35 The Conversion of Justin

The Computer Exorcist Podcast

A Support Scam is where you get a scary message on your screen (often accompanied by loud noises) that tries to scare you.

It says you have viruses and trojans and then tells you to call a phone number. If you call, people answer and CLAIM to be Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, etc.

Of course DO NOT CALL THEM. The ONLY time they can hurt you is if you call them and let them into your machine.

Today, my client said she had one of these scary messages on her screen. I said HEY WAIT give me the number!

She gave me the number, then I gave her the secret key commands to close the message (usually Alt+F4 or Ctrl W).

I decided to call the number and torment yet another poor scammer.

Last time I tormented the same group for 1:15. This time I tormented the same GUY for 1:07 (edited for length; you're welcome).

I used my usual Foghorn Leghorn voice, and at one point you'll hear him call me Mister Leghorn. Heroic.

I let him break into my machine and he showed me an innocuous list of numbers and claimed they were foreign hackers listening to our conversation.

"Listening to us? Who would ever record us or listen to us? That would be so embarrassing!" I exclaimed.

Other classic quotes:

"Seriously you're so bad with the computer?"

"Are you drunk right now?"

"Is this my new AOL password? Is this my IP address?"

I think this is even funnier than the last one, and while I didn't get him to snap, there's a really interesting surprise ending in store for you.

Thanks for telling your friends about the show, buy my book for everyone you know, and stay tuned for a newly remodeled site, coming soon!

Rooolll tape!

Oh, P.S. Something I realized after I did the intro: We were two grown men on opposite sides of the globe spending an hour on the phone together, both of whom were going by a fake name. What a world we live in.