Scammers in force!

[Lee]

Over the past few weeks we've had at least 4 calls now obviously it seems from some Asian/Indian call centre, claiming to be from Microsoft explaining our computer is at risk and we need to get online and type an address in to the computer so they can 'fix' something....
Was so obviously a scam as to be laughable....

ammyy.com was the address they were trying to get me to type...

I look forward to the calls now, just gave one guy the run-around for 10 minutes before I told him I wasn't a ****head.....
The only sport I get now.... I figure the worst you can really do is waste their time as much as possible....

[ZeroID (Brent)]

I give them a few minutes then they get the 'sex & travel' suggestion yelled at them.
Gave one a big run around a few weeks ago when I asked him which computer and that I had five so I needed to know which one of course. Kind of screwed up his 'script' .. He still got the same suggestion eventually.

[Lee]

These guys were so bad, you couldn't make it up - the first guy was apparently from Microsoft.... after a while of ginning him around saying I was typing in all sorts of wrong things, I said I had an Apple computer.... Wait he says....
30s later someone 'from Apple' was on the line!

I told him how impressed I was that Microsoft and Apple were collaborating so closely to safeguard my online experience! Funny.....

[Stardrifter_WA]

You should do what I do, as I like to give them something to worry about.

I keep them going for a few minutes, playing really dumb, and then change my voice suddenly and say, in a very polite and officious voice, "thank you for your time, we have traced this call to its origin point, the security service have now been despatched to your location".

I don't know if this freaks them out or not, but they always seem to hang up quick.

They would be used to people telling them were to go, as it is a numbers game, so that is pointless. I would rather put the wind up them instead.

Cheers Peter

[jenchris (Jennifer)]

When I told the woman, who was entreating me to give her permission to invade my PC, to get involved with a taxidermist she told me I was very rude(!). I replied that she was very criminal whereupon she desisted and cut the umbilical cord to my wealth.

[doppler (Rick)]

I tell them that I don't have a computer...they respond with "but everyone has one" When I ask what do you need to have one for? they hang up.

[mithrandir (Andrew)]

Anyone tried asking how their Windows or OSX "fixes" apply to "your system"? Pick at random one of AIX, BSD, HPUX, Linux, Solaris, or any other obscure O/S you can thing of.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

My brother just tells them that it's his wife's computer, and would they mind holding on while he goes and gets her as she is outside?

Then he puts the phone down and walks away.

He figures that way, he wastes the maximum amount of their time.

I just tell them they're not from Microsoft and to P###Off.
Regards,
Renato

[Lee]

A couple of weeks ago I had this woman ring up, asked me to type in w w w . a m m y y . c o m..... I suggested she type in F U ... ... O F F instead. She thought about it, uttered an obscenity and hung up....

[Octane (Humayun)]

Their goal is to try and get you to open the Windows Event Viewer.

There is a red cross marked against a common item in pretty much all installs.

They try and use this as a signal that something is wrong with your system.

They then want you to go to a site so that a trojan is installed and then they can take control of your system.

The best thing to do is keep them on the phone for as long as you possibly can (wasting their call credits); act dumb and computer illiterate. Every second that you keep them on the phone is a second that they're not using to lay claim to a potential victim.

If you wish to join the fight, join us over at 419 Eater. The 21st century blood sport.

H

[h0ughy (David)]

funny you post this Lee, one of my coworkers got a phone call last night - so they are moving up the charts from DR to DU in the last name stakes. might take them a few months to get to me

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

I cannot understand why MS isn't doing something about this, apart from the blatant fraud, they are misrepresenting MS personnel and products!

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Originally Posted by wasyoungonce

I cannot understand why MS isn't doing something about this, apart from the blatant fraud, they are misrepresenting MS personnel and products!

What CAN MS do ? Nothing
What they are doing is illegal and unscrupulous and anything else you can think of but they are scammers and supposedly outside anyones control in dodgy countries.
You can't sue crooks for misrepresentation as far as I know.

[Lee]

Maybe they should run some ads....

"You don't pay us enough to personally monitor your computer and provide telephone assistance when needed!"

At the end of the day though the scammers only exist because there are too many gullible people around....

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

Originally Posted by ZeroID

What CAN MS do ? Nothing
What they are doing is illegal and unscrupulous and anything else you can think of but they are scammers and supposedly outside anyones control in dodgy countries.
You can't sue crooks for misrepresentation as far as I know.

MS can take these companies to US/international court to stop their practices (there is copyright and product misrepresentation of MS and their products at stake here). Failing that they can have their government put trade pressure on the offending countries to crack down on these companies...Yanks have done this successfully before.

Problem is US is depending on India as an ally in the region.

These scammers are getting way out of hand atm...getting calls now at night ~8pm a few times per week. Tried all the trick, they just do not give up.

Pretty much thinking of ditching the home phone completely atm because of constant scam calls, but need it for obvious reasons. We use an answering machine but this is getting worse slowly exponentially.

[michaellxv (Michael)]

Originally Posted by wasyoungonce

Pretty much thinking of ditching the home phone completely atm because of constant scam calls, but need it for obvious reasons. We use an answering machine but this is getting worse slowly exponentially.

I know people who have done this. Well not quite, but they have unplugged the land line as it was usually the kids that answered it.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Originally Posted by wasyoungonce

MS can take these companies to US/international court to stop their practices (there is copyright and product misrepresentation of MS and their products at stake here). Failing that they can have their government put trade pressure on the offending countries to crack down on these companies...Yanks have done this successfully before.

They are not companies, they are just scammers, gangs of people on PC's and phones, Nigerian hustlers, Russian scripters, you name it. They are illegal in any country, but which country are they in this time. They go through multiple proxies and IP disguisers so they could be anywhere in the world. You have to find them first then send in the local police.

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

I thought the Indian callers were working in organised call centres....I'll have to look this up.

edit: further reading show yes some site have been blocked and people prosecuted (although no harsh sentencing) that most sites are run by people buying call centre operations time from another country then getting the Indian centre to do their dirty work.

Pretty much no one is doing anything proactive to stop this. Sigh pretty much we live with the detritus in the world we created.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

If that's the case then it might get worse as a lot of the work the Indian Call Centres used to do is being moved the Phillipines, cheaper labour. So the ICC's will be looking for work elsewhere.
Just wish they had more scruples about who engages them ..

[uwahl (Ulrich)]

I was reading the latest post on this thread when who should ring but the friendly "Microsoft" technician with the Indian accent. It was painfully obvious he was reading from a script and badly mangled many of the words. I can't believe anyone would be taken in by this scam!!??