The "PC Tech Help Support" scam - my approach....

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Merlin

Merlin

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There's a well-known scam going around that is based on the "Hi, my name is Fred /Dave/Bill/other incredulous name, compared to the accent saying it. I'm from PC Tech Help / Microsoft support / other scam IT-type name; you have problems with your computer and you may have a virus."

This helpful person then wants you to log in with Admin access using Teamviewer and to run a file that shows running processes, while giving you some spiel about these files being "...a bad thing". They then want £££ from you to sort the problem out - hmm.....:dry:

Anyway, I get one of these calls from time to time and this time I thought I'd play along. This is roughly how the conversation went down..

Tech: Are you sitting at your computer?
Me: Yes.
Tech: What can you see?
Me. It's switched on and I am looking at a blue bootup screen.
Tech. Ok, press the 'start' button.
Me. I don't see a 'start' button.
Tech: Your computer is switched on, yes?
Me: Yes, of course it is!
Tech: Ok, then press the Windows Key on the keyboard.
Me. My keyboard doesn't have a Windows key.
Tech: What version of Windows are you running?
Me: Are you telling me that my machine is actually running Windows?
Tech: Yes.
Me. Wow! I didn't know that they did Windows for my computer.
Tech: OK. Does it say anything on your computer screen?
Me. Yes. There's a message on the screen.
Tech: What does the message say on the screen?
Me: "Commodore Basic V2 - 38911 bytes free, then it says Ready."
Tech: What?!?
Me: My computer is a Commodore 64....
*click*

:lol:

N00bs, eh?
 
I never get these cals :(

wonder what theyd do if you let them on via team viewer "view only" then they watched you get theire ip run a trace on it and connect to them.
 
If anyone is interested if you give them access to your computer they install one of those fake antivirus programs that keeps requesting credit card payments every couple of weeks and a wee bugger that records all your passwords and sends them back to the mothership.

I know this 'cos my Mum failed in the hanging up the phone part of the proceedings :mad:
 
thecellartroll said:
If anyone is interested if you give them access to your computer they install one of those fake antivirus programs that keeps requesting credit card payments every couple of weeks and a wee bugger that records all your passwords and sends them back to the mothership.

I know this 'cos my Mum failed in the hanging up the phone part of the proceedings :mad:
Click to expand...


^^^
This - you have been warned.....
 
This scam has been going on in the Yorkshire Area for months , I've been phoned 3 times and as recently as last week. They start by saying they are from Microsoft and as a registered user They have monitored my system and found a virus.

But..

They didn't get off on the right foot as they asked for my deceased father and his computer had a virus. - he's been dead 12 years!

I strung them along a bit before I got bored and continually kept asking where they got my number from... They hung up then.

My pals wife got to the point of getting her credit card out when my pal asked her who was on the phone, he slammed the phone down.

Beware people.

Mike.
 
I was helping out in the shop downstairs a couple of weeks ago and we got one. I recognised it right away, told him I work for MS, I know he bloody well doesnt and if he calls again I'm going to report his number to them :lol:
 
These people are scum of the earth.

I've had a couple of calls from 'Dave' in India, who are all from some mysterious company called 'Windows'.

The first guy I strung along a bit before getting bored, and then telling him that he was talking **** and this was a scam. He seemed stunned that I'd told him that. Then I hung up.

The second call got as far as "Hello, I'm calling from Windows", before they were met with a swift "F*ck off".

I've not had any further calls for about 3 or 4 months.
 
roberthazelby said:
These people are scum of the earth.

I've had a couple of calls from 'Dave' in India, who are all from some mysterious company called 'Windows'.

The first guy I strung along a bit before getting bored, and then telling him that he was talking **** and this was a scam. He seemed stunned that I'd told him that. Then I hung up.

The second call got as far as "Hello, I'm calling from Windows", before they were met with a swift "F*ck off".

I've not had any further calls for about 3 or 4 months.
Click to expand...

I bet that double glazing companies love you to bits.....:lol:
 
My Mum had one the other day. She knew it was a scam, and had recently got rid of the computer anyway - but ended up having quite a chat with the guy on the other end of the phone! :)) (Turns out it was his last day anyway, so he didn't care that the call wasn't going his way!)
 
:jester: Good one Merlin. I wish I could get calls like this just to mess with them too. Funny.
 
Doesn´t sound like a legal "service" they are selling... none of you called the cops? Not that it helps but as a principle shouldn´t that kind of behavior be reported to authorities?
 
If they were based in the UK they'd be breaking several laws, but I'm guessing they're far away...

Calling the police will just result in a wee bit of extra and ineffective administrative workload to a police force that already has to fill in too many forms. Better to tell everyone you know who is perhaps not so computer literate, or maybe a wee bit gullible so that they are pre-warned.
 
I sometimes whish there was a keyboard button that would incinerate the person at the other end of these scam phone lines. They are wasting the earth's oxygen.
 
I never get these calls. :(

I reckon certain ISPs must sell their customer lists to these call centres.

All I get are those stupid PPI claim companies.
 
I keep getting cold calls for a Mr Miller, I have his old phone number...

Them:Hello (usually very very poor broken english)
Me:Hi!
Them:Can I speak to a Mr Miller?
Me:Sorry! Mr Miller was serial killer....
<pause>
Them:Serial Killer??? (the more broken the accent the better :) )

Now at this point it can go a few ways, they hang up, ask for more details, in which case I explain how he was a vicar but got arrested for being serial killer...

Reaction is very much based on ethnic origin! from hostile through to inquisitive :) even had one jumped up cold caller start shouting at me lol "you gonna kill me!!!? come here kill me now!!! who are you?! I have your address!!!"...

Anyway, the PC help tech calls I tell them I have an Amiga and go through the motions, always fun, but no flip outs from the cold callers....
 
I get people calling and this is the convo i have with them..

them : hello can i speak to a MR G roberts?
me: theres no MR B roberts here.
them No sir mr G roberts.
Me: theres no mr D roberts here.
Them: I said mr G roberts sir.
Me: theres no mr C roberts either.
them, We want to talk to a Mr G roberts
Me: Stop calling here spouting letters at me, come back when you have a 1st name.


never found out what they wanted, but they still call every so often. but they never managed to get my 1st name either just the initial. As far as im concerned if you just have my 1st initial, then you dont know me to call me.
 
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