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Recording of Recently Shut-Down Telemarketers In Action

An anonymous reader writes "Just yesterday, the FTC, in conjunction with other government agencies, shut down an international telemarketing scam. A recent video has surfaced showing them in action, trying to scam one of the principals of a Canadian web start-up. Watch the scammers lie through their teeth to convince their 'victim' that he needs to buy a lifetime subscription to their anti-virus product."

19 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. All telemarketers are scammers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There are no exceptions.

    1. Re:All telemarketers are scammers by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      usually telemarketing refers to cold calling.

      What I mean, is that usually if it's an ongoing business relationship - like you had with your vendors - then it's no longer telemarketing - emphasized by the fact that even if you were on a some national do not call list(in any western nation) they can call you because they have an already established business relationship with you.

      in that context all telemarketers are scammers.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:All telemarketers are scammers by bobcat7677 · · Score: 3, Funny

      My parents.

    3. Re:All telemarketers are scammers by sycodon · · Score: 4, Funny

      The lifetime subscription?

      I guess my Mom would have too if I hadn't stopped her.

      My ex did. I didn't stop her. :-)

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    4. Re:All telemarketers are scammers by monkeyhybrid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If a telemarketer calls to try and sell me a service or product that I don't already have, then in it is generally a safe bet that I don't want or need it. If it happens to be for something that I would quite like, I am sure I can find a better price by myself rather than accept what a salesman is offering me over a phone line. I will never pay for something from a telemarketer and I detest the whole idea of sales people phoning strangers in an attempt to talk them into buying a product.

      I'm not saying all telemarketers are bad, just that telemarketing as a whole is bad!

    5. Re:All telemarketers are scammers by Charliemopps · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Let me fix that for you: All SALESMEN and MARKETING reps are scammers. There are no exceptions. Telemarketers are just slightly more annoying.

  2. Re:A lifetime contract for AV software! by wierd_w · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh no silly. You seem to think that this was a "pay once, and get service forever!" Type lifetime contract.

    Coming from a scam farm, I would expect more "signee agrees to pay $24.95 per month in purpetuity in exchange for service."

  3. Re:Bad video by Cinder6 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I got a couple calls from these guys. I couldn't understand them then, either.

    --
    If you can't convince them, convict them.
  4. Re:One question: by click2005 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The phone conversation's lifetime.

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  5. Forwarding to my mom by AttyBobDobalina · · Score: 5, Funny

    I get forwarded so many *fake* scamming stories from my mom...now I get to create an e-mail from a real one. Thanks, Slashdot! My mom appreciates it.

  6. Collateral Damage by badford · · Score: 5, Funny

    This will hurt all of the legitimate anti-virus telemarketers out there as well as a many a wayward Nigerian prince. Perhaps an elaboration is due. You see I am a representative of the late Nigerian Head of State, General Arbach Jamani who died on 12th August 2003, I have been tasked to distribute the excess revenue from precious metal mining that the lord, bathsheba, has blessed our coffers with...

    --
    -badford
    1. Re:Collateral Damage by 91degrees · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're clearly lying. I know because I've been in contact with the representative of the real Nigerian head of state, regarding the transfer of $20,000,000 (TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS) and he said you;re the scammer.

    2. Re:Collateral Damage by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 3, Funny

      Not as quickly as HP does.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
  7. Re:No Protection? by wierd_w · · Score: 3, Funny

    Haven't you heard about the dangerous su, sh, and dd viruses!?

    Why, I hear that if you get all three, they can nuke your whole box!

    (LOL!)

  8. Bad audio quality, but... by frostfreek · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Very interesting end to the video, where the scammer realizes that he's dealing with someone who knows something about computers, and starts to try to... what.... do some damage?

  9. Better Link by Bill+Dimm · · Score: 4, Informative

    Slashdot linked to the blog's homepage instead of the specific blog entry with the video, so the link isn't going to give the right result if they post anything else to the blog.

  10. Re:Bad video by Cinder6 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was amused at the way they identified themselves to me: "Microsoft Malicious Software Department". Yeah, I'm posting on Slashdot, but even I was surprised that Microsoft is so transparent about selling malware...

    --
    If you can't convince them, convict them.
  11. Watching scumbags lie? by Hatta · · Score: 5, Funny

    No thanks, I got enough of that last night.

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    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  12. Scumbags by kstatefan40 · · Score: 5, Funny

    These guys were targeting primarily older users. They called my parents at least 5 times telling them they could tell there were viruses on their machine and that if they didn't pay the fee, the computer would stop working. My mother asked me what she should do, and I told her to get a contact number so she could forward to the Kansas Attorney General.

    Phone call went like this:

    "Can I get your number so I can send it to the Kansas Attorney General for investigation?"

    "What?"

    "I need your number so I can send it to the AG."

    [someone in the background] "HANG UP! HANG UP NOW!"

    Never called back. Problem solved.