Poll: So Windows now phones you to tell you that you might have harmful hacking software in your computer.

[Sassafrass]

Story time, ladies and mentlemen. Well, not really but still.

Anyways, about 30 minutes a go I receive a call from someone telling me that my computer is filled to the gills with hacking software and could crash at any given moment. Seeing as I at that point had just woken up, I was pretty damn worried so I took the call, booted up my laptop and did what they told me.

First thing that struck suspicion in me was the fact that instead of asking me to open my web browser, they asked me to put in a website in the Run diag box. Little suspicious but I went along with it for a bit. After that, I got to a site where I need a 6 digit access code.

Red flag numero two. They told me to close that down and go to another site. I followed their instructions again, this time talking with a bloke that sounded a bit Scottish and a bit Indian too. I put in the new website and took a look, suspicions rising all the time.

Red flag number three, it was a website that, if I had clicked the link, would've allowed them remote access to my laptop so they could take out all the files that had harmed my computer.

... ...

In the end, I asked the guy if he was, and I quote "Are you fucking kidding me, I'm not giving you remote access." to which I got a lovely reply of a dial tone.

So, just thought I'd share that with you and see what you think. Scam or a real threat?

Oh, and what's the best scam phone calls you've received, or indeed the best scam you've been offered?

 

[wooty]

I had this a few months back, pulled the guy up at the very start. How the hell would he know what was going on inside my computer? Also, I doubt microsoft would ring me up to tell me my computer was infected, im sure they would much rather it broke down and let me buy another copy of windows instead.

 

[Metzeten]

I got that too, they're preying on the people who don't know any better. Searching through the phone book and calling people so far as I can tell.
Still, maybe this thread will stop anyone on the escapist falling victim to this.

What they are doing is pretty illegal but I don't see many ways to stop it.

 

[Kiardras]

I had this a while back - not quite as nastily a scam though. An indian woman asked me to open something through run which would show the "issues" my pc was experiencing. Quick google serch confirms its a scam, but I play along.

Open it up, and to no surprise, tells me my pc is in perfect health.

I tell her that, as I work all day with computers I know what I am doing looking after one (hell, I build all mine from scratch) at this point she has to call her supervisor as she doesn't know how to proceed with someone whose computer is fine

Nowadays, I just tell them I don't have a computer. Did it once, told them I didn't have a phone. They seemed puzzled

 

[Dakkagor]

Ran into this, checked with the official microsoft help forums, and it is indeed a scam. Don't know what they want with your data, but at a guess I would say that they are after internet billing information saved on your PC.

 

[babinro]

The main suspicious point to me is that it is windows contacting you about this. If any company were to take action against someone's internet/computer state it would be their local ISP. Aside from this, companies exist with the sole purpose of profiting off of computer repair such as virus removal. No one is going to proactively call you and perform this service for free.

Windows has no reason to care, it would be like Valve calling me to help me properly install a Half-Life 2 update. Kudos to the OP for doing the right thing.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

I had to curbstomp this one for my grandmother, dude hung up after I called him on his methods and when he asked me if I'd seen the stuff he told me to do before, trying to con me by making me out to be a newbie with computers, and I told him I'd been doing tech work for 13 years, he sounded shaky, and kinda angry... gotta love those people and their scamming... gotta love my grandmother for getting the dude to call her back at a later time, when I was there

 

[Crises^]

They told me that the red and yellow in event viewer was viruses... I played dumb for half hour pretending i didn't know anything with computers then when they got to the remote access part i explained that I'm a database manager and tech support for a broadcasting company and then they raged was quite funny

 

[JediMB]

Never been through anything like this, but I'm pretty sure Microsoft would let all their fancy Windows tools (that are regularly updated through Windows Update) inform me about any hazards.

I'd pretty much hang up immediately if it happened to me.

 

[Rawne1980]

Seen this crop up a few times now but it hasn't happened to me yet.

Even got some music lined up to see how many times I can put them on hold before they hang up.

 

[Sassafrass]

Just tell them that you use Linux. That should fry their heads sufficiently.

I'll have to try when they next call me. Along with the "I don't have a phone." choice, just to see what happens.

 

[Braedan]

Uh.... if you suspect that you should suspect that something might be suspect, it's a scam.

A single red flag means you should stop doing what you're doing and look for answers.

 

[Tiger Sora]

Called my house 3 times already. Infact they just called 2 days ago. Had a good jolly talking to them.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

Yeah... happened to me.
However... it was my mum that answered the phone...
So half an hour followed of me and my brother SCREAMING at her not to click the link, eventually the local tech-head came along and said 'don't do it!'.

Luckily she didn't.
Christ...

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Can't wait to answer one of these phonecalls. I'm going to troll the merry fuck out of these poor blokes

 

[Me55enger]

Couldn't be Microsoft... they didn't charge you for the privelage.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Same thing happened to me, but a little different. I knew it was a scam almost instantly.

"Hello, we have gained reports that your computer with Windows 7 has malicious software and viruses and must be deleted. We will walk you through the process to remove these from your computer" I said "hold on a minute" and made him wait for a few mins. I even ran around and moved a chair to make it sound like I actually was taking the phone to the comp. When I got back, I said "in making you wait, I have wasted your time. We don't have windows 7!" and hung up. Then I realized later I could've wasted his time even more. Damn x.x

 

[kebab4you]

Jebus, I can see how easy this scam would work if you have a person that don't know anything about computers and would have just followed blindly.