WARNING - IT'S A SCAM!

[Apanzee]

This is just a heads up for anyone who happens to read this thread.

I just received a phone call from a man with an Indian accent claiming to be from Microsoft. He claimed my PC has been sending them error reports and he was calling to check in on things. I played along until he requested me to install teamviewer (which I already have as I use it to help friends from time to time) and to allow him access. I told him that I'm well aware Microsoft has their own remote desktop connection application and I do not need to install third party software to allow that connection.

He continued to argue with me stating that my computer must have an infection and he is doing his job by helping me. I laughed and said I have a mac (which I don't, PC for the win), he then swore and hung up on me.

After doing a reverse lookup on the number I found it to be from New York, New York and a cell phone.

The number is 1-917-217-9518.

I called Microsoft to report this, and the support rep said he thought my mac comment was pretty funny. He took a full report including my name and number, and said they'd be in touch and that they are taking legal action against these individuals already.

If you get a phone call from this number, or any other for that matter DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION OR ALLOW THEM ACCESS TO YOUR PC.

They are trying to install keyloggers which will relay your personal information to them and compromise your identity, possibly even your financial information if you do online banking/shopping.

Microsoft will only contact you if you request it! Do not fall for the scam!

 

[whiteodian]

"Microsoft will only contact you if you request it! Do not fall for the scam!"

Enough said. I honestly wouldn't have answered a mysterious call. Goes to voice mail (Youmail).

 

[Apanzee]

Usually neither do I but sometimes I find them quite entertaining. This one in particular, the cursing at the mention of a mac and the click as he hung up was pretty satisfying.

 

[joecole1572]

Thanks for the heads up. I would never fall for a scam like this, but I am going to tell my mother who has let a stranger remote access into her computer before.

 

[casper1973]

We get people bringing their computers in all the time to be checked over after falling for similar scams. They get the user to open up event viewer then scare them with all the errors - most of which are meaningless and exist on any machine.

Occasionally they actually do 'some' legitimate work like running ccleaner and a defrag... then charge a crazy price like $400 for it!

 

[ex_bubblehead]

I got one of those calls last year. I let the guy rummage around in a "honeypot" VM I had set up for just such an occasion. I strung him along for almost 2 hours before he finally demanded $200 to fix the "problems" he claimed to find. He couldn't hang up fast enough when I came clean and told him that everything he'd done had been recorded for further forensic analysis. The IP address & phone # traced back to India. Turned it all over to Microsoft. It was quite entertaining.

 

[Apanzee]

I think "Computers for Dummies" should ship with every PC..

 

[Apanzee]

I got one of those calls last year. I let the guy rummage around in a "honeypot" VM I had set up for just such an occasion. I strung him along for almost 2 hours before he finally demanded $200 to fix the "problems" he claimed to find. He couldn't hang up fast enough when I came clean and told him that everything he'd done had been recorded for further forensic analysis. The IP address & phone # traced back to India. Turned it all over to Microsoft. It was quite entertaining.

LOL, I'm going to make a VM for the next time I get a call like this. That's genius.

 

[casper1973]

I thought I would confuse him with "which pc, I have 6" but they were prepared. Got me to open command prompt and run ASSOC (which I know is file associations). Read out a random CLSID which was the same as one in my list and claimed that confirmed he was looking at the right PC.

Of course that same exact CLSID will be on any Windows machine you look at...

I kept playing along until he asked for payment. Turns out they don't accept paper aeroplanes or salted peanuts as payment so we had to part ways.

 

[mcnumpty23]

got a couple of elderly friends in the uk who have had similar calls

also indian or pakistani accent

luckily i have drummed it into them to be paranoid about cold callers and never to allow any one access to

their pc or to give anyone pin numbers etc

these people arent dummies--they are just not tech aware and elderly--so may not think as fast or be more trusting or more scared their pc is actually infected

they only use a pc to skype and email grandchildren abroad

a good con man can catch out most people one way or another

 

[masterman467]

Heh, if this happens to me Mr. Scam Artist won't have internet for a month.

Spoiler

i would totaly call there service provider and report them (<_<) (>_>)

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Heh, if this happens to me Mr. Scam Artist won't have internet for a month.

Spoiler

i would totaly call there service provider and report them (<_<) (>_>)

Except that all of them use providers that are either under their control or otherwise just don't care.

 

[Apanzee]

Heh, if this happens to me Mr. Scam Artist won't have internet for a month.

Spoiler

i would totaly call there service provider and report them (<_<) (>_>)

Thing is that the reverse lookup shows the number as a cell phone and doesn't give me any more info than the city the number is registered to. I don't know enough about cellular communication routing to be able to track the location or find out the provider myself.

 

[pauls3743]

This sort of thing's been kicking around a few years now. Someone at work had been called and asked my advice, it was the first time I had heard of it but jumped to the conclusion it was a scam. Windows doesn't know you from Adam, it doesn't know your telephone number, and Microsoft certainly won't phone you off their own back.

Windows does send details of crashes to Microsoft, if you let it. And Microsoft does patch and fix Windows. But that's what Windows update, the Microsoft helpline and computer repair shops are for.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Thing is that the reverse lookup shows the number as a cell phone and doesn't give me any more info than the city the number is registered to. I don't know enough about cellular communication routing to be able to track the location or find out the provider myself.

You can't trust caller ID to give an accurate number as it's trivial to forge. I pay an exorbitant amount to the phone company to get the actual calling number on all incoming calls. Not something available to residential customers.

 

[mcnumpty23]

You can't trust caller ID to give an accurate number as it's trivial to forge. I pay an exorbitant amount to the phone company to get the actual calling number on all incoming calls. Not something available to residential customers.

+1

i seem to have seen somewhere that in the uk you can get a virtual london phone number

so it appears you are in london even when you are not

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

Happens a LOT in the UK...

We get at least 4 or 5 people a week in each of my shops, asking what to do about it...

I normally advise them to say..."hold on caller, we have the local community Policeman here , who would like a word with you"

1 SECOND later...CLICK, BRRRRRR

lol...

All the best Brett

 

[nukemaster]

I play along and ask them questions about why MS is calling when I have not used Windows for at least 5 years. All macs. Not true at all, but then they tend to tell me they got the wrong number.

They also claim to be your ISP from time to time as well.

 

[apache_lives]

I get this here in Australia too

I generally in a slow toned voice ask What there name is and what there wearing, and then to slowly take it off, tell them they can fix my pc any time.

Iv had a telemarketer sing to me it was great

 

[Apanzee]

I'll try that next time. Sounds fun. Maybe I'll slap my cheek too so it makes that fapping, I mean, slapping sound.

Anyway, I think we might be derailing from the topic a little at this point to the new topic of "how to piss off telemarketers/scam artists."

Just don't fall for the scam. Lol.

 

[a little black duck]

These scammers targeted my country in 2011 and 2012. During that period I recieved 8 or 9 calls from them. I look at them as a great source of amusement, and take great pleasure in messing with them. The longest I had one on the phone was 1 hour 45 minutes. The shortest time was mere seconds. If you don't like these calls, just ask them to hold while you transfer them to the cyber-fraud division so they can verify their phone number with a trace. Worked every time.

 

[pauls3743]

Personally, I don't have time for anyone trying to sell me their latest and greatest, but at least these people are trying to make an "honest" penny.

As for scammers, I'm quite happy to piss these people off. These people are out to screw you every which way until Sunday, and take your hard earned cash in the process. The ones we are talking about here are intentionally trying to gain access to your computer to screw it up. If you let them in, you will have to pay twice for the "pleasure", first to the scammer for the dirty he's just done on your computer and, second, to the pc professional who's got to put it right again.

 

[the great randini]

its been going on for a while, they have called all sorts of tech writers for big websites. Jan 8 2013 Ars Technica

Oct 4 2012 Ars

I got a call at work a week after reading the above article, it was fun for a few minutes. Seemed like he was calling from a call center.

June 16, 2011 Computerworld

 

[yoji]

I am in UK and had a spate of these calls..

Probably about 8 over 6 months.. If I was not busy I would string them along (while they talking to me.. they not fooling anyone else)...
It was quite commical.

I did call ofcom (our telecoms regulator).. but they were powerless/useless

Cheers

 

[shellls45]

LOL right after seeing this thread I got the call, when I started asking him technical questions he just hung up.