Fake microsoft "your computer is infected" call

[Bob F]

I just got my second one of these calls.

Hi: I'm from microsoft support calling to warn you that your computer has many
infections...... and I am calling to help you get rid of them"

I played the game with him awhile. He had me start a run box and type in "inf"
and enter, then told me all those files are problems. He then told me to type
into the run box www.teamviewer.com, which I later checked to be a remote access
provider.

At that point, I told him is was great fun wasting his time, but that was as far
as it goes. He responded with a couple F.U.s and hung up.

The guy was calling from a big operation. There were lots of voices and noises
in the background.

I wonder how many people get scammed by this? Must be a lot to have a room full
of people doing this.

If you get such a call, have a little fun too. Let's really waste their time.
Anyone think my action will get me off their call list?

 

[Bruce Hagen]

I just got my second one of these calls.

Hi: I'm from microsoft support calling to warn you that your computer has
many infections...... and I am calling to help you get rid of them"

I played the game with him awhile. He had me start a run box and type in
"inf" and enter, then told me all those files are problems. He then told
me to type into the run box www.teamviewer.com, which I later checked to
be a remote access provider.

At that point, I told him is was great fun wasting his time, but that was
as far as it goes. He responded with a couple F.U.s and hung up.

The guy was calling from a big operation. There were lots of voices and
noises in the background.

I wonder how many people get scammed by this? Must be a lot to have a room
full of people doing this.

If you get such a call, have a little fun too. Let's really waste their
time. Anyone think my action will get me off their call list?

That's been going on for years and they often do call back. Even when you
jerk them around. <G> Probably hoping someone else will answer.

Is it a genuine call from Microsoft?
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/pc-help/2134917/genuine-microsoft


Avoid tech support phone scams
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx


Don’t fall for phony phone tech support
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/securitytip.../don-t-fall-for-phony-phone-tech-support.aspx

 

[Moe DeLoughan]

I just got my second one of these calls.

Hi: I'm from microsoft support calling to warn you that your computer has many
infections...... and I am calling to help you get rid of them"

I wonder how many people get scammed by this? Must be a lot to have a room full
of people doing this.

One of my sisters was taken in by this, because she was desperate for
help regaining access to her third Gmail account (she keeps losing her
password and totally losing access, thus requiring her to create a new
account). He strung her along using the standard ploy and she bought
into it completely - well, until he told her he needed $300 to clean
her pc and regain her password. She's broke and unemployed. She told
him she didn't have that much in her savings account. He obligingly
lowered the fee to just below what she told him was left in her
savings account. She belatedly acquired some common sense, declined,
and hung up.

He called back. This time the fee was a mere ninety-nine cents. She
refused and hung up again.

He kept calling the rest of the afternoon.

If you get such a call, have a little fun too. Let's really waste their time.
Anyone think my action will get me off their call list?

No, because they haven't got a call list. They have sequential
diallers that phone numbers in sequence.

If you annoy them, they're ready and willing to annoy you right back.
Personally, I see nothing to be gained by interacting with criminals.
Safer and faster to just hang up.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Bruce Hagen:

- Is it a genuine call from Microsoft?
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/pc-help/2134917/genuine-microsoft


- Avoid tech support phone scams
http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx


- Don’t fall for phony phone tech support
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/securitytip.../don-t-fall-for-phony-phone-tech-support.aspx

- If somebody calls that you don't know, tell them their life
would be easier if they didn't call people on the Do Not Call
List and hang up.

Personally, if it don't hear what I call "activity" within about a half
second of saying "Hello, this is Pete Cresswell", I say "Hello...Hello",
wait another half second, and hang up.

Seems like dialers take a couple of seconds to alert a telemarketer that
somebody has picked up and the sound (or lack of) on the line is
peculiar to that situation.

I have hung up on two legitimate callers that I know of (who called
right back) in the past year - but that's out of hundreds and hundreds
of other calls.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, Moe DeLoughan

If you annoy them, they're ready and willing to annoy you right back.
Personally, I see nothing to be gained by interacting with criminals.
Safer and faster to just hang up.

I'd be more inclined to be public-spirited and call the police on
another line, but I suspect they'd not be able to respond in the time
needed (i. e. for as long as I could string them along). I'm speaking of
UK police and telecomm. systems; would it be any different in the USA?

(Of course if they're calling from say India, it wouldn't help anyway.)

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per J. P. Gilliver (John):

I'd be more inclined to be public-spirited and call the police on
another line, but I suspect they'd not be able to respond in the time
needed (i. e. for as long as I could string them along). I'm speaking of
UK police and telecomm. systems; would it be any different in the USA?

IMHO, speaking as a USA resident, you would be wasting your time and the
police's time.

I have a collection of lame-sounding letters from the Pennsylvania
Attorney General's office responding to my reports (via their web site
dedicated to that purpose) of callers who violated the state's
Do-Not-Call list law.

They all say words to the effect of: "The game has changed. These guys
have moved offshore and hide behind VOIP accounts - sometimes with
multiple hops from VOIP account to VOIP account."

Bottom line, it sounds like unless the perpetrator is really dumb, he is
pretty much untouchable.

 

[Metspitzer]

Per J. P. Gilliver (John):

IMHO, speaking as a USA resident, you would be wasting your time and the
police's time.

I have a collection of lame-sounding letters from the Pennsylvania
Attorney General's office responding to my reports (via their web site
dedicated to that purpose) of callers who violated the state's
Do-Not-Call list law.

They all say words to the effect of: "The game has changed. These guys
have moved offshore and hide behind VOIP accounts - sometimes with
multiple hops from VOIP account to VOIP account."

They should tell you that when you report numbers to the National No
Call List, but they don't. They will let you report a company over
and over knowing there is nothing they can do to stop them.

Bottom line, it sounds like unless the perpetrator is really dumb, he is
pretty much untouchable.

I used to get so many calls from Cardholders Services, I was tempted
to have my phone disconnected. The strange thing is that the will
call using the same phone number more than once. I have bought a
phone that will let you block 30 phone numbers. Blocking the number
does help, but they call from other numbers too. I wish the phone
would let you block the name on the caller ID. They use more than one
caller ID, but they do use the same ones again.


The blocking seems to have slowed the calls down, but they still call.

 

[RobertMacy]

I used to get so many calls from Cardholders Services, I was tempted
to have my phone disconnected. The strange thing is that the will
call using the same phone number more than once. I have bought a
phone that will let you block 30 phone numbers. Blocking the number
does help, but they call from other numbers too. I wish the phone
would let you block the name on the caller ID. They use more than one
caller ID, but they do use the same ones again.


The blocking seems to have slowed the calls down, but they still call.

circa October 2012:

from Mike Sandman...Chicago's Telecom Expert
The Telemarketer Stopper!? Makes
Telemarketers & Bill Collectors Think
Your Phone Line Doesn't Exist!
Within a week, you'll be able to sit down and eat dinner, without being
disturbed by Telemarketers!

Click here to hear a SIT tone. (45K)
<http://www.sandman.com/sounds/sit.wav>

use this tone as your answering machine tone, autodialers will delete you;
friends will hang on the line 'til you answer.

 

[Andy]

I just got my second one of these calls.



Hi: I'm from microsoft support calling to warn you that your computer has many

infections...... and I am calling to help you get rid of them"



I played the game with him awhile. He had me start a run box and type in "inf"

and enter, then told me all those files are problems. He then told me to type

into the run box www.teamviewer.com, which I later checked to be a remote access

provider.



At that point, I told him is was great fun wasting his time, but that was as far

as it goes. He responded with a couple F.U.s and hung up.



The guy was calling from a big operation. There were lots of voices and noises

in the background.



I wonder how many people get scammed by this? Must be a lot to have a room full

of people doing this.



If you get such a call, have a little fun too. Let's really waste their time.

Anyone think my action will get me off their call list?

I wonder how they got your number ?

I wonder if it might be better to act retarded....stutter....ask the same question multiple times.

Bill Gates

 

[Nil]

I wonder how they got your number ?

They bought it.

I wonder if it might be better to act retarded....stutter....ask
the same question multiple times.

No, it's not better. Any response is a bad response. The simple act of
you answering your phone tags your number as being valid and therefor
more valuable for sale to other tele-scammers. I suspect but don't know
for sure, that even getting an answering machine or service is a good
thing for them. Anything is good except for SIT tones indicating a
disconnected number.

As far as I know there's really no practical solution to the problem at
the moment. Your best response is to NOT answer the call. Don't engage
the caller, don't "press 1 to speak to a representative" - it wastes
your time and they still win.

 

[Bob F]

(Responding to various posts about scammers being off shore,
protected by VOIP, and cannot be traced effectively.):

So the NSA can't track them in real time and cause trouble for them
the next day if they are anywhere in the USA, Europe, India, and about
100 other countries?

Wow! Finally someone comes up with a real reason for the NSA.

 

[Bob F]

from Mike Sandman...Chicago's Telecom Expert
The Telemarketer Stopper!? Makes
Telemarketers & Bill Collectors Think
Your Phone Line Doesn't Exist!
Within a week, you'll be able to sit down and eat dinner, without
being disturbed by Telemarketers!

Click here to hear a SIT tone. (45K)
<http://www.sandman.com/sounds/sit.wav>

use this tone as your answering machine tone, autodialers will delete
you; friends will hang on the line 'til you answer.\

I've had it on my phone machine for years. I've gotten the "account services"
call twice in 2 days. Not working so well here.

 

[Bob F]

They bought it.


No, it's not better. Any response is a bad response. The simple act of
you answering your phone tags your number as being valid and therefor
more valuable for sale to other tele-scammers. I suspect but don't
know for sure, that even getting an answering machine or service is a
good thing for them. Anything is good except for SIT tones indicating
a disconnected number.

As far as I know there's really no practical solution to the problem
at the moment. Your best response is to NOT answer the call. Don't
engage the caller, don't "press 1 to speak to a representative" - it
wastes your time and they still win.

FWIW, there have been a couple big busts in the last year or two of the "account
services" type of scammers.

http://www.networkworld.com/communi...-robocall-campaign-–-takes-out-5-mass-callers

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...plaints-against-five-scammy-robocollers.shtml

 

[Metspitzer]

After serious thinking Metspitzer wrote :

Ok so they are money grubbing aholes.

This is what I have done in the past.
Recently it has not been too annoying so I have it off for now.

I have an PC with voice/FAX modem and software application that
monitors the incoming caller ID. When a call come in it logs the call
and records any messages like an answering machine. I review the
incoming calls and see if any are worthy of responding to. Those that
leave no message and are out of the area I assume are after my wallet
so I put them into the "bad caller" list. The next time they call, the
"This number has been disconnected" tones and message is automatically
played by the software app. For automatic calling machines this
signals to remove my number from their list. For other callers it just
discourages them enough to not bother calling back.
I let the software run for quite a while before activating that feature
so that I do not cut off the important calls.

I thought about trying one of those. I have a drawer full of old
modems, but no computer with one in it currently.

Which app do you use?

 

[jim]

I wonder how they got your number ?

I wonder if it might be better to act retarded....stutter....ask the same
question multiple times.

Bill Gates

Just say " Hold the line , please " and put it down for 1/2 hour . They
soon give up .

 

[Moe DeLoughan]

I used to get so many calls from Cardholders Services, I was tempted
to have my phone disconnected. The strange thing is that the will
call using the same phone number more than once. I have bought a
phone that will let you block 30 phone numbers. Blocking the number
does help, but they call from other numbers too. I wish the phone
would let you block the name on the caller ID. They use more than one
caller ID, but they do use the same ones again.


The blocking seems to have slowed the calls down, but they still call.

That's because these scams are run by multiple independent operators.
It's not just one perp, it's a whole bunch of them. The way it works
is, somebody comes up with the scam and opens a boiler room operation.
Some of the people working the boiler room learn the ropes, realize
they can set up the same operation themselves, and they do so. So the
feds are engaged in a perpetual game of whack-a-mole - shut one
operation down, three more have already opened up.

Remember the contest the FTC held last year to find solutions to
telemarketers? One of the two winning proposals has gone operational.
It's called Nomorobo and is designed to deal with robocalls, which
make up a large percentage of unlawful telemarketing calls. If your
phone service provider is participating in the program, you can sign
up for it. It's free.

Here's an article about it:
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/block-pesky-illegal-robocallers-220537765.html

and here's the site to register your number:
http://www.nomorobo.com/

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Mark F:

(Responding to various posts about scammers being off shore,
protected by VOIP, and cannot be traced effectively.):

So the NSA can't track them in real time and cause trouble for them
the next day if they are anywhere in the USA, Europe, India, and about
100 other countries?

I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me like they don't need the NSA.

I would think they could have a farm of honey pot phones where people
answer, comply with the caller until it gets down to money changing
hands, and then do the transaction with specially-issued credit cards
that serve as evidence once they find out where the recipient is.

Whatever the solution, it all costs money... and if the NSA got
involved, I'd call that a major slippery slope.

IMHO the real solution is challenge-response.

Frequent callers learn which key(s) to press so, if they're quick
enough, they never even hear the prompt. Everybody else gets the prompt
and the first wrong response either hangs up or flips to voicemail.

For home phones, that could be a box that the user buys and installs
between the POTS line and his phone system.

For cell phones, I'd think the service providers would have to come on
board - which might be a problem since every junk call racks up minutes
and revenue for them.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per RobertMacy:

circa October 2012:

from Mike Sandman...Chicago's Telecom Expert
The Telemarketer Stopper!? Makes
Telemarketers & Bill Collectors Think
Your Phone Line Doesn't Exist!
Within a week, you'll be able to sit down and eat dinner, without being
disturbed by Telemarketers!

Click here to hear a SIT tone. (45K)
<http://www.sandman.com/sounds/sit.wav>

use this tone as your answering machine tone, autodialers will delete you;
friends will hang on the line 'til you answer.

I've been doing that for a couple of years now and, although I don't
have anything to compare to in order to say calls have been reduced,
they definitely have not been eliminated. We still get 3-4 per day.

 

[KenK]

Per Mark F:

I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me like they don't need the NSA.

I would think they could have a farm of honey pot phones where people
answer, comply with the caller until it gets down to money changing
hands, and then do the transaction with specially-issued credit cards
that serve as evidence once they find out where the recipient is.

Whatever the solution, it all costs money... and if the NSA got
involved, I'd call that a major slippery slope.

IMHO the real solution is challenge-response.

Frequent callers learn which key(s) to press so, if they're quick
enough, they never even hear the prompt. Everybody else gets the prompt
and the first wrong response either hangs up or flips to voicemail.

For home phones, that could be a box that the user buys and installs
between the POTS line and his phone system.

For cell phones, I'd think the service providers would have to come on
board - which might be a problem since every junk call racks up minutes
and revenue for them.

That sounds like the best idea yet. No computer on 24/7 required. I hope
someone makes one.

 

[Bob F]

I just got my second one of these calls.

Hi: I'm from microsoft support calling to warn you that your computer
has many infections...... and I am calling to help you get rid of
them"
I played the game with him awhile. He had me start a run box and type
in "inf" and enter, then told me all those files are problems. He
then told me to type into the run box www.teamviewer.com, which I
later checked to be a remote access provider.

At that point, I told him is was great fun wasting his time, but that
was as far as it goes. He responded with a couple F.U.s and hung up.

The guy was calling from a big operation. There were lots of voices
and noises in the background.

I wonder how many people get scammed by this? Must be a lot to have a
room full of people doing this.

If you get such a call, have a little fun too. Let's really waste
their time. Anyone think my action will get me off their call list?

FWIW, I just got the following from teamviewer after notifying them of the call.
**************************************************
Dear Sir or Madam

We are sorry to hear that you have been contacted in this way.

There have been several cases of systematic fraud using our software,
originating mainly from India. In most cases, private persons from the UK, USA
or Australia are contacted by telephone.
As you described in your e-mail, the similarities of most fraud calls are:

- A person with a strong Indian accent called
- Stating they are from Microsoft or certified by Microsoft (more information
can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/msname.aspx - Microsoft will
NEVER make cold calls!)
- Stating they get a lot of reports from the private persons system (viruses
etc.)
- Leading them e.g. to the Windows Event Viewer (Start -> Run -> "eventvwr")
- Offering support and selling a service contract or similar
- Connecting via a Remote Support Tool to fix the "problem"
- Installing free anti-virus tools or doing suspicious actions on the system

They are using free products like ours and several other free anti-virus
systems, charging the customer for installing these. We have already contacted
the vendors of the anti-virus programs used. They are also investigating this
matter.

There have also been several cases of "fake refunds": instead of receiving a
refund payment, money was stolen from the bank accounts in question.

Generally, we recommend victims to contact their bank, a consumer protection
organization and a trustworthy IT support company. In most cases, the payments
that have been made can be refunded by the bank, and any malicious software
installed by the callers can be removed by the IT support company. We can also
determine and block the TeamViewer ID used by the scammers if we are provided
with the victim's ID.

TeamViewer will display a warning message if an incoming connection with a
potential fraudulent background is detected ("Please be careful with unsolicited
calls. Do you know the person you are interacting with at the moment? This
technician is using a free trial version of TeamViewer. Only choose
"trustworthy" if you really know and trust the person you are talking to"). Can
you confirm that you received this warning?

Thank you very much in advance for your reply.

If there is anything else we can help you with or if there are still any open
questions, please feel free to contact us again.

Best regards,

Martin Heinzmann
-Security Representative-

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