How do I do this?!

 I'm looking for some way to translate this. Can anyone give me suggestions?

I tried Clideo, but I needed to know the language they were speaking. sigh. Same with Google Translate.

 They tried to scam me, but didn't hang up after voicemail kicked in. I know they were laughing at me, but I won and stuck to my guns. They were persistent and called me 18 times. I blocked them a couple times.

The phone number came up as our bank's #. This is what mystified me. 

About the house...

Time out from our lovely Friday drive. Things are cooking.... I made chili on Saturday, with ground turkey and chicken. There was curling on the downstairs TV, this is perfect for TV dinners, and leftovers!

I had to hack away at the ice where I bring in the wood. The rope from my log sled was frozen in 5" of ice. The hatchet was perfect, except I sliced through the rope. I just retied it. I thought my faithful readers might get a giggle from my story. Someone mentioned an axe in a blog post, as I mulled over how to free my sled, and I realized that was the answer.

I fixed up hubby's beautiful eagle feather, a gift from a First Nations friend of the bird clan. She did a smudging for him. Also in the shadow box, a pottery turtle shell and another feather. I had to mull this project over, as well. Mounting it on the wall looks perfect.

March is here, and time for a decor switch. I thought I'd cleverly wrap my white December tree with green ribbon. It was covered in snow Saturday night. It didn't show up as much as I'd have thought. Back to the drawing board! 

Down on the frozen frogpond...I took a walk, turkeys and a coyote, who cleverly avoided the trailcam.


We continue to see many deer and turkeys. This two were playing tag around the tree. You must realize I saw them do this, then ran for the video camera, and they were still doing it.
turkey tag from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

deer feeder from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Doe on the trailcam. The new one shows her beautiful brown eyes. 

Does this ever piss me off. I have a collection of the these phone scam frauds on video. I know these people live in poverty and take any job they can get, but to think that it is moral to rip off retirees is insane.

I must admit that I played along. I had wine beside me. Just sayin'. 😀🤭)) Hubby was in the basement watching his curling, and I paused the TV.

He wanted my "Wisa or Mastercard #" in order to give me a new interest rate on my card. You can listen, I couldn't believe it. Nothing phased him.
 

I'm getting a number of spam comments. I cannot fathom this. I'm an old, white woman in North America. Why would I permit these comments?

VISA FRAUD: phone scam

Yes, another one. It's not new, either. This is the gist of the first part, from 2016, from someone else.

I asked him  how did I know he was from VISA? He told me my name and full address. He asked, "How else would I know this information? I have your file here."

This is my call, after the first dude passed me on to a 'supervisor.' Eventually she hung up on me. I put the phone on speaker phone to record it. I was curious.

VISA Phone Scam 3.0 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Microsoft phone scams

I've written some about phone scams. They are common. You can be phoned, it can be a pop-up screen on your computer, or emails. This is what you can do.

My eldest son read my post about the scammer who called, the one I made hang up (Microsoft called!). Jess sent me info about this show, which has two parts. It was fascinating, as they tracked down the company, Accosting.com, and found them in Delhi. Young and impoverished people are taken advantage of, working for these common scammers. It's a huge problem, except for those who are getting millions of dollars from duped victims. Those making money lack the values most of us hold to, feeling that to rip off 'rich' citizens in North America is fair game. 

The show's podcast (podcast URL) is an interesting listen, if you have time. It's podcast #102, and called Long Distance. The journalist, Alex Goldman, receives a phone call from a scammer. He engages the scammer, to try to figure out what he is up to. Eventually, he is led to a webpage, which he researches, then they give him a  phone number to call. He calls, engages the caller, who is claiming his name is Alex Martin. He allows him access to his Mac computer, which one should NEVER, NEVER do! Alex Martin figures out they cannot sucker journalist Alex Goldman. But Goldman keeps calling them to try to find out more. It is the craziest story. 

There is a part two, as well: #103 Long Distance, Part II, in which they end up traveling to India to try and find this scamming business. 

"Impact of Tech Scams is much higher in India, the US, and China than in other markets. Brazil, South Africa, and Singapore are in the next tier of impact. Experience with tech scams is much lower in Australia, Canada, and Europe. The results indicate a strong focus on US, India, and China."

They also point to an IPSOS Microsoft survey (PDF), which compares reactions in different countries to this scamming. It is an interesting survey.

"Impact of Tech Support Scams is much higher with people under age 34 than with older respondents."

I've had several clients phoned, while I sat there. I take the call, and basically tell them to take off. Sometimes I say, "Does your mother know what you do for a living?"

Sadly, these East Indian-based small time scammers take advantage of people desperate for a job, and taking advantage of the 25% of us who respond. 

Microsoft survey (PDF)

Microsoft survey (PDF)

Microsoft called!

good old days

Hubby's aunt told us that she had the Microsoft phone call scam. She is 87 and doesn't have a computer. She kept the guy on the line, pretending she did. I thought of her, right away!
It was a day of scamming. Yet another!

I was at my client's house and the phone rang. She couldn't understand what the caller was saying. I took the phone. He had a heavy East Indian accent. He told me he was with Microsoft and that my computer was broken.

I said, "It is?"
He said, "Yes."
I asked, "Are you going to help me with it?"
"Yes,"  he said.
"Oh, good!"
"Go over to your computer. Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm in front of my computer." (I'm giggling broadly at my client.)
"OK, can you find the key that says C-T-R-L, which means Control?"
"Yes. I found the control key on my computer."
"OK, What key is beside that key?"
"An apple." (I have a Mac! I don't have a CTRL key, it clearly says control. He paused.)
"OK, press the control key with your finger."
"What? With my finger? I can't use my nose?" My client laughed.
At that point, I was giggling harder, looking over at my nonegenarian client, who has never used a computer. Did he ever pick the wrong family!

We felt somewhat empowered.

Then, there are phone scams!

phone scam from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We've had four of these, two on one day.

What do phone scammers sound like?

Have you had this phone call? I have! I didn't think to record it, but I did play him a bit. Our computers are all Macs, no Microsoft here. He told me I had computer problems, and I was quite sarcastic.
"I do?"
Next time, I'll ask him if his mother knows what he does.

This is the audio recording of the conversation, as uploaded to SoundCloud by Mantel

Globe & Mail
On Thursday Joel Mantel, 23, was eating dinner with his family when he received a phone call from someone claiming to be a customer service agent with Microsoft. The person on the phone told Mantel that there were problems with his computer and 'Microsoft' needed him to hand over control to them remotely.

Mantel has since handed the audio file over to the RCMP Anti-Fraud Centre. The Microsoft phone scam and show them this recording, so they can see how one of these calls actually sounds.
RCMP says complaints can be registered with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or on antifraudcentre.ca.

Do you ever get a phone call and no one is there?

We have, in the past couple of days. I am deeply suspicious.

Fabulous phone for
someone with dementia

There are a lot of phone scams about.

I did *69 and found the number: 416-342-9708. Then I did reverse look-up, as well as a Google search.

They say it is a Telus number, but I am dubious.

snopes.com: 'One Ring' Scam
Jan 30, 2014 - One-ring scam: Telephone customers return hang-up calls from foreign ... normal phone lines, letting the phones ring once before hanging up.


Calgarians warned of latest 'one-ring' phone scam - Calgary Herald


Feb 4, 2014 - In the one-ring scam, the phone will ring and hang up when or before the recipient answers. Those who are curious enough to call the number are billed.

What I think is that someone is doing this in order to have you sign up for a monthly reverse look-up account.

Here is an old scam:

snopes.com: #-9-0 Phone Scam

Upon contacting the telephone company we were informed that by using 90# you end up giving the individual that called you access to your telephone line and ...

Harassing phone calls - another one from iQor

And another call today!

We are getting phone calls from iQor on a continual basis.
I have contacted the CRTC, using the official complaints site.
They phone, and an Emily-like voice tells me it is important that you "call this number right away".  A lot of people have been harassed by them.
It is a robocaller, tells me it is 'very important' that I call 1 866 526 7794. 
I researched it, and found many complaints dating as far back as 2009. We do not have call display, and cannot use *60 or *11 to block them.

Do you think I'm calling the 888 number? NO WAY!

iQor is committed to resolving your inquiries in a timely manner. If you have a question or concern regarding your account, please contact iQor's Consumer Advocacy Group Hotline at the following:

                     Canada                           United States
                 omb@iqor.com              advocacy.group@iqor.com
                  888-804-8198                        800-811-4214


The IQOR website says, under Code of Conduct:

iQor employees are to handle themselves at all times with professionalism, a polite manner and personal integrity while following regulatory guidelines.

There are no exceptions and no excuses to this rule. In fact, all employees must abide by the following principles:

• Identify the right party.
• Identify iQor and the purpose of the call.
• Document all actions and requests.
• Stop pressing when the customer asks you to. "No means no."
• Escalate difficult calls to management.
• Treat consumers with respect.

Sure! 

We are on the Do Not Call List here in Canada. They are calling us twice a day, at least. I have filed a complaint.

You can complain about any call you received that violated an Unsolicited Telecommunications Rule (e.g. National DNCL Rules, Telemarketing Rules, or Automated Dialing-Announcing Device Rules).

Thank you for filing your complaint. The CRTC will make every effort to take enforcement action against any party who violates the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules. However, due to high volume of complaints, the CRTC must prioritize its activities.Accordingly, agreement with the above declaration statement, in combination with your complaint information, will assist in the prioritization of investigative work to be undertaken by CRTC staff.