



Slurppp! 

Andy


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## AlisonM (Jul 6, 2010)

Fancy Dan, all glitz and little substance. In other words the packaging looks good but the contents leave a lot to be desired, like most Easter eggs.


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## PhilT (Jul 6, 2010)

You are not the only one to receive this call Steff, check out the link below.

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en/xpsecurity/thread/be88f47d-a1ba-4b19-9303-4520575a8d9a

Try going to Microsofts web site and downloading the Malicious Software Removal Tool. The link is below:

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/security/default.mspx


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

thanks ever so much Phil


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

*Steffie he was probably a con artist trying his luck on the phone i normally tell them to p... off etc on the phone or answer the phone and tell them to hang on a second while u answer ur door and put down the receiver and leave it alone until they hang up, there wasting ur money not you lol they'll get the message lol *

Regarding ur pc you dont need to reinstall ur windows and u dont need to reformat the hard drive either, as long as u update ur computer and ur antivirus etc u should be ok, if u get any emails from somebody ur not sure on dont open them just delete ok? any probs send me a message


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

scootdevon said:


> *Steffie he was probably a con artist trying his luck on the phone i normally tell them to p... off etc on the phone or answer the phone and tell them to hang on a second while u answer ur door and put down the receiver and leave it alone until they hang up, there wasting ur money not you lol they'll get the message lol *
> 
> Regarding ur pc you dont need to reinstall ur windows and u dont need to reformat the hard drive either, as long as u update ur computer and ur antivirus etc u should be ok, if u get any emails from somebody ur not sure on dont open them just delete ok? any probs send me a message



thanks scoot i aint done anything yet anyway apart from worry but needlilessley(sp?) i always delete  dodgy emails if i aint sure hun 

x


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

Andy HB said:


> I'd say not.
> 
> Information is passed over the internet in little packets and I don't think that they are tagged in any way with your phone number.
> 
> ...


*Like andy said its not possible to track ur phone number via the internet service providers (isp) as its coded and decoded digitally and then its rerouted to various different locations via different servers with chosen isp's. 

Hope this helps *


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

scootdevon said:


> *Like andy said its not possible to track ur phone number via the internet service providers (isp) as its coded and decoded digitally and then its rerouted to various different locations via different servers with chosen isp's.
> 
> Hope this helps *



Yeah that helps alot cause iw as thinking they could get my address as well.


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> thanks scoot i aint done anything yet anyway apart from worry but needlilessley(sp?) i always delete  dodgy emails if i aint sure hun
> 
> x


*no probs steffie, it goes with any cold caller be it on the phone or front door just waste their time  lol *


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## lucy123 (Jul 6, 2010)

wow - we really have some excellent techies on here - I am impressed.
Steffie I do exactly what ScootDevon says and leave the reciever off the hook. It really is amazing you can go back after 10 mins and they are still there - you then ask them to hang on again - we run a little competition as to who can keep them on the line the longest - but then we don't get out much!


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

lucy123 said:


> wow - we really have some excellent techies on here - I am impressed.
> Steffie I do exactly what ScootDevon says and leave the reciever off the hook. It really is amazing you can go back after 10 mins and they are still there - you then ask them to hang on again - we run a little competition as to who can keep them on the line the longest - but then we don't get out much!


*Lol Lucy wots the longest theyve been there??? also if u get junk snail mail just open it up and post it back to them empty as this also costs them money & they dont know who its from lol *


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## lucy123 (Jul 6, 2010)

0ver 20 mins from a mobile phone company. 
My son also went through the whole process of ordering a new mobile phone and then asking them if they could post to his new address at wormwood scrubs as he was due to 'change address' shortly. (he was joking!) The chap actually went away to find out - he then hung up.
We need to turn this into a new sport and then these pests will soon get tired.


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

wow 20 minutes, next time it is a must, this time i was taking by surprise as i expected it to be my dad or sumit, next time ill be prepared.


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## lucy123 (Jul 6, 2010)

thats the spirit - beat the buggers down and laugh in their face.
You could also try asking them if they would mind listening to your audition for xfactor and then sing away in a good choice of key.
As I said - we don't get out much.


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

lucy123 said:


> thats the spirit - beat the buggers down and laugh in their face.
> You could also try asking them if they would mind listening to your audition for xfactor and then sing away in a good choice of key.
> As I said - we don't get out much.



pmsl Lucy thats a gem, i will do that and sure as heck they wont ring back, as there ears will have bled so much


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## Andy HB (Jul 6, 2010)

lucy123 said:


> thats the spirit - beat the buggers down and laugh in their face.
> You could also try asking them if they would mind listening to your audition for xfactor and then sing away in a good choice of key.
> As I said - we don't get out much.



But you do sound like a contender! 

Andy


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

*
lol ur brave *


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

Good grief will it ever end lol, the laptop has now started making a tick tock noise, i reckon throwing out of the window could be happening soon . Do i expect some kind of explosion or what


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> Good grief will it ever end lol, the laptop has now started making a tick tock noise, i reckon throwing out of the window could be happening soon . Do i expect some kind of explosion or what


*Have you checked ur hard drive led on the front panel??? It might accessing the hard drive?? or loading up a cd or dvd in the tray??*


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

scootdevon said:


> *Have you checked ur hard drive led on the front panel??? It might accessing the hard drive?? or loading up a cd or dvd in the tray??*



no cd or dvd, ive give it a good going over clicked off all the sites i was on incase it was one of these daft advers playing noises but nope.


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> no cd or dvd, ive give it a good going over clicked off all the sites i was on incase it was one of these daft advers playing noises but nope.


*Is the orange led flashing for the hard drive??? during the noises??*


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

scootdevon said:


> *Is the orange led flashing for the hard drive??? during the noises??*



no light is flashing no


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> no light is flashing no


*Try rebooting it ???*


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## Steff (Jul 6, 2010)

scootdevon said:


> *Try rebooting it ???*



cheers scoot all seems well for now.


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## scootdevon (Jul 6, 2010)

Steffie said:


> cheers scoot all seems well for now.


*No probs  *


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