Telephone Scam, Window Anti Virus Department

[TSwizzle]

I had a couple of calls from the "Windows Anti Virus" office over the weekend. It starts off with a rather anxious female voice telling me that my computer is in need of urgent attention, it has a virus and all of my personal information is in danger of being stolen. They had traced my IP address to my computer and not to worry, they will help me remove the files. I managed to keep them on the phone for about 20 minutes before they gave up and arranged for another tech to call me the next day. Which they did. An equally anxious male voice called the next day. Similar routine. Caller ID gives out a name and US phone number. This is the first time I have had these calls but I had heard of them before. Unbelievable, this is the sort of thing that would throw my mother into a loop. These bastards need sorted out.

 

[J842P]

I had a couple of calls from the "Windows Anti Virus" office over the weekend. It starts off with a rather anxious female voice telling me that my computer is in need of urgent attention, it has a virus and all of my personal information is in danger of being stolen. They had traced my IP address to my computer and not to worry, they will help me remove the files. I managed to keep them on the phone for about 20 minutes before they gave up and arranged for another tech to call me the next day. Which they did. An equally anxious male voice called the next day. Similar routine. Caller ID gives out a name and US phone number. This is the first time I have had these calls but I had heard of them before. Unbelievable, this is the sort of thing that would throw my mother into a loop. These bastards need sorted out.

Yeah, if I'm not otherwise busy, I usually try to keep the bastards on the phone and waste their time as long as possible. These people should be put against the wall.

 

[beero1000]

Just FYI, there is some measure of safety in homogeneity. The scammers have your contact info (at least), and to start they only use a shotgun approach that is fairly impartial. Go too far with one and they might focus their malicious attention on you in particular, and that can end badly. Its safest just to hang up and not antagonize the nice cyber-criminals.

 

[Nexus]

Just FYI, there is some measure of safety in homogeneity. The scammers have your contact info (at least), and to start they only use a shotgun approach that is fairly impartial. Go too far with one and they might focus their malicious attention on you in particular, and that can end badly. Its safest just to hang up and not antagonize the nice cyber-criminals.

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

 

[J842P]

Just FYI, there is some measure of safety in homogeneity. The scammers have your contact info (at least), and to start they only use a shotgun approach that is fairly impartial. Go too far with one and they might focus their malicious attention on you in particular, and that can end badly. Its safest just to hang up and not antagonize the nice cyber-criminals.

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

Right. Regardless, usually I just play like I'm a really inept person, bumbling my way through their instructions, all the while playing solitaire or something.

 

[beero1000]

Just FYI, there is some measure of safety in homogeneity. The scammers have your contact info (at least), and to start they only use a shotgun approach that is fairly impartial. Go too far with one and they might focus their malicious attention on you in particular, and that can end badly. Its safest just to hang up and not antagonize the nice cyber-criminals.

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

Um, social engineering is one of the most effective techniques hackers use. It's the bread and butter of many world-class hackers.

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

Right. Regardless, usually I just play like I'm a really inept person, bumbling my way through their instructions, all the while playing solitaire or something.

That usually works, I was just doing a PSA in case anyone decided to start berating someone who might be a career criminal - just because they are on the phone or over email doesn't mean they can't hurt you.

 

[skepticalbip]

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

Um, social engineering is one of the most effective techniques hackers use. It's the bread and butter of many world-class hackers.

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

Right. Regardless, usually I just play like I'm a really inept person, bumbling my way through their instructions, all the while playing solitaire or something.

That usually works, I was just doing a PSA in case anyone decided to start berating someone who might be a career criminal - just because they are on the phone or over email doesn't mean they can't hurt you.

I generally get five or six robo-calls or telephone marketing calls per day on my land line. It's too fucking much trouble to deal with so I don't answer that phone - the call goes to my answering machine. I notice that most don't leave a message but I do go through the recorded messages in the afternoon to see if there was anything important. My cell phone, I only answer if I recognize the caller.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Why waste your time?

As soon as they say they're from Microsoft <insert department here> I say "No, you're not." and hang up.

 

[skepticalbip]

Why waste your time?

As soon as they say they're from Microsoft <insert department here> I say "No, you're not." and hang up.

You could say, "I'm sorry. You have the wrong number" then hang up.

Or better, "Can you hold on a second? My dog is trapped in the doggie door." Then lay the phone down and see how it takes for them to give up.

 

[bilby]

Why waste your time?

As soon as they say they're from Microsoft <insert department here> I say "No, you're not." and hang up.

Why not waste their time? It's a matter of how busy you are - if I am not busy, I see it as my civic duty to keep them on the line as long as possible - because every minute they spend talking to me is a minute they don't spend talking to someone who might be taken in by their scam.

I seriously doubt that Microsoft can actually remotely detect viruses on my computers, and seeing as none of them run any Microsoft software, I rather doubt that they would care even if they could. Apparently there are now some Linux viruses in the wild; but I have never yet encountered one.

 

[bigfield]

[YOUTUBE]_QdPW8JrYzQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[TSwizzle]

They called me back at just after 11:00pm last night, I was in my bed !! Bastards. I answered but immediately hung up.

 

[KeepTalking]

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

Um, social engineering is one of the most effective techniques hackers use. It's the bread and butter of many world-class hackers.

Also, social engineering is not the end game with the Windows AV scammers. They will try to get you to install software that allows them to remote into your PC, at which point they will have you over a barrel, and either steal your banking information, or install malware of their own, then try to bill you for removing it.

 

[braces_for_impact]

Just FYI, there is some measure of safety in homogeneity. The scammers have your contact info (at least), and to start they only use a shotgun approach that is fairly impartial. Go too far with one and they might focus their malicious attention on you in particular, and that can end badly. Its safest just to hang up and not antagonize the nice cyber-criminals.

Since they're trying to socially engineer personal info out of him over the phone I wouldn't be too worried about their hacking skills.

I know a lady who's computer wouldn't boot, and she got a similar call to this on the same day she started having the problem. She recognized it as a scam, and I know she has essentially no computer skills. I'm still trying to work out if the computer not booting is coincidence or not. After all, we have ransomware going around now.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I had a couple of calls from the "Windows Anti Virus" office over the weekend. It starts off with a rather anxious female voice telling me that my computer is in need of urgent attention, it has a virus and all of my personal information is in danger of being stolen. They had traced my IP address to my computer and not to worry, they will help me remove the files. I managed to keep them on the phone for about 20 minutes before they gave up and arranged for another tech to call me the next day. Which they did. An equally anxious male voice called the next day. Similar routine. Caller ID gives out a name and US phone number. This is the first time I have had these calls but I had heard of them before. Unbelievable, this is the sort of thing that would throw my mother into a loop. These bastards need sorted out.

Yeah, if I'm not otherwise busy, I usually try to keep the bastards on the phone and waste their time as long as possible. These people should be put against the wall.

Yeah, it says "no disc loaded" on the screen. Yeah, I don't understand it either. Must be very bad. Should I put a DVD in it? Do you think it matters what type, drama, comedy? Huh? You said DVD right? Oh PC... Got it. That is in the other room. *walk to kitchen pull out blender*. Alright, I'm going to turn it on. *RRRRRRRRRRR* It doesn't sound like it has a virus, what do you think... place phone up to blender.

They should have hung up by now.

 

[TSwizzle]

These bastards keep calling me. Last night again, about 9:00pm. Grrrr.

 

[Berhuny]

I seem to get a burst of these calls every couple of months and then none for a while. I used to argue with them and ask them things like what's my ip address or what version of Windows am I running. Lately I've just told them I only run VAX/VMS and don't have any machines running Windows...that usually causes them to hang up on me. I always used to call them names but lately have worried that they may be insulted, show up at my house, and ding dong ditch me. They may be doing that already. It could also be the neighborhood kids, I haven't decided yet.