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Amazon Stick

Discussion in 'General Chit Chat' started by portia, Jan 2, 2017.

  1. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    i dont--and wont--do online banking. but i do use ebay / paypal quite a bit. but i cant see that being too much use to a fraudster.
  2. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Someone claiming to be from Microsoft rang us on our landline a couple of weeks ago. This was rather surprising as our internet/phone/cable tv provider had omitted to tell us what our landline number is - indeed that phone call was the first indication that we had a landline because it wasn't asked for when we ordered the package. Anyway, the wife answered and passed the phone to me.

    The call went something like this:

    Me: Hello?
    Caller: Can I speak to the owner of the PC?
    Me: Which PC and who are you?
    Caller: I am calling from Microsoft and I need to speak with the owner of the PC at your address.
    Me: What name and address would that be?
    Caller: I can't tell you that under data protection. Am I speaking with the owner of that PC? (My suspicions are now confirmed)
    Me: Not necessarily. Please give me your name and the address from which you are calling.
    Caller: (Says something - probably obscene - in a foreign tongue as he hangs-up)

    My provider is adamant that their security has not been breached but did admit mine was not the first call they had handled on this very subject and they have reported the matter to the Police who are reportedly looking for someone using a "crash-dialer".
  3. Maharg
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    Maharg Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    That's not Talk Talk. That is hackers.

    They are trying to get you to install software onto your computer so they can get access to your finances.

    This comes from when Talk Talk got hacked and peoples' details stolen. They then call, claim to be Talk Talk and try to rob you.

    I cancelled Talk Talk ages ago and still get these calls. I actually know to have fun with them now and wind them up by pretending to go along with them for ages. It's actually great fun once you know what's going on.

    Never, ever do what these people say. They are cyber criminals.
  4. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    The Microsoft scam is being operated by more than one group, they are not very sophisticated as they regularly re-call numbers that have clearly told them to go get stuffed and numbers that must have cost them a lot of money to call, at least if they are using their own systems to make the calls, for example they keep calling our company and we deliberately waste their time sometimes.

    I think there is also a reasonable chance that employees at some call centres are misappropriating company resources of their employers in order to make these calls, so the background call centre sound effects are probably real.

    On the occasions they have called my number at work, I listen as far as "I am calling from Microsoft..." whereupon I interject with "no you're not", in our case the number they are calling from is international and situated at the US/Canada border, the guy calling is Asian/Indian from his accent.

    We are actually Microsoft Silver partners (on the basis of my tested applications) and so they do sometimes call us but the introduction and progress of a real call from Microsoft is very different from the scam calls.
  5. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Following my scam call, I've done a bit of digging around. There is the strong possibility that there is a cell of Daesh supporters in mainland Europe that is making these calls - there have been warnings published by several broadsheets. Also, one of my friends has had a very similar call to mine and he recognised some Arabic expletives that he overheard in the background hubbub. He let the conversation proceed further than I did and apparently he was asked to setup a remote desktop so that the caller could "troubleshoot his computer". He didn't fall for that, fortunately!
  6. DavidAlma
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    DavidAlma Well-Known Member

    Why do you need Kodi or anything else for that matter to watch TGT on Amazon? I am in Davao now and even though the internet connection is pretty slow in the apartment that we are renting, I can log onto my Amazon account and watch TGT and Netflix to see all available there on my laptop. If I want UK TV I log on to FilmOn. If I want to view on the TV in the apartment I just hook up with an HDMI cable. Am I missing something?
  7. Maharg
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    Maharg Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    The call I had a while back from a supposed "Talk Talk" representative was something like this:


    TTR: Hello sir?

    Me: Yes

    TTR: Hello Sir. This is Talk Talk. We are picking up error signals from your computer through your router.

    Me: Oh, really?

    TTR: Yes sir. Our servers have detected that your computer is sending errors to our server through your router. So we need access to your desk top so that we can correct the problem.

    Me: Ok. So you need to gain access to my actual computer?

    TTR: Yes sir. We need you to download some software so we can gain access to your computer. Our servers are detecting an error on our system. It is being sent from your computer and onto our system through your router.

    Me: But my computer has nothing to do with your system. Why would my computer be sending errors to your server through my router?

    TTR: (starting to sound a bit agitated): Because, sir... listen! Your computer is sending errors to our Talk Talk servers through your router. We need access to your desktop so we can correct the problem. Do you understand, sir???!!!

    Me: But Talk Talk don't have anything to do with my computer.

    TTR: Oh f*** off. (Puts phone down)

    See, if you weren't signed up to Talk Talk when their system got hacked you are missing out on this stuff.
  8. DJB
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    DJB Active Member

    Kodi is FREE!!!!
    • Like Like x 1
  9. DJB
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    DJB Active Member

    Best thing to do is go along with them, at some stage they will ask you to press the Windows key to get into the accessories, tell them there is no Windows key. Then listen as they attempt to get you to understand what the Windows key looks like. When you get bored tell them your PC is an Apple Mac.
    • Like Like x 1
  10. DavidAlma
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    DavidAlma Well-Known Member

    So this is pirating the shows? Seriously??? You think that is right? Amazon spend like millions to produce TGT and if everybody pirated the shows, there wouldn't be any show to watch. Sorry, each to their own, but not for me. It costs very little to sign up for the licensed subscription.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  11. Bluebird71
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    Bluebird71 Well-Known Member

    Kodi is THEFT.

    Anyone who thinks piracy is harmless needs to look at the computer gaming market in the 90s.

    I could also point them to a bass player for an upcoming band who have just called it a day because they were losing thousands to piracy.

    Netflix is £6 a month. Amazon is £12-£14. If you're not prepared to pay for it, then you shouldn't be prepared to watch it.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  12. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    You will eventually be blocked as Amazon has geographical limits on where it allows its content to be consumed.

    Boots probably got Kodi installed on something other than an Amazon stick or Fire TV, Kodi with the right add-ons will give you a ripped off stream to pretty much any content including most brand new in the cinema movies although the really new ones will be of a very poor standard as they are basically video cams set up at the back of the theatre.
  13. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Kodi is not theft, Kodi (XBMC) is a media player, installation and use of certain Kodi add-ons is THEFT.

    You can download and install Kodi from Google Play and from the Microsoft Store it is a completely legitimate media player application.

    As I said I pay for Amazon Prime, Netflix and Sky and in general I agree with you however if I found myself living in the sticks in the Philippines I think I might well be thankful for certain Kodi add-ons.
    • Agree Agree x 1
  14. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Netflix is available in the Philippines but with limited content compared to the UK, are you using a VPN to connect to Amazon and Netflix, if so you are breaking their terms & conditions :)
    • Like Like x 1
  15. DJB
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    DJB Active Member

    Perhaps when the various TV and Film companies agree to non geographical limits on their programmes and films in the pursuit of even more profits, then people might prefer to pay for things legally.
  16. Bluebird71
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    Bluebird71 Well-Known Member

    True, sorry the "add-ons" are theft.

    To correct myself, Kodi are distancing themselves from the main use of their product, and a number of websites have had to remove the Kodi icon/logo/name from their websites under threat of legal action.

    Selling pre-loaded boxes in the UK is now a criminal offence. People using Kodi in areas of the world where other options are not possible, maybe that is excusable to a degree, but people using Kodi to save themselves £5 a month to Netflix are stealing.

    We pay £9 a month for Netflix - and get superb 4k content for that. My brother-in-law has a super-duper 52" plus TV and watches purely Kodi on there. The quality is questionable, and any poor quality is accentuated on his super-huge TV.

    £9 a month! It's a fantastic deal. I get a bit annoyed when people try to skip something that is, essentially, 30p a day.
  17. Bluebird71
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    Bluebird71 Well-Known Member

    Maybe if people paid for things properly from the start in those geographical regions, the TV and film companies would be more inclined to do just that.

    If you look at the areas where TV and film companies are more reluctant, they are generally countries with high piracy rates and where piracy is seen as a legitimate way to view a program. It would cost the TV companies too much to even contemplate removing the non-geographical limits because they know that the majority of people in some countries would still look to get it for free.

    I've had this argument with my work-colleague - "I can get all this for free", meaning Netflix shows.

    "I can too".
    "Why don't you then? You're always saying you have no money, you can save £10 a month".

    "You can get free bread in Tesco if you can run faster than the security guard."

    Removing the geographical limits would make it EASIER for the pirates to get the shows. Some countries are now reaping what they have sown by being so ignorant of the piracy issues of the last 3 decades. The people who are currently not paying, will not start paying simply because of removal of geographical limits. I know some people who are "wealthy" who choose to steal from Sky, Netflix and Amazon despite the fact they can easily afford it.
  18. Bluebird71
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    Bluebird71 Well-Known Member

    Also true.
  19. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    The Netflix 4k content is excellent I pay the 9 quid deal too, Amazon have a larger library of 4k content but the amount of that available on Prime is quite poor compared to Netflix. Overall the quality of the 4k stream from Amazon and the signal processing in the box delivers a better result to my eyes than Netflix but it is marginal.

    I bought a 4k Philips set about 6 months ago, most people would consider it poor quality as the off axis picture is significantly degraded but for me I live alone in the UK and on a 40" screen viewed at about 2 metres range roughly head on to the screen in a very small living room the 4k makes a really big difference and I find this Philips set is really great at a price of only 360 quid new.
  20. bigmac
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    bigmac Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    during one hour long call--the talk talk guy got me to repeatedly click on ctrl-f7--(i think-)---told me to keep on doing it. then to access some google site--but my laptop couldnt open it. he gave up then. another time--a manager said i would get a new router--and a man to install it--next day. i'm still waiting--months later. the phone calls seem to come in bursts--none for weeks--then several a day.

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