Microsoft Scam -Beware flashing warnings

This is new. A scam claiming to protect you against scams!

Reported.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Recently, someone called me and didn't make any threats about TV licence or dvla etc - she was much nicer and gave me the chance of a special offer on Amazon prime, with the choice to sign up for two years or one (using my card of course).
With their eyes on a special offer, I think some people could easily be taken in by that.

maybe some people have been reading MN, and picking up their abrasive ways.
hope those who have logged out are at least still reading.
it's a pity if people feel they have to leave.

It’s such a shame that teetime’s well meaning warning immediately attracted such an unpleasant response.

We should all be very grateful that people like her are willing to relay their story as a warning to us all.

Some scams are fairly easy to spot but criminals are employing more and more sophisticated methods to part us from our money, so we can never have too many of these warnings.

No matter how clever some posters obviously think they are, we can ALL have an off day when we are particularly vulnerable to these scams.

I have been on gransnet for about 6 months now and quickly learnt that there are some posters who will not tolerate any other point of view. Some make personal remarks and swear at you (in abbreviated form of course) and it’s so unnecessary. I do not comment on any political thread and for any other thread check if these posters are involved. If so, I don’t even read it because I know that they and their ‘mates’ will ‘kick off’ . Do they have a rota system for checking any posts that do not meet with their approval and then PM each other? It seems that way sometimes. I am all for a robust discussion and people disagreeing with my views but the personal attacks on posters is completely unacceptable.

Hetty58

Teetime, onviously your DH is not 'very computer savvy' at all. Surely, most people know about these scams?

I would have to agree. It is drummed into us time and time again never to divulge any personal information on e-mails, telephone conversations, texts or at the door. Of course the woman is plausible. She is a scammer and after your money.

At midnight on Mon/Tue someone was caught going through our blue recycling bin, it is the second time.

We shred and burn but really I cannot be certain there isn’t a receipt, piece of mail or something that could be useful to scammers.

You can never be 100% certain.
It is arrogant to claim you would never be caught out.

Our SIL who has a very high security clearance and works in tech was scammed.
He bought a children’s ride on electric car from a fake website for £500
He spoke to the company asked all the right questions and thought he had done due diligence.
My daughter did some digging as she had a gut feeling it was wrong.
It was, they managed to get the bank to stop the payment.

Teetime, thanks for the warning.

Agree marydoll, such a mess .

I don’t think it was oopsminty’s post that was the cause, she did apologise too. There was a much more unkind post.

What a mess!

I too am worried about Oopsminty I tried to message her but she’s gone she obviously didn’t realise how her post would come across and she apologised
I m really sorry she has chosen to leave
I ve seen many many posts that were far worse than anything she said it was just a bit ‘to the point’ but I don’t think for a minute she meant to hurt Teatime
This is a real shame and could easily have been put right with no lasting bad feelings

Oopsminty is not receiving pms which means she has left GN.
I'm sorry about that because she is a kind poster and must be very upset about this and I hope she is all right.

Quite honestly, a lot of the subsequent posts have been far worse than hers.

I hope both she and Teetime return to GN.

I second that, Callistemon. I'm sure she is feeling awful about it.

The best thing to do when anything strange happens to your computer is to switch it off immediately and unplug it too.

Yes we did that after the klaxon and flashing message but something had happened to it.

May I just say that I don't believe that Oopsminty has ever been intentionally unkind and I think she posted on the other thread how sorry she was about her post.

Maggiemaybe ??

Maggiemaybe said - at a difficult time in their lives when they have other things to think about. As a recently bereaved friend of mine found out.

Since my DH died at end of September, I have been inundated with scam calls and e.mails. I do not respond until I have run them past my DDs. I suppose that when a death notice appears in the local paper the scammers take note and prey on the grieving family. An unfortunate side effect is that I have twice refused to pay for a redelivery of parcels (which I knew I had not ordered), only to find that at least one of them was a bouquet from a long-distanced friend,

I’m very sorry if Teetime has really left, and that she has been upset by comments made that were a little harsh.

But let’s not all pile in and make things worse. Oopsminty has sincerely apologised on a related thread, and made it very clear that she meant no offence. I think it’s probably as Marydoll implies, comments can sting more if they catch us on a bad day. And most of us are having plenty of them at the moment.

I’ve sure we’ve all seen much, much worse on GN, and will continue to do so.

Could Gransnet admin be asked to contact Teetime to urge her to look at the many kind & grateful responses her post received, or would that be impossible now?

To those who were unnecessarily sharp and snarky in their response to Teetime; are you satisfied now? Did your reply to her post make you feel better?

I feel the same LauraNorder someone I have known for years although only "virtually" being so upset where has the milk of human kindness gone to lately by some posters ?It must be really easy being perfect all of the time.

Well LauraNorder I feel the same way.

Call me sceptical, but I doubt those who often jump in feet first will be any more sensitive in the future.
Seen it far too often I'm afraid.

That has actually made me feel tearful that someone has been so hurt by an unkind and thoughtless post.
A lesson to us all to think twice and to show more kindness especially when we disagree.

I would say to everyone: don't 'leave' your card on Amazon.
It takes less than 10 seconds to put it back on again.
As I said previously, I'm ultra cautious. When my card was scammed I knew exactly where it was done but couldn't prove it.