Calls about an 'infection'

[Airclues]

In the last few weeks I have had five calls (caller ID said INT'L) from people telling me that I have an 'infection' on my computer. The callers all had strong Indian accents and knew my name. They wanted me to turn on my computer and follow their instructions to remove the 'infection'.

Of course there's no way that I'd do this, but I'm interested to know what would have happened if I did.

Dave

[green granite]

A virus would have been "found" and you would be told to download a program to eradicate it, at an exorbitant price of course.

[BOAC]

...........and possibly even 'sent' your own special virus too! A well-known scam but no-one is sure where the name and numbers are being leached.

[mustpost]

Seems to be doing the rounds, had calls recently from a number of peeps whose machines I fettle, appears to be mainly targetting women..

[Piltdown Man]

A few minutes ago I received a call from Global Computer Maintenance. Apparently these people have been receiving lots of messages from my "Windows" computer saying that it is infected with spyware etc. By running "eventvwr" and "temp_spyware" (you have to click continue to get to the temp. files) you'll be shown lots of "nasty" problems. Having nothing to do for a few minutes, I was able to waste just over 17 minutes of the slippery shyte's time before I had to swear at him with my very best invective and racist abuse. Anyway, the site they wanted me to visit was www.logmein123.com, a site hosted by INTERNAP a US based . How about bombing these guys with emails?

Oh - and the git rang me back a few minutes later to swear back at me. Unfortunately, he didn't leave his number or an address.

PM

[mixture]

Airclues

Of course there's no way that I'd do this, but I'm interested to know what would have happened if I did.

They would have planted a backdoor trojan/rootkit to enable them to return at a later date and/or make your computer part of a zombie network.

Piltdown Man

How about bombing these guys with emails?

Only if you wish to find yourself without an internet connection. ISPs quite rightly take a dim view of "email bombing" and will cut you off, no questions asked.... it is classified as a form of DoS attack.

[Saab Dastard]

Similar thread a few months ago:

http://www.pprune.org/computer-internet-issues-troubleshooting/403316-log4rescue-anyone-heard-them.html

SD

[Airclues]

Having read the other thread I remembered that the first call (about five weeks ago) was after I had sent an error report to Microsoft. The caller knew about that report. I've had four calls since. In todays call the lady had such a strong Indian accent that it was difficult to understand her.

How do these people get information about an error report from Microsoft?

Dave

(9 days until the PC goes to the dump (after the anglegrinder has eaten the HD) and I become a MacMan).

[Piltdown Man]

They don't. These are cold calls and rely on suckers to bite, so to speak. But I have a very straight forward way of dealing any calls from India. Firstly, if they are legitimate calls initiated by a UK company I immediately cancel any and every account I have with that company. I make it known that I am cancelling my account because they use offshore call centres. But if they are cold calls and I have time to spare, I'll see how long I or my children (6, 10 & 12) can keep them on the line. It's better than the Playstation and you can have a bit of a giggle. Feckers the lot of them. And my ISP will not cut me off unless he wants a real fight.

PM

[green granite]

This is the best way I've ever heard for dealing with such calls. :E (It's sound only)

Lepak.TV - The Greatest Prank Call Ever (mustwatch) (http://www.lepak.tv/index.php?page=videos&section=view&vid_id=101595)

[Avtrician]

There is a similar scam running in Oz, with the caller supposedly being from Microstuffed

[Airclues]

They don't. These are cold calls and rely on suckers to bite

No, the first called definately knew that I'd sent an error report to Microsoft and refered to it several times. I tried to get rid of him by saying that I have a Mac (my laptop is a MacBook) but he said that the error report was sent from a PC with Windows.

I asked him where he was phoning from and he said 'Salt Lake City'. I assumed, at the time that he was phoning from the US but I've since discovered that Salt Lake City is an area of Kolkata.

Dave

[Saab Dastard]

Airclues,

Can you check the contents of your hosts file?

windows\system32\drivers\etc

I wonder if error reporting has been hijacked from the correct MS address to something nefarious.

SD

[Mike-Bracknell]

SD - he has a Mac (thank god - just this once)

[BOAC]

MB - Laptop is a MAC - AC was trying a 'ruse' -No, the first called definately knew that I'd sent an error report to Microsoft

SD - there has been an air of suspicion about M$ and the 'security' of customer info for some time - possibly no 'diversion' required?

[Don't Tell Him Pike]

My Mum got caught by one of these type of scammers. He phoned up saying she'd been having trouble with her internet (which she had) and talked her through enabling remote access. He then installed a program on her machine.

She then sudddenly panicked, uninstalled the program, and ran a full scan with Norton. Is there anything else you guys would recommend she do, short of chucking out the PC?

[YPJT]

The Yak (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MplWwOzBXHM) knows how to handle these situations. :E

[BOAC]

YP - that was stunning - a classic. Thanks for the link.

Pike - the usual advice - download Malwarebytes (MBAM) from a reliable source like CNET, allow it to update and then run a full scan. It will tell your mum if her machine has a problem.

[vancouv]

Airclue - did they have specific information about the report or was it a case of them saying 'You've sent an error report to Microsoft' and you said 'Yes, how did you know?'

It's a common trick done by psychics - saying 'has someone lost a loved one recently' knowing that there is a very good chance that someone in the audience has, and they then think it's amazing the psychic knew about it.

[Don't Tell Him Pike]

Thanks BOAC

[Airclues]

These people just don't give up. They've stopped calling about my computer, but now I've had a total of five calls from the same sounding people asking if I have Sky TV. They then say that there is a problem with my Sky box and they will need some personal details so that they can send a new viewing card.
I phoned Sky and they said that it was nothing to do with them, and in any case they already knew my details. I'm registered with TPS but apparently this doesn't apply to calls from abroad.

Dave

Edit.........

Woops, just used Google to discover that this is a well known scam. Hope you don't mind me leaving the post here just in case somebody hasn't heard of it.

[Blues&twos]

I have just started getting these calls...although I was unaware the Sky one was related as I hung up very early in the call.

And I did something I have never done before during the "your computer is infected" call ... gave the caller a horrendous mouthful of abuse before hanging up.

Hasn't stopped them...not that I thought it would...

I'm going ex-directory, maybe one day before I retire these calls will stop.
:mad:

[FullOppositeRudder]

Happily, here in the southern colonies, the government has devised legislation which allows householders to place their phone numbers on a "do not call" register (https://www.donotcall.gov.au/), and which effectively bars most 'telemarketers' from calling any number which is on the register.

It has certainly reduced my unwanted calls from the subcontinent to near zero. I found myself talking to a strongly accented phone company rep a few months back. When I interrupted his patter and pointed out that he had called a number on the Australian DNC register, and that I therefore required the name and address of his company to lodge a formal complaint, he selected full reverse thrust, apologized profusely for the error - and for troubling me - and terminated the discussion. It hasn't happened again.

It appears that the legislation also appears to be a valid mechanism for action in the case of the scam under discussion here (http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_312277) - at least in theory. This is no great consolation to those living elsewhere who are being harassed in this way by would be thugs, but it demonstrates that if it is sufficiently interested, a government can pass legislation and set up machinery which addresses such matters in a positive way for the consumer.

It's probably not sufficient reason in itself to emigrate, but it is one of the fringe benefits of living 'dununder'.

regards,
FoR

[BEagle]

There is also a scam going around from 'Solutions1000' - a persistent Indian sub-continent accented person will try to convince you that your computer is horribly infected....

It's bolleaux. I do hope they ring again as I have a few choice words of Urdu passed on to me by my late ex-Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners father which he might understand.

Or just go to their website, find the 'contact us' number (using a CLI-free phone) and politely suggest that they $od off and die!

[corsair]

I literally just hung up on one of those calls. This is their third attempt. But last night I got hit by one of those fake spyware removal tools. It immediately took over told me I was infected, stopped me using my task manager, tried to delete my anti virus, blocked my spyware tools. Downloaded it's own 'anti virus' program and hit me with a fake Microsoft security centre warning. After a bit of googling I managed to download PC doctor in safe mode as it disabled my first attempt at downloading and with spybot got rid of the pest. I was up until four in the morning doing it though. Coincidence? You decide!

I'm not overly savvy with PCs but my BS meter is well calibrated. I've had issues before but never one as complex as that.

My PC is clear today but slow as hell as I have everything on to protect it.

[Keef]

The "final solution" is to get one of these (http://www.truecall.co.uk/).

Folks you know get through unimpeded.
You can set it to block any specific number.

Otherwise, it will answer the call, explain politely that you do not accept anonymous calls (or calls from numbers you don't know, or what) and ask them to speak their name clearly. It then calls you and tells you the name.
You can accept or reject the call.

The delight is that you don't even know there's been a call until it's done its thing.

Oh - and it's a conventional answering machine too.

[Airclues]

YouTube - Technical Support Phone Scam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhV6rIgyQ-s&NR=1)

[Cunliffe]

Had a call recently telling me that they had checked my computer and found many viruses which were causing it to run slowly and crash. Had I noticed the problem?
Yes I had, I agreed.
"Sir, we can fix it for you if you are sitting at your computer".
"OK go ahead"
"Sir, please will you hold down the second key from the left on the bottom row
and then press the R key."
"OK I've done that."
"Sir what has appeared on your screen?"
"Nothing."
"Sir please try again sir."
"Nothing."
"Sir are you pressing both keys at the same time?"
"No."
"Sir please try again but press both keys together. What is on the screen now?"
"Nothing."
"Sir what can you see on the screen?"
"I told you, nothing."
Pause
"Sir, is your computer switched on?"
"No."
"Oh, you must have it switched on."
"Well you didn't say that."
Had to put the phone down at this point to avoid wetting myself.

[Mr Optimistic]

http://www.pprune.org/computer-internet-issues-troubleshooting/432418-ammyy-com-scam.html

ammyy is a legit remote user piece of software but they try and get you to download it. What happens after you have ceded control I don't know. Need to uninstall it if you have got that far.

[sky9]

Interestingly I had Norton installed that slowed down my computer to a crawl. When I contacted their support service I ended up handing over control to their Indian call centre. The first thing he did was download Crap Cleaner which says a lot about Norton as a product.

If it wasn't that I was talking to Norton the situation is remarkably similar.

[390cruise]

Guys

Did you see the other day the 'Big Wheel' from Microsoft suggest strongly that virus infected computers be 'put into isolation if infected by a virus just like humans are'.....ie. banned from the internet.

I would love to meet him I would strongly suggest everyone at microsoft be put into isolation until all their software is 100% resistant to virus trackers key loggers etc etc. As indeed it should have always been.

I remain of the opinion that all software that can be tampered with by external agencies is totaly flawed.

390

[Loose rivets]

calls from the same sounding people

Oh, well that narrows it down a bit.:}

[Rather be Gardening]

They really don't give up, do they? Here's a variation on a theme. Had a call 20 minutes ago from a bloke with a heavy Indian accent. Claimed to be calling on behalf of Microsoft and said that my computer had been logged sending out malicious emails, and if I didn't allow him access to my PC to fix the problem (for a fee) my computer would be shut down. Having been the target of a similar attempted scam by Log4Rescue a year ago I recognised the patter, told him he was talking nonsense and hung up, but am still angry that he might con someone vulnerable.

Does this count as a malicious email????:}

[P.Pilcher]

...And on the Sky theme, I got a call from "Sky" yesterday stating that they wanted to send me a new user card for my sky+ box. Now I am not a user of the new sky+ box with HD capability. My box has been working well for years and I have bought a spare of Ebay for £20 for when I need one. The guy was most insistent that he wanted to send me this card which was special because it was "double chipped". He then demanded my postcode. "Why?"
"Because we need it"
"If you are Sky then you will have all my contact details on record and can send me the card to my address, just like you did last time the viewing card had to be changed"
"Oh but we need this to confirm that you are you.!"
"How do I know you are Sky?"
"Because we are contacting you with contact details we have on file which only Sky will know."
"O.K." send me an e-mail detailing what you have just told me to the e-mail address that Sky habitually use."
"Oh but then we can't send you your card which you need."
"Why do I need this card?
"Because without it you will loose your Sky service."
Tell me that in writing, using the address you have on record.

He would not give up and the telephone receiver had to be replaced in the end.

(I'm still receiving my Sky service.)

P.P.

[starling60]

Had the same a few times and despite being on TPS, here is what I did when I got really fed up, you need some time to spare though:
- get whoever answers the phone to ask them to call back as "the person you need to speak to" is absent, if it's myself I do it anyway, even better give them a specific time to call.
- do this as many times as you can, I managed to get them to call back 6 times in a week
- when I finally had time to play a bit, just pretended to be totally IT illiterate and follow their instructions but give them totally nonsensical readbacks, same style as in Cunliffe's post, had them to restart from scratch as many times as I could, obviously never ever did what they wanted me to do, just pretended to. Threw in a few fake PC freezes and had them to wait for it to clear as long as possible.
Last time after over 30 minutes the caller totally lost the plot, she got so confused as to no longer know what to say, totally ruined her script, I was in stitches before she gave up and cut the call. Never had another call since!

As an option if lacking time, when you ask them to call back you can always give them the landline number of your local police station, trading standards, Pc repair services, the options are almost endless.

If you have a mate in IT who is up for giving them a hard time even better, you can get them to call him/her and do all above at an even better level.

Insults brush away on that lot, just play them at their own game.