An interesting scam attempt...

[BigShot]

How do folks?
A quick heads up here - I know most of you would probably smell a rat straight away but I thought I'd mention it just in case.


Today I got a call from someone at "the global computer maintenance department" to tell me they had recieved an error message from my computer due to "an unauthorised program such as spyware or spamware".

I have no idea where the call was going as at least 6 alarm bells went off at once and instead of playing along to see what he was trying to achieve (I now wish I had done that) I played at interested-but-suspicious to use up as much of his time as I could manage asking more and more awkward questions to see what he'd say.

These questions rang the alarm bells.
1> Who in their right mind would write malware that warned a global maintenance firm of its presence so they could help me clear it?
2> How would that program have sent the message out without me allowing it to do so on my very strict firewall rules?
3> How on earth did they get my phone number when it isn't stored anywhere on my computer?
4> Who are "global computer maintenance" and why can't I find them on google?
5> Why, in about 15 to 20 years of using computers, including many encounters with viruses, spyware, adware and more, have I never had so much of a sniff of a knight-in-shining-armour-company who phone you up to help before you even know there's a problem?
6> Why could he not name the program that had sent the message, whether it was malware or my own security software?


If you get a call like this I'd suggest either telling them they should be ashamed, hanging up, seeing how far they'll go to get whatever info they are looking for - or simply keep them busy for as long as you can manage/afford to stop them calling someone else in that time.

If you're nervous about what might be on your computer, ensure your computer's anti-virus, firewall and (if you use them anti-adware/spyware/etc software) are all up to date and running properly, learn about basic measures you can take to keep your computer safe and stick to them.


I hope this helps someone avoid the same stunt.

 

[wicca]

Thanks BigShot, it's dimwits like me they are probably hoping to trap, and it's nice to be fore warned.

 

[Melonfish]

its much like the guys who phones us up today to offer us telecomms services.
we had to be polite and point out we're the 3rd largest telecomms company in the uk.
we get em all the time tho, such and such called me and apparently they want to talk to me about my internet security etc.
load of old tosh, nobody should ever call you out the blue and i even rip into the companies that i buy services off. if i want something i'll ring them not the other way round

 

[Arth]

Best thing to do is never listen to cold callers.

 

[Nagual]

Another thing to keep in mind is that some 'companies' from out of the uk can call you and you pay for receiving the call - unless this has changed recently. There were various warnings on the news and papers about organisations from some place (Congo? no idea now) running some sort of scam. There was at the time nothing that could be done other than hang up. My response to all unsolicited calls is a firm but polite "No thanks, bye".

 

[alpha_centaur]

I love this type of scam, but as they say the old ones are the best:

"Hi this is mike calling from I.T.

We are running some scheduled maintenance on the servers and have found a problem with the full members accounts. If you could all please send your credit card and bank details to me at

this_is_a_con@thieving_scoundrels.com

we can resolve this problem with minimal inconvenience to yourselves

Thank you"

 

[gzornenplat]

I don't know why people are so scared of losing money - when there seems to be an endless supply of Nigerian businessmen trying to give the stuff away.

 

[petemill]

Just had another of these ******. Kept him on the phone for 20mins until I started to demand his email address when apparently his receiver started acting up and he couldn't hear me any more.
His Microsoft crap just didn't work on a MAC man.
Think I'll be Australian next time or maybe Mahatma Ghandi.

 

[Highbinder]

Best thing to do is never listen to cold callers.

As someone who worked in genuine direct sales (ie cold caller). A cold caller is NOT the same as a scammer (such as the 'company' that called the OP). I worked very hard and was at all times genuine, honest and professional (a lot more than I could say than some of my collegues). The snap-decision close minded outlook of most people is understandable (burnt once shame on me, burnt twice...) but it made the job infinately more difficult.

I'd kindly point out that it's not the profession you have to be wary of it's the individual, there will be dishonest people no matter what profession you're dealing with.

 

[dwardo]

My sister in law had a call from the same muppets recently and she managed to get an email addresses and contact numbers for them.
She did get taken at the start but as soon as they started talking money and her "responsibility" she balked. I told her to pop the details in at the local nic and tell them what happened. This is fraud and nothing else. They claimed to know tht her specific computer was sending viruses and spam and they were from the "Microsoft Team" you think MS gives a flying bullet if your sending out spam or viruses

These people are scum and prey on the ill informed and especially the elderly. I hope their favourite bits fall off....

 

[Nightwalker]

This is a scam, what they do is instruct you on how to "clean" your computer, which will involve something like this:
- They'll ask you to go to your "Start" button and then press "Run"
- Then enter "http://" and an IP address, this will take you to their dodgy fake site where they will encourage you to pump in your card details to clear a fee or clean your computer.

Basically just out right stealing your money - don't you wish you could get hold of these people?

 

[locum76]

The same thing happened to me but I just hung up the phone.

 

[_scorpio_]

sound really interested and sound like they are actually going to get you to fall for it but talk quieter and quieter so they press the phone right to their ear then blow a whistle right next to it.
muahhahahahahhahahaaaa!!!

 

[Paul_B]

I get shirty with them and insist that they delete all record of my number and do not bother me again. I do this with most cold callers. If I want some company's services I will call them not the other way round. With some cold callers who say that I expressed interest in their products which is why they're calling me I just say that I never express interest in anyone's products. At which they say that I must have not checked some box on a website. I ALWAYS tick or untick as approrpiate on all websites and as such minimise my entry onto databases. I make this clear to them and I ask them where they got my details from? I always close it by insisting that they delete my name from that database. Whether they do or not I can't say but I do not get very many cold calls over the last few years since I started trying to find out where theey got my details then asking them to delete.

I have also signed up to verious anti-marketing databases so the reputable cold callers don't call me.

I also hate spam post. I know it is where the Royal Mail makes a bit of money but I have signed up to anti junk mail databses to minimise junk mail. I have also taken to writing in bold black marker on their forms that I am not interested and never will be interest in unsolicited mail like this. I also ask them to delete me from their databases sometimes I sound like I know my rights by mentioning some data protection law or other that I vaguely heard about once. I then stuff it in their pre-pay envelope and post it. That actually does work on the second or third time. I now longer get any MBNA credit card applications nor baarlcay card. It was always funny how I started with credit cards then silver credit cards then gold then platinum then Black credit cards. Then I heard of this technique and I no longer get anything. I do wonder what colour of credit card I have been pre-approved for if I wa still getting these junk mails. The good thhing with this approach is that RM get some revenue at the junk mail company's expense which in my book is only good.

You don't want to know what I did to Jehovah's wintesses to stop them disturbing my evenings!!

 

[Paul_B]

No offence to JW people BTW (not that they're likely to be on here) its just that like junk mail and cold calling, if I waanted what they're offereing I would go out and lookk for them. It wasn't bad what I did to them, well probably not THAT bad anyway.