Phone call from "Windows"?

[madamesilverspurs]

Got a call a few minutes ago, sounded like it was from India maybe. He said he was calling from Windows about some issues with my computer, and that he could show me where the problems are in my computer.

Thing is, I haven't requested any help from "Windows", and I was told early on that Microsoft never calls customers without such requests. So I told him that this wasn't a good time to do anything, he said he'd call back tomorrow.

Anyone else gotten one of these calls? Legit?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I would bet my last dollar that it is NOT legit.

I think he was "phishing." Never give those bastards the time of day.

It was good to tell him it wasn't a good time. Tomorrow, if he calls back, tell him no.

[ret5hd]

2. Or, if you are REALLY bored...

spend an hour or so leading him on till he hangs up in frustration.

[pennylane100]

11. that sounds like fun on a slow day

but I would not know what to say.

[csziggy]

15. Laughing at them is faster and irritates them no end

They are down to about 30 seconds or less before they hang up on me.

I had gone through the various stages of trying to get rid of them: asking them to not call back, cussing at them, calling them thieves, telling them I knew they were scammers, etc. One day I was in an odd mood and just burst out laughing. The more the guy sputtered, the more I laughed. He hung up. Since then they've called about three times. I laugh at them, they hang up. The time get shorter and I'm getting fewer calls.

I get a good laugh, they get frustrated, and the calls seem to be coming less often. Win, Win, Win!

[polly7]

3. I've gotten the same many times ....

it cracks me up when they identify themselves as 'Bruce' or 'Scott' when the accent is so thick I can barely make out what else they're saying.

[Kadie]

4. It is a scam...

check this out...


Phone scammers call the wrong guy, get mad and trash PC
By Jerome Segura April 11, 2013

Have you ever received a call from someone with a heavy Indian accent from Microsoft saying your computer had errors or viruses? The purpose of these calls is to get an easy $299 (or whatever amount they choose) by scaring you into thinking there’s something really wrong with your computer and that they can fix it for you.

These telephony scams have been going on for many years and scammers keep robbing innocent people sadly because their success ratio is still worth their time and effort. It happens that I got ‘the call’ while minding my own business on a regular work day. I immediately recognized what this was all about and decided to play the game to see how far this would go.

The caller’s number did not appear on my phone, a sign that they were using some Voice over IP (VoIP) or such technology that both completely hides their identity and costs them nothing for long distance calls.

This scam is a well-oiled machine which starts off with the alleged Microsoft representative asking you to turn on your computer to perform some checks for errors. They essentially make you open different applications which aren’t typically known by regular users.

http://blog.malwarebytes.org/intelligence/2013/04/phone-scammers-call-the-wrong-guy-get-mad-and-trash-pc/#comments-section

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

5. Probably bogus

I've read several complaints, a few of them in this forum, which recounted the same scam.

As far as I can tell, all of these calls are scams.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

6. long running scam to take control of your PC

and probably load keyloggers...

sP

[madamesilverspurs]

7. Thanks, all.

Looks like my nose sent the right signal, thanks for confirming that!

[Cheap_Trick]

8. Get them a lot.

Scam. Last time I told the caller "Look, I know this is a scam. You know this is a scam. I'm not falling for it ever. Take my number out of your calling list." Haven't gotten any calls since.

[ohheckyeah]

9. My mother got one.

It's NOT legit.

[Denzil_DC]

10. DEFINITELY not legit!

It's one of a well-known set of scams that have been going on for a few years now. One theory is that some firms that rely on call centers in India (which is where most of the calls seem to come from) had their contact lists filched by criminal gangs, since when they've been circulating the criminal fraternity.

If you've ever tried to get support from an outfit like Microsoft, the idea that somebody from "Windows" would ring you up out of the blue to offer help should ring a few alarm bells.

We discussed this a bit in an earlier thread here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10956819

[steve2470]

12. I called Microsoft once many years ago, and they demanded $35 to help me, probably would be more now

I had to call THEM. They will never ever call you. Just an fyi for everyone else.

It's theoretically possible I suppose they could do cold call marketing but they aren't going to offer FREE technical support on a cold call.

[Mnpaul]

13. Tell them that you don't have Windows

tell them you have a Mac.

[hobbit709]

14. SCAM!!!!

They actually called me 4 times one day last week.
It was fun messing with them until they hung up on me.

[csziggy]

16. Solid information for you

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/phishing-scams.aspx

FTC Combats Tech Support Scams
November 25, 2012
by
Nicole Vincent
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

The Federal Trade Commission cracked down on a massive international scam that tricked tens of thousands of computer users into believing their computers were riddled with malware and then paying the scammers hundreds of dollars to “fix” the problem.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/ftc-combats-tech-support-scams

[Dash87]

17. As real as the $500 million dollars I have stashed away.

This is a common scam.

[StanGr]

18. Not legit. M$ doesn't do that.