Nov 19, 2014
Two attempts from this outfit today, both times showing the ID "Randy Holmes", one around noon and just now around 6:30 pm, both from guys with South Asian (India, Pakistan or Bangladesh) accents, but with Anglo-American names given, though not "Randy". The first my wife answered and fairly quickly hung up on, realizing this was probably a scam. The second I picked up, the guy introducing himself as a Windows technician and trying to convince me -- a skeptic and former IBM programmer -- that I should begin by typing MSConfig. Playing with him, I asked if there was another way. He obliged and asked me to hit the Windows key (i.e. the one with Microsoft's logo on it, which opens up what hitting the Start button will also open up) and the "r" key. Knowing that this was the "run" program he wanted me to go to, I told him that I didn't want to run anything. Ultimately he acknowledged that I might know something about computers, but nevertheless pressed on with all kinds of attempts at getting me to do what I knew I didn't want to do with him. Along the way I asked him what company he was working for; he replied: "Windows". To that I responded "Windows is not a company; it's an operating system by Microsoft, so what company are you working for?". To that he went back to saying, "I'm a Windows technician." Having tired of playing him around, I told him I used to work for IBM, that I knew he was a South Asian scammer and that his operation was very visible online. Then I was told that I was a "stupid American" and that's why he had attempted to correct the problems in my computer to no avail; and then hung up. Laughing out loud ( ;-p)
P.S. The "Call Type" menu on this website allows me only "Unknown" or "Telemarketer" for something to approximate this call type. These guys are neither. So how about adding the choice "Scammer"?