02030263957

I received a call from this number and as soon as I answered, there was nothing but silence. Quite odd, really!

I received a call myself just now. When I attempted to find out who it was, they wouldn’t reveal their identity. As soon as I tried returning the call, however, it was busy. Quite the mystery, isn’t it?

Who gave me a ring? I picked up the call, but there was nothing but silence on the line. Was this a prank or some kind of automated dialling system?

IMPORTANT! READ THIS NOW… EVEN IF YOU HAVEN'T RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE NUMBER MENTIONED! I’m here to help you avoid being scammed! Alright, to everyone who gets a call from 020 302 63957, please do your utmost to gather as much info from them as you can without divulging any of YOUR personal details. It’s a scam - I’ve just been on the receiving end of the same call from the same dodgy lot (if they can be referred to as that). Here’s how our conversation unfolded: Caller: "Hello, my name's Jane, calling from Microsoft. We've detected a virus on your computer that needs urgent attention." Me: (struggling a tad with her accent) "I beg your pardon, could you repeat that please?" Caller: "Yes, I’m Jane from Microsoft. A malicious virus has been identified on your computer that’s embedded in your Windows system, and it’s crucial we sort it out right away." Me: "Hang on a sec. As you’ve called me, let’s run through a few security questions before we continue. What was that again, where are you calling from?" Caller: "Microsoft." Me: "Could you share the number you’re dialling from?" Caller: "Sure, it's 020 302 63957." Me: "Excellent. Now, can you provide your extension number in case we get cut off?" Caller: "Certainly, it's (now here’s the amusing part) 1183282053." Me: "Blimey, that’s quite the lengthy extension! Do you have half the planet working there?" Caller: "Yes, indeed. Now, do you have your computer in front of you?" Me: "I do, but let’s finish up these security questions first. May I ask your full name? Jane is quite a common name, isn't it?" Caller: (sounding a tad annoyed) "Yes, it’s Jane Watson." Me: "Interesting how you have such an English name paired with that accent." (I might as well have been talking to myself) Caller: "Are you at your computer?" Me: "Absolutely, but I’ve still got more questions. Where are you located, Jane?" Caller: "Reading." *********IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: While I’m having this chat, I'm on another phone calling the number she’s using, checking how many employees Microsoft has, which tops out at around 100,000*********** Me: "Reading? That town’s population must be about half a million, yet you just provided an extension size of over a billion! I knew Microsoft was big, but not that huge!" Caller: "I suppose we operate on a unified network." Me: "Right-o… So, what do you want me to do now?" Caller: "What is displayed on your screen presently?" Me: (while I’m searching their number online to find forums warning about this very number) "YouTube." Caller: "Minimise that, please. Now, do you see the button in the bottom left corner of your keyboard?" Me: "Yes, I do." Caller: "That’s the Ctrl key." Me: "Correct." Caller: "And next to that, can you see the other key?" Me: "Indeed… the Alt key." Caller: "The ALT Key????" Me: "Yes, I’m spot on." Caller: "No, the Alt key is the one next to it!" Me: "No, the Cmd key is actually next!" Caller: "What is the middle key?" Me: "The Alt key." Caller: "No middle key has a window symbol on it!" Me: "No, my computer has a window on the screen!" Caller: "Do you have a touchscreen?" Me: "No, just a keyboard." Caller (slowly): "Does, your, keyboard, have, Windows, on, it?" Me (equally slowly): "No, but, my, walls, do!" Caller: "This is not possible!" Me: "Yet, it is. They let me see the outside world." Caller: "We can’t resolve the virus on your computer if we can’t access it!" Me: "Who mentioned anything about accessing it?" Caller: "That’s our method of resolving the issue." Me: "And precisely why would Microsoft be calling me for that?" Caller: "It’s part of our service." Me: "But my computer is an OS X Yosemite iMac?" Then she abruptly realised I was having a bit of fun with her and quickly made her exit by muttering, "Is this Mr Brettle?" Me: "Why, this is absolutely not Mr Brettle!" And then the line went dead... It’s astonishing how much amusement you can have when you’ve a little time to spare… If you ever receive calls like this from anyone, not just from this particular number, remember to take a cheeky approach like I did, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you share any information about yourself, no matter how trivial it may seem. They rely on random number generation to catch unsuspecting victims. Best wishes to all, and cheers for reading!

I’m absolutely fed up with these individuals who persist in ringing us during the late hours. It’s utterly maddening! Every time we answer, there’s only silence on the other end. Who on earth are these people?

WATCH OUT, THESE PEOPLE ARE FRAUDS! I REPORTED IT TO THE COPS, AND THEY MADE IT CLEAR THAT MICROSOFT DOESN’T MAKE CALLS LIKE THIS. SOMEONE NAMED AUSTIN EDWARDS FROM MICROSOFT, CALLING FROM READING, RANG ME TODAY CLAIMING MY COMPUTER WAS COMPROMISED. HE EVEN KNEW A NUMBER UNIQUE TO ME. WHEN I SAID I DIDN’T WANT TO CONTINUE THE CALL BECAUSE I WAS SUSPICIOUS, HE GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CONTACT HIM BACK. HE ASKED ME TO HOLD WHILE I DIALLED IT, BUT IT LED ME TO THIS VERY WEBSITE THAT CONFIRMED IT WAS A SCAM. ONCE I ASKED HIM QUESTIONS, HE GOT REALLY ANGRY AND THREATENED TO LOCK ME OUT OF MY OWN COMPUTER. BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

Got a call from someone named Austin Edwards claiming to be with Microsoft, but something felt off. He said my computer was acting up, so I asked for proof. He gave me a phone number to call, but when I looked it up online, it was flagged as a scam. After that, he got quite aggressive and warned he'd block my computer. What freaked me out was he knew my computer's unique ID or something like that.

I got a call from some guy called Jack Peterson claiming he was with Microsoft. He said my computer was hacked and he had to fix it. I told him I wasn’t convinced and he started raising his voice, threatening to block my PC. When I asked for a contact number and email so I could check with Microsoft myself, he told me not to bother. I ended the call, but he rang straight back. I didn’t pick up, and he left a voicemail warning me to answer or my computer would get blocked. I’ve just ignored him and, thankfully, he never managed to get into my machine.

Someone called me claiming to be Austin Edwards from Microsoft. I told him I’d get in touch with Microsoft directly. After that, he warned me that I was just wasting my time and threatened to block access to my computer.

I just gave someone access to my computer remotely, then quickly ended the call. What steps should I take now?

Some woman named Alina phoned me claiming she was from Microsoft and said hackers had broken into my PC. She said she could stop anything bad happening if I did what she said. I didn’t go along with it. She kept pushing and said she’d ring me again. I told her not to bother and hung up. She’s already rung twice more after that!

Received a call from someone named Austin Edwards claiming to be from India. He wanted to remotely access my computer, which I refused. He got really irate, even though he stayed on the line for about 35 minutes - probably trying to hit a sales target or something. Please, don’t let these people take control of your PC. I reckon they've got hold of a list of computer IDs somehow. Toward the end, he even threatened to shut down all my machines permanently before suddenly hanging up on me. There’s no way Microsoft would behave like that. He also tried to get me to visit sites like www.teamviewer.com and www.fastheal.net, which is a total red flag. Watch out for these scams!

Got a call outa nowhere telling me my PC was under attack and they needed to get in remotely. Seemed legit, yeah right!

This week, I’ve been getting calls from the same number every single day. I told them I don’t deal with anything on the phone and asked them to quit ringing me. But then the bloke said I’d be sorry if my computer stopped working. He gave me his name and kept saying he was from Microsoft. The number he used was the one above.

It’s pretty clear this was a call from an Indian call centre, they don't even try to hide it properly. They claimed to be ringing me from London. Supposedly, they were from Microsoft and said my PC was being hacked right at that very moment I was on the phone with them. They wanted me to let them check and fix the issue remotely. But I’ve heard enough of that trick. You’re supposed to hand over “remote access” to your computer so they can supposedly fix it... yeah right. Please, don’t fall for it. Microsoft never rings you up out of the blue. And they definitely wouldn’t be calling an unlisted number that’s only been activated for three weeks, which nobody else even has. NEVER let anyone get remote control of your PC unless it’s a legit technician you’ve personally hired. No one else should ever have that kind of access, no matter what they say!

I received a call just like that, too-no one spoke a word as soon as I answered.

Has anyone else been getting calls from this number?

I received a call from this number, but the line went dead the moment I answered. Very peculiar indeed!

The moment we picked up the phone, there was an eerie stillness on the other end.

These calls keep coming every single day right around noon, it's getting so annoying.

Got a call from this number again around 9 in the evening, but when I picked up, no one was on the other end.

They call and then stay silent or start asking for my address and name, but when I say no they just get all moody.

They began calling me a few weeks back but then went quiet for a while. Today, they rang again around 5 pm. I just let it ring into my answerphone and after a bit the call was ended from their side.

The phone keeps buzzing non stop, really getting on my nerves.

My dad, who's 82, gets calls from this number every single night and no one talks on the other end. It's really scaring him bad enough that he's thinking of getting rid of the phone altogether.

Got a call around 9 this evening. Asked them nicely to remove me from their calling list, but the person on the other end turned really rude. They spent about 20 seconds being quite aggressive before finally telling me to "go to hell". Not very polite at all!

I keep getting calls at all hours from an Indian lady, and today she said she was calling from some company named Daily Preferences. I just checked the number and it’s actually based in London.

I keep gettin calls from an Indian lady any time, day or nite. Now she’s sayin she’s from some company called Daily Preferences or summat. Really annoying!

I keep getting nonstop calls, and I'm pretty sure they're from some call centre in India. It's so frustrating!

Another call from one of those sketchy Indian call centres. They seriously want you to hang around on the phone forever, but never seem to have the right info. They keep trying to trick you into giving your address and personal ID stuff. Definitely fishy! Blocked them straight away!!!

I keep gettin calls from these lot, usually really late at night. It's so annoying.

Got a call from a guy named Steve, sounded like he had an Indian accent, but I hung up before he could say anything else.