How does this work?

[G-CPTN]

I received a telephone call from an almost incoherent non-English caller who suggested that my computer was 'slow'.
He suggested (correctly) that I was using my computer (how would he know - or was it a guess?) and that I should press a sequence of keys (I think it was the Windows key followed by the letter R).
Of course, I didn't follow his advice, but, my question is, given that I access the internet via a router on the BT telephone line, would he have been able to tell that I was 'surfing'?

Is it feasible that he was calling from my ISP (Virgin.net) or was it a random attempt to usurp my connection?

What sequence would have given him control?

[Llademos]

I think these answers are correct ... speculation over the second part.

1 - Windows-R, will bring up the 'Run' command; I am guessing that the next instructioon would be to run a program that 'proved' your system was running slow and then sold you the 'fix'

2 - If you phone a large number of people during late afternoon/evening and tell them 'I can see you're using your computer' then they will be right a significant minority (10-20%?) of the time. It's a bit like the Phishing emails which rely on the fact that if they send a million emails to random people stating that they need to send their password for Bank XYZ then a proportion of those getting the email will have an account with the bank.

I now do not enter telephone or email conversations with any company trying to sell me something that I have not initiated - it's easier, safer and gives me more of my evening back that way!

Ll

[Saab Dastard]

Llademos is correct - it's pure speculation.

A family member (retired) had several such calls and strung them out to see where it would lead.

It's not to do with controlling your PC, just to get you to "buy" software (thus handing over your credit card details).

SD

[G-CPTN]

Thank-you for your responses.

[Avtrician]

Tis indeed a scam,

Usualy involves gaining remote access to your PC and "examining your system" to find the cause (read insert nasty to said system). Then you are required to purchase software to fix the problem.

The caller purports to be from ISP /MS/AV company, and that your system has reported to them of the problem.

Apart from selling bogus software, they can harvest credit card numbers as well.

I have heard of people following their prompts and reporting no response, turns out that a) the computer wasnt on {after all they didnt tell you to turn it on} b) they were using an Apple of some sort, c) they were on a *nix system. A good way to lead them on for some time...

[jimtherev]

I also enjoyed initiating a three-way conversation with the Met Police's computer fraud unit and listening in to the resulting dialogue... Lost the direct number now, unfortunately - don't even know if it still exists. But fun at the time...

[Saab Dastard]

Usualy involves gaining remote access to your PC

There may be different "scripts" for this, but all the ones I've heard / read about don't attempt to do anything to gain control - other than ask the person to execute various commands (e.g. netstat -b) to "demonstrate" how the PC is "infected".

SD

[Background Noise]

Interesting comment above about whether 'they' can tell what you are doing at the time.

I recently contacted BT about my router dropping its wireless connection now and again, and more importantly that the reset button didn't appear to work. Anyway, that aside, the reply included this:

In response to your query I would like to advise you that I have logged into your home hub manager though our systems and have been able to change the wireless channel on your BT home hub to a higher channel and this in turn will transmit a stoner signal.

I assume he means 'stronger' but interesting nonetheless.

[P.Pilcher]

I don't know how true this story is but as I got fed up with my wife's continuous complaints that her computer was not working properly (she had just gone out and bought herself a new Win 7 one and I have not managed to read my £30 Win 7 manual yet), I telephoned the help line. Here I was told how to do a system restore in Win 7 - which worked, but had a long chat with the middle aged self confessed computer geek on the other end of the line. After discussing the merits of DOS 6.22 and CP/M, he told me that he had a completely stand alone machine for evaluating customer's problems and the latest viruses. Apparently he was telephoned recently by one of these "Your computer is running slowly and I can fix it for you" brigade. He humoured the bloke and let him have remote access to this standalone unit. As soon as communication was established, he managed to send the remote computer a load of the worst viruses he had on the machine. "The only trouble is that I never knew what happened to the bloke in the end." He exclaimed.

Nice story.

P.P.

[Albert Square]

I have just had one of these guys on the phone telling me my PC had problems. I pretended the PC was upstairs and I only had a fixed landline telephone downstairs. Every instruction he gave me I pretended to write down and say just a minute while I go and do it. I made sure the sound of me going upstairs and downstairs was audible (just bottom tread carefully moderated) and then had a beer, checked dinner etc. Eventually I said yes indeed, event viewer showed lots of problems (as it allways will). He wanted to know what I used the PC for. Mainly word processing I said for home and work. "Internet shopping?" No. "e-mail?" No, its not connected to the internet. There was a pause then. "Can you connect to the internet sir?" Not at the moment, I used to have a modem but it broke. "When will you connect sir?". I have no intention really, what can I do about this terrible problem. "I am sorry sir but I cannot help you unless you connect to the internet." It finished with me telling him I would get a friend round.

Well it saved someone else 30 mins of this scam.

( I forgot to incorporate my original idea of indicating that I was quite elderly and eventually collapsing after all the trips up and down stairs)

[Blues&twos]

Just keep saying "Hello?" to which they will reply "Hello?"

Leave sufficiently long pauses to make this game entertaining. See how many times you can say it before you laugh or they hang up.

[G-CPTN]

Just keep saying "Hello?" to which they will reply "Hello?"

Another ploy is to repeat everything that they say parrot-fashion . . .

[zarniwoop]

This is one way of dealing with them

YouTube - ‪Tormenting Tele-Scammers‬‏

[BEagle]

Had one of these wanquerres try it on a couple of hours ago.

I don't think he'll be trying again soon....

This site can be quite useful: Urdu Swear Words

[Mr Optimistic]

'Illegitimate son of a pimp' should work quite well, just need help with the phonetics.
But what do they have against owls ????

[BEagle]

According to my late father, who had served in the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners during the Second World War, if an Indian (there was no 'Pakistan' as such in WW2) woman had an illegitimate child, local lore was that an owl must have flown in at night and had its way with her....

Thus 'son of an owl' translates more or less as 'bastard'.

[BEagle]

Had another of these wretched people try it on yesterday, telling me that my computer had been reportedly sending out viruses... But I strung him along until he got as far as telling me to click on 'Run'....

"Can you see a message. Sir?"
"Yes"
"Can you tell me what it says, Sir?"
"Yes"
"What does it say, Sir"
"Ah it says 'Beware of calls from Asia about computer viruses as they are a total scam'. Now, will you please f*** off and stop annoying me!"
"CLICK!"

[Mr Optimistic]

BEagle, would never have guessed that. Seems to fit the intent.