The Pros and Cons...well the Pro Cons that is!

Hello?  Is it me you're scamming for?

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/10/24/joe-oconnor-cyber-scammers-no-match-for-canadian-sense-of-humour/

     So there I am, innocently working on dinner (Ribs and Blackeyed peas for those who are curious) and I receive an urgent phone call from Microsoft.  Horror oh horrors, there is something wrong with my PC and or Laptop's operating system.  Have no fear though, the nice man on the phone is there to help solve my problem!  Horray!  My hero!
     Now at this time I had not seen the above article yet, but certain subtle clues tipped me that it was probably some sort of scam.  First, it was some dude with a heavy Hindi accent who barely spoke English calling from an extremely bad connection.  Second, even though the "Tech" said that Microsoft had received dozens of error messages from my PC and or Laptop (He kept changing his mind on which is was) he was unable to identify which OS my PC and...well you get the picture was operating on.
     As I have mentioned in the past blogs (See "The Classics are still the best"), I am a (retired) con man.  At one time I was very very good at scams of all shapes and sizes.  In my day I have run everything from the Double Bag Con to the Big Dip Scam.  I mention this freely because I am pretty sure most if not all of the Statutes of Limitation have expired.  So I knew an (albeit inept) brother in crime was on the other end of the line.

If it is in there, I've done it.  Excellent read btw if you can find it.

     Now most people would have hung up once they realized they were being had.  Me, I had fun with it.  I must have kept this Schmuck on the line for 10 to 15 minutes while pretending to boot up my computer (Was in the kitchen for most of it), and listen to his instructions of how to "fix" my problems.  I would have prolly kept on going, but I got tired of the horrendous connection and hung up.  God bless the little Scammer's heart, he actually called back twice before giving up.
     Two famous lines come to mind here.  "You can't cheat an honest man" and "You can't con a Conman."  Both are equally true.  A Scam works on the principle that someone expects something for nothing (Sometimes it preys on gullibility too) and any Conman worth his or her salt will spot a fellow Huckster a mile off. 
     Sometimes I am tempted to start doing lectures to help people protect themselves from Hucksters and Conmen.  Ignoring the "Nigerian Prince" type scams, cons are getting more and more sophisticated all the time and desperate people are falling for them.  To protect yourselves from most cons, just remember another old saying.  "If it seems to good to be true, then it mostly likely is."  IN this example, Microsoft willingly calling individual customers to help them with their computer problems?  YEAH RIGHT!  To use a quote from one of the greatest series of all times, Hillstreet Blues, "Let's be careful out there."

Cute and Fluffy Bunnies with Internet Access!