Just to let you all know

[Louisiana]

Recently someone posted that the flu vaccination is live, so I got a bit worried and asked the nurse this morning if it is...she assured me it is not and gave me a leaflet that said "inactivated influenza vaccine" Just thought I would let you all know in case anyone else was a bit worried about it.

Secondly, I was having lots of troubles with my old computer and I was on Windows XP, which is now defunct. I was advised to change my computer and windows programme. A week ago I bought a secondhand one and had it installed at home and I now have Windows 7. The very next morning I had a phone call from "Windows Technical Dept" telling me I had dreadful problems in my computer, etc....the call was awful as he was Indian and I could hardly understand him, there were masses of voices in the background and he scared me silly about my new computer.....Oh dear, I well and truly fell for it. Luckily I did not pay any money and I insisted on getting his name and number so I could get the chap that installed my computer to ring him. Needless to say the number and name don't exist. To cut a long story short, this scam has been around for a long time and is in Australia, Canada and various other places. If he had rung me the day before my computer was installed I don't think I would have fallen for it. The police say to HANG UP if ANY one rings and says they are a firm that know your computer is not working, etc........perhaps none of you would be as gullible as me, but thought I would let you all know, just in case. Having just bought the computer, I then had to pay to have it cleared up.....ah well, it could have been worse I suppose. Stay well!!! All the best to you all.

[rockett777]

Thanks for that Louisianna, my mum of 78 had a call last month(she had lost her debit card) the card company phoned her, told her call police, she did call police but company had not hung up, some how they got her details. So thank you!!!!! Please everyone, we cannot be to careful.

Thankfully mum did not loose to much.

[Louisiana in reply to rockett777]

So glad it wasn't too ghastly for your Mum. I did forget to mention that the police told me they target the elderly, as most of us are not computer literate!!!! - how reassuring Give my best to your Mum.

[Hidden]

Hi Louisiana, glad it all turned out ok in the end, just a shame we're put in that position in the 1st place, and thanks for the heads up on it. Take care x Sonia x

[Louisiana in reply to Hidden]

You're welcome...you take care of yourself (that's an order)

[Hidden in reply to Louisiana]

Ditto, : ))) x Sonia x

[stone-UK]

Hi

The scam as been around for several years, the intention is to gain access to your computer by remote access, which then gives them access to all your personal details.

Thankfully you avoided this.

[Louisiana]

Can you believe there was a huge room of people in the background all committing the same crime???? - it's incredible!

[knitter]

The same scam was going around a year or two ago, I thought it was a genuine computer expert at first because I had been having trouble accessing the Internet and had asked for help. I actually followed the scamers instructions before he asked me to open my internet connection and when I could 't he rang off thank goodness.

Be careful with suspect e mails asking for personal details too, I have had a few and they look quite genuine at first.

[qbjb]

I have various methods of dealing with the many scamming attempts.

I forward all scam emails to the companies' phishing departments then delete them but I particularly enjoy the telephone calls.

My latest was when the caller used my first name several times without the courtesy of asking if I minded. I did mind. So, every answer I gave him included his first name, heavily accentuated. It took very few seconds before he twigged and there were little pauses while he strained his brain cells for how to deal with this. He ended up calling me madam ... I was silently cracked up laughing by the time I eventually told him what to do!

I need humour in my life and these people provide it for me

.

[Louisiana in reply to qbjb]

clever!!!

[qbjb in reply to Louisiana]

Thank you - just a bit of fun!

[qbjb]

P.S. I'd be very happy to give my suggestions for answering any particular type of calls!!!

[Offcut]

I was told it was a live vaccine in my UK surgery by the nurse.

As for the scam I had that a few years ago in UK and let him waffle on telling me how I had it and they knew this that and the other and for a small fee could clear it up! So I got him to confirm this was on my Microsoft Windows PC and it was going to die from a windows disease in a short time? He confirmed it. SO I said but that is even stranger as I have a MAC! He made all sorts of excuses and hung up.

[Hidden]

I also had some of those calls,a couple of years ago.Thought they were finished,but the last couple of weeks,have been flooded by them,rather annoying,I just say I don't have a computer,& they quickly hang up! xxx

[Louisiana]

I am sooooo pleased you weren't scammed.......have a nice Monday

[elja]

The NHS has always said that the flu jab is not live. However, the flu nasal spray for children uses weakened live flu virus - maybe that's causing confusion with some medical staff.

Re scams .... when I get an obvious cold call (either a sales call or a scam) and they ask if they can speak to me (by name), I often answer (dolefully), "No, you can't - she died on Friday." They tend to hang up quickly!

[Louisiana]

Oh! you have made me smile - thank you