Security alert: Bogus tech-support phone calls

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	TOP STORY Security alert: Bogus tech-support phone calls
	By Fred Langa “Hello. This is Microsoft Tech Support. Your PC has notified us that it has an infection.” The call is a scam — an extremely prevalent one. Here’s how it works and what you need to know to stay out of the trap.

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The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/top-story/security-alert-bogus-tech-support-phone-calls (paid content, opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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I now look forward to these phone calls (Usually from Indian-English speakers)
I string them along with all kinds of weird and nonsensical questions (after all I’M NOT paying for the call and I bet, like all call centres, they are timed at how long their calls take) until I eventually tell them (when I can sense frustration or suicidal thoughts in their voice) that “How can I have a windows virus – I’m using Linux”
An out right lie, but it gives me so much pleasure to ruin their day!!!

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I’ve gotten numerous calls on both my home and my business phones from these thieves. If I am not particularly busy, I string them along, and I, too, had great fun when, after 10 minutes or so, told the caller that all my computers here were running Linux.

Unfortunately, there is not much to report to the authorities, because the called ID shows a bogus number.

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I have not previously had the .inf file “infections”, but another trick attempted is to get you to look at your event log files. There are almost always a few quite legitimate error records in there and these are claimed to be caused by the infection on your computer.

I also recently played along with one of these callers. First, I said I could not do so at the moment as I had an urgent task to finish but would call him back as soon as I had finished. I am in Melbourne, Australia and he gave me a Sydney number. I waited a few minutes then called that number and I was actually able to get transferred to the gentlemen I had spoken to (I suspect this was a local number which was assigned to a voip system and therefore was able to be transferred to Bangalore, or whereever he was situated – it sounded like an Indian accent). Anyway, after a little further verbal sparring he offered to call me back again (I called on my mobile but he called back on my landline, which was the line that took the original call, so they must have some sort of logging system). after a little further back and forth I eventually tired of this and told him I was quite capable of solving any problem I had and that I thought he was attempting a scam – that brought about an immediate termination of the call from his end.

I reported all details including the ‘phone number to the Australian equivalent of your FTC scam site. I suspect that the most they would be able to do is cause the use of that number to be stopped, requiring the hoaxers to get a new one and hopefully at least incur a small expense.

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Hi Fred et al,

Another slant on the ‘.inf’ file routine that I’ve come across is that they get you to open the Event Viewer (in Win 7/XP – All Programs | Administrative Tools | Event Viewer) and look for Error or Warning messages. I doubt that any Windows PC will be free of these (they’re generally benign), but the scammers seem to think that it’s a ripe field to scare the !@#$% out of a unwary user.

The PC I was using when I decided to play along with the caller was running XP and it shows a slightly different arrangement of data in Event Viewer to Win 7. When I finally found the messages that the scammer had me search for, he immediately said “Don’t click on it. It will infect your machine further!” How it’s supposed to infect a machine ‘further’ when, according to the scammer, it’s already infected, I don’t know. :huh:

In XP, clicking on the event brings up details such as the failure of the PC to sync its clock to an internet time server or something equally unimportant. In Win 7 it’s a slightly different view but operates much the same way.

I told him I’d found 34 errors and 225 warnings (it was a very old PC!) and he said this obviously was the reason my PC was running slowly as it was heavily infected and his company could “help” me fix it. As I’d had him on the phone for about 15 minutes, I figured that it was about time I left and made myself a cup of coffee, so I asked him if he had ever heard of Tech-Ed events or MCSE qualifications. When he said ‘no’, I gave him a quick rundown on where these items stood in the Microsoft way of life and asked why his ‘Microsoft Partner’ employer would employ him if he had no knowledge of these things. I was asked to hold and he went away “to check”. I hung up. :rolleyes:

Regrettably these sources of innocent entertainment seem to have run dry in the last few months. I hope it’s because of the recent rounding up of one of the major players in the fraud in Australia, Canada and the USA.

Cheers,
Magani

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As Magani alluded we’ve been getting these kinds of calls in Australia for several years now. At least five. They certainly haven’t run dry as I had yet another call just last week.

The problem is they are usually off shore and of Asian origin although they claim to be in Sydney or Houston and are generally untouchable. In all, over the years I would have had dozens of these calls. Being a MCSE I have to own up to having had a fair bit of entertainment at their expense although it gets tedious after a while.

The really sad part is that unknowing users will get sucked in by this, end up about $150 out of pocket and more than likely with an infected PC and possibly stolen personal information. It’s not so much a report of an infection as a prediction.

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We have had this for at least 12 months now, with practice and playing real dumb you can have them on the phone for an hour at least before they give up and go away.Or you tell them to “Go forth and multiply” they sound indian but not sure, the funny thing is after you give them the rush our phone would ring and as soon as you answered it they say goodbye and hang up, So i just let all calls go to voicemail that shut them up

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you should have mentioned the website scamwatch its an australian Government scamwatch website that people from all over the world should visit and read..

full address is http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/693900

rgds
Syb

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Just today, I had a panicked friend call me about a call she had received from “Windows Support Center” a Microsoft Partner (according to them.) They had convinced her that her license key was about to expire and they needed to get into her computer to “fix” the problem. Unfortunately she allowed them to get into her computer. Although she cannot remember all the steps they walked her through (the call lasted about 4 hours!!! the day before) they had installed Teamviewer and Aammy and Ccleaner. They had also disabled Event Log and a log viewer system service. For a Fred Langa alumnus these things were easy for me to spot, but she was panicked because they convinced her to give them a credit card number to renew the soon to be expiring license (sometimes they called it an activation) key. They offered 3 options: one year for $135, three years for $235, and a lifetime renewal for $335.

If the other entries in this thread are an indication of arrests related to these types of activities, then maybe what we are seeing are the understudies because their methods and actions were clearly (to me) amateurish. Obviously one unsuspecting computer user has been taken in on this scam, so they were “successful”, to a point. Here are a few weird points in the call to her.

1- they claimed her credit card would not go through (they asked her to get another card, but she refused knowing her card was good)
2- she talked to 3 people: #1 had a heavy Indian-English unintelligible accent, #2 was clearly Indian accented, but at least was understandable, #3’s accent was between #1 and #2, but still hard to understand.
3- they said she needed to go to her bank to get the credit card problem fixed. She did, but an alert teller at the bank said the whole thing sound fishy (good teller).
4- they said she could instead get cash and go to Western Union to send her payment, (obviously a red flag to me) BUT the code they gave her to give to WU was not a Western Union code, so they could not do anything with it, AND they also said that the whole thing sounded fishy to them as well.
5- they said they would call back the next day (today) at 2pm local time. They were over 2 hours late calling. Fortunately I was there to take not only that cell phone call, but also a nearly simultaneous call on her home phone from the same ‘company’.
6- I asked which version of Windows she had on her computer (it was WXPH), but all they could answer was XP and that Microsoft only made XP, Vista, 7 and 8. They seemed completely oblivious to the variations of Home and Professional or any other version. I liked the line one commenter used about having Linux on his computer, not Windows at all!
7- AND THIS ONE TAKES THE CAKE: they had not made use of the credit card that they had had in their possession for over 24 hours. Of course when she told me all the tidbits, we called her credit card company, told them what was going on, and they agreed to cancel her credit card and issue her a new one.

I used to enjoy toying with telephone solicitors, and I employed some of my familiar repetoire with these guys, too. I spent 15-30 minutes toying with them, asking them pointed questions (which they deflected or whose answers were obviously lies), but as one commenter has said, they seemed to be operating from scripts because they would speak without stopping. I parroted them sometimes, and am not sure if they understood what I was doing.

There is also the possibility that these guys were merely stooges believing they were doing legitimate work, and that their employer had duped them. Just sayin’.

Tex

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We also get this scam in the UK. I carry out a small amount of 1:1 pc tuition and often get clients ringing up asking what to do. One quick answer is to tell them that you are surprised they have your name as you don’t have a computer. The phone goes dead very quickly.

I, personally, have had the calls and I usually say that I know they are going to tell me I have registry errors and that they are going to try to sell me some software to get rid of them. This throws them so I repeat it and, surprise, the phone goes dead immediately! Sadly a couple of my clients have fallen for it and shelled out 75GBP.

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Interesting to hear other people’s experiences with these people. I also have had several phone calls and I have spent some time with them. Initially I pretended to be a dumb user (not hard) and let them take me through the display of the Event log “proving” I had system errors. Then my Asian sounding “Mike” gave me a common remote access website address so he could come onto my PC and “fix” the problems. At this point, I didn’t want to go any further. When I expressed concern that they might return after he had fixed them, he offered me a very generous support package that I could pay monthly to ensure these “errors” didn’t re-occur. Then I confronted him with my technical knowledge and accused him of running a scam to fleece people who might be vunerable to his line of patter. He denied it completely and wouldn’t admit to any of it so eventually I hung up. Since then, I have tried different approaches, some being totally indignant when I hear their spiel, demanding to know where they got my phone number from, told them I have no computer(which usually gets them to hang up immediately), given them a severe lecture on their lack of ethics in trying to rob unsuspecting folks, threatened them with the Police, and generally berated them for continually calling me. I have also asked for a phone number to call them back but only managed to get them to call me back (someone different). Finally, I got one so angry, he called me back and said he was going to “**** my wife”. I had to laugh at him as I’ve been divorced for 17 years! However, I can see that the majority of less computer literate people could well be taken in by the scam and feel strongly that there should be some way to put a stop to it.

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When the callers who are obviously from South Asia tell me their name and it’s a very Western one like George Clooney or Abraham Lincoln, I tell them in my very Western accent that my name is Sanjay Bindar. That always makes them hesitate. I also tell them that the call is being recorded for training and legal purposes. Then I keep interrupting their spiel with questions, most of them unconnected with computers, such as asking if it’s snowing there and what they had for lunch. After I ask them several times why they think they were notified by my Windows computer, I tell them that I have a Max running the Amiga VIC-21 operating system and that I don’t even have an internet connection. They don’t have a reply in their script for any of those possibilities and they get very confused.

After doing the above, it’s usually a month or more before they try again. When I used to just hang up on them, I would get several calls every day.

If they’re going to try to scam me, I’m going to mess with their heads and have some fun with it.

Another thing I do sometimes is tell them I’m going to put them on hold for just a moment while I turn off the TV, then I set the phone down and walk away. One time, the guy stayed on the line for nearly 15 minutes yelling “HELLO?” from time to time before he gave up. Most telemarketers and scammers have a quota to meet and if you waste their time, they won’t meet their target. Isn’t that too bad?

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Another more general rule that will save you a lot of hassle and time wasting:

Never reply to any call that displays an “Unknown” or “Hidden” phone number on your handset (label may change depending on country).

If the person knows you, they know how to get in touch with you another way. If a number is displayed, at least you have something to go on.

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Like Buzza, I enjoy stringing them out and wasting their time. I put them on speaker phone while I get other work done. I pretend to be a computer noob and cannot follow their instructions properly. After about 30 minutes, I pretend my computer has rebooted and they have to wait while it reboots. When I get sick of the whole charade, I tell them I have to get on a conference call and ask that they call back tomorrow. They will.

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This is an old scam, I started getting these “Hello, I am from Windows Support…..” calls probably 2 years ago here in Oz, up to 3 times a week. It was obvious from the outset that they were a scam. Although implying that they were (associated) with Microsoft, have you EVER heard of M/S phoning a user to advise them of a problem? After playing along with them a few times before telling them to disappear (or words to that effect!), I found it best to ask them a few questions.
“Where is your office?” – “Sydney” – sorry mate, not with that accent.
“Which computer’s got the problem” (I have 5) – They reply with the initial “Your computer’s reporting a problem…” spiel.
“What’s its IP address?” – They replied with my street address.
Finally, and best of all, “Where did you get my phone number?” – immediate CLICK as he hung up so fast I reckon he melted his phone!
Haven’t had a call since…………..

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Unfortunately all of your ideas to help end these calls are ineffectual. The US government can’t even find these people. The minute one such caller is found, they simply open up shop somewhere else. I have not received the Microsoft spiel, but have gotten the credit card problem call. I think the best idea I have heard to get them to hang up is from an older, very religious lady who has an old tape player with religious music on it. I guess the scammers don’t like Gregorian chant.

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One more point: Microtek is a nationwide company providing excellent computer training facilities. I have taught at their sites in at least 10 cities, and can assure anyone that they are TOTALLY reputable and had no part in this — but they’ve got a name it’s easy to use in a scam.

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I had a call on this one awhile ago. I strung them along for awhile, then asked him how he sleeps at night, which confused him. I then said, how do you sleep at night nowing that you are ripping people off. He claim this was legit and that my computer was infected. I explained how I know it was a scam (basically that MS doesn’t have my contact info…) and told him he was a horrible person, at which point he hung up.

I think it is good to string them along, for as long as possible, as it wastes their time and they make less money.

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Here in the UK we have been getting these calls for some considerable time.

My response when they ring is to ask them “what is a computer ?”
I kept one guy on the telephone for 15 minutes while he explained very carefully what a computer was.
I expressed surprise at how clever modern machinery was whilst at the same time trying to avoid screaming out laughing. They do give up eventually and it was a quiet day.
After a while you can enjoy these calls and if I keep them on the line for a time then that is less time they
have for anyone else!

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Yes Fred, this scam goes everywhere, even into Australia. Same Indian (or thereabouts) accent too.
After about the second attempt, I decided to play along too.
By their third attempt, I told them I was busy, and asked for their ‘phone no so I could call them back. Of course they refused, and offered to call me back when convenient. I then asked for the name of his supervisor, as I believed his call was a scam.
The reply? “**** off” where upon the call abruptly ended!
Allan

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Yeah, I have gotten this several times, usually hang up on them, but last one I got used the name Andrew as well, and I had time to kill, so I egged him on, played stupid, finally asked hime for a return email or phone for help later, he responded with “Go (have carnal relations with) yourself” and hung up. He kept telling me to hurry up, that he had other people waiting, and then he got paid by the number of customers he took care of. I agree, sounded Asian, maybe Indian or Pakistani.

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Hi Fred,

I’ve got you beat! This is my story about the scam:

http://www.windowsbbs.com/general-discussions/99090-microsoft-security-center-scam-fun.html

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My youngest sister lives in Canada outside of Toronto. Last summer she got one of these calls (she says she gets them quite frequently). She decided to play along and acted like a hysterical housewife who has just been told her house is burning down. They guy asked her what she used her computer for and she told him “watching porn”. The scammer told her that she could get computer infections from visiting porn sites and that her computer needed to be disinfected because it was in very bad shape. Already by this time I am rolling on the floor with laughter. He started stepping her through Control Panel in what appeared to be an attempt to get her to turn off her firewall and anti-virus. However, she kept making “mistakes” and had to have him start over again. After close to 10 minutes of this she finally got tired of it and when he told her to do another change to her computer she said she would not do that. The scammer seemed surprised and wanted to know why. She responded “because you are a f____n scammer trying to screw up my PC” and then hung up.

It was an entertaining interlude.

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I tried to use Microsoft Malware Prevention troubleshooter recommended in the article. Apparently it does not work on Windows 8.

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Malwarebytes does not work on my Win 7 Netbook, either. In fact, both my anti-virus and MS’s Security Essentials tried to block it second time I tried to run it, so I just wrote it off.
Have had several friends gripe about various things with Win 8- buggy, incompatible, loses information, such things.

I have trouble with the MS Troubleshooters like “Fix It” running on my Netbook. They almost always crash unless I save the executable and then run it after I leave the MS link. Might try that.

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I typically play along now:
1. As a noob- “What key do I press?”….”I don’t have an ‘any’ key….”….”on the lower left?”…..”I have no key with a window key”…..”I have a key with option written on it and command key….”……..Click
2. My wife is best- She puts them on hold while she ‘boots the computer’- and never goes back- they eventually hang up.

SO much for the donotcall list….

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My usual trick is to tell them, I’ll just get my partner and put the phone on one side. After about 5 minutes or so, I’ll go back and apologise for the delay ….. they usually have gone by then. Either that, or I tell them I am a Microsoft MVP, which usually means the phone goes dead very quickly.

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i also had a similar call last year, but fortunately I knew what it was so I decided to play along and waste his time. I told him thx for letting me know my computer was infected. I told good news is I just brought in pc in for an upgrade and reformat of hard drive . he still insisted that my pc was infected and I needed to turn it on. I said, how can I turn it on, it’s n the shop. he didn’t get it and kept on insisting. i asked for his number so I can call him when I get my computer back. this went on for about 15 minutes then I finally hung up. another thing u can do is just put them on hold or have a tape recording of a baby crying haha
Mike

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Malwarebytes does not work on my Win 7 Netbook

Malwarebytes should run in Safe Mode with networking on your Netbook without any problems.

Jerry

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Interesting that this thread has a large number of 1st time posters who have replied.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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For about 6 months I had these same calls, starting about a year or so ago. The callers are all east Indian with very strong accents. I tired several ways to dissuade them (interrogation, hang ups, intense scrutiny) none of which worked. What did work was telling them that I don’t own a computer. Zero calls since.

Rob Forbes

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on 5 March I received a phone call, 10.30pm. Guy’s name was Bradley with an Asian accent, but said he was from California. That immediately alerted me. He was telling me that he represented Microsoft (another alert, as Microsoft never ring anyone), to say that they were refunding the cost of my windows OS (more alert bells). I told him it was too late at night and to …. off.

Ten minutes later I get a Skype from my friend in Sydney, Text below. Another alert, we always talk, not type, not the way she normally says things, and it was way past her bedtime. I rang my friend the next day and she told me she had been caught by the scam and had given her credit card number. When her credit card started to be used, she went to the police. She has also now had to have her computer checked as somehow he got into her Skype.

He then had the cheek to ring me the next evening at about 6.30pm and I told him not to keep ringing me and that I knew it was a scam. That’s the last I have heard from him.

[05/03/2013 10:37:18 PM] Friend:: hi
[05/03/2013 10:39:36 PM] Friend: Are you there?
[05/03/2013 10:42:35 PM] Me: yes
[05/03/2013 10:42:53 PM] Friend: how are you?
[05/03/2013 10:43:09 PM] Me: OK why?
[05/03/2013 10:43:54 PM] Friend: you look little rude
[05/03/2013 10:44:08 PM] Me: Ah, yes,
[05/03/2013 10:48:33 PM] Friend: great
[05/03/2013 10:49:11 PM] Friend: Well did you receive any cold call from a computer company ever?
[05/03/2013 10:50:18 PM] Me: just now!
[05/03/2013 10:50:34 PM] Friend: not now
[05/03/2013 10:50:55 PM] Me: yes, this man who said he was from Microsoft has just rung me
[05/03/2013 10:51:54 PM] Friend: I got annoyed by those people they keeping on ringing me everyday
[05/03/2013 10:52:20 PM] Me: I told her to clear off as it was nearly 11pm
[05/03/2013 10:54:07 PM] Friend: but yesterday one guy named bradley called me regarding the refund of my microsoft software, they said they will return my money within 24 hours
[05/03/2013 10:54:25 PM] Me: This one was called Bradley tonight
[05/03/2013 10:54:47 PM] Friend: really
[05/03/2013 10:55:04 PM] Me: yes, all a big hoax as usual
[05/03/2013 10:55:06 PM] Friend: and fortunately I got my money back
[05/03/2013 10:55:11 PM] Friend: today
[05/03/2013 10:55:19 PM] Friend: as they promised to me
[05/03/2013 10:55:40 PM] Me: you’re joking. why would they do that?
[05/03/2013 10:56:52 PM] Me: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2183595/microsoft-cold-scammers-pretend-indian-officials
[05/03/2013 10:57:03 PM] Me: Cold-call scammers dump Microsoft and now pretend to be Indian officials

Fraudsters now pretend to be calling from the Indian authorities, wanting to refund victims of cold-call scams

Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2183595/microsoft-cold-scammers-pretend-indian-officials#ixzz2MfSW9QVt
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
[05/03/2013 10:57:17 PM] Ann Woolf:
Cold-call scammers dump Microsoft and now pretend to be Indian officials

Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2183595/microsoft-cold-scammers-pretend-indian-officials#ixzz2MfSZF240
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
[05/03/2013 10:58:09 PM] Friend: because few years ago I purchased my pc so they said i was over charge for microsoft software around $300 dollars. So they will refund the money within 24 hours
[05/03/2013 10:58:37 PM] Friend: but i got my money
[05/03/2013 10:58:41 PM] Friend: today
[05/03/2013 10:58:42 PM] Me: log on to the first website and go down the page
[05/03/2013 10:58:51 PM] Friend: I am not joking
[05/03/2013 10:59:00 PM] Friend: let me visit this website
[05/03/2013 11:00:00 PM] Me: half way down where Brad has called someone
[05/03/2013 11:02:03 PM] Friend: ya i see
[05/03/2013 11:02:45 PM] Me: It was an Indian which made me suspicious and Microsoft would never ring you
[05/03/2013 11:02:49 PM] Friend: whatever it is at the end of the day I am very happy because they gave my money back
[05/03/2013 11:03:12 PM] Me: Just like the Tax Office refunds that are going round. They onl;y want to get your details
[05/03/2013 11:03:52 PM] Me: WEll, just keep an eye on things moneywise incase they have got info they are using
[05/03/2013 11:05:13 PM] Friend: Trust me there’s nothing wrong with those people they are really helping peoples
[05/03/2013 11:05:28 PM] Me: mmmmmmmmmmmm
[05/03/2013 11:06:02 PM] Friend: And I have checked my credit card statement today
[05/03/2013 11:06:22 PM] Friend: they added $300 dollars in my account
[05/03/2013 11:06:24 PM] Me: Keep checking it for a bit then
[05/03/2013 11:06:41 PM] Friend: okay
[05/03/2013 11:06:48 PM] Me: You never know what might come out of it in the future
[05/03/2013 11:07:42 PM] Friend: I know Bradley he is not like those Indian Scammers
[05/03/2013 11:09:00 PM] Friend: If you received call from Bradley just believe on him he is really helpful
[05/03/2013 11:09:16 PM] Me: Where is he from?
[05/03/2013 11:10:20 PM] Friend: He is from California
[05/03/2013 11:10:57 PM] Me: OK, but why are they ringiong round. I’m not entitled to any refund
[05/03/2013 11:11:59 PM] Friend: I dont know but they are ringing every people for help
[05/03/2013 11:12:36 PM] Me: Doesn’t make sense to me. How do you know him?
[05/03/2013 11:13:50 PM] Friend: I told you yesterday night he called me and said he is from microsoft
[05/03/2013 11:14:17 PM] Me: Don’t remember that
[05/03/2013 11:14:57 PM] Friend: and he want to refund me $300
[05/03/2013 11:15:35 PM] Me: Phone calls at this time of night make me think something is wrong with Chris or some other horrible thing
[05/03/2013 11:16:13 PM] Friend: mmm
[05/03/2013 11:17:02 PM] Friend: you said you also recieved a call from bradley
[05/03/2013 11:17:19 PM] Friend: what did he said?
[05/03/2013 11:17:25 PM] Me: Yes about half an hour ago
[05/03/2013 11:18:05 PM] Me: Said his name was Bradley calling from Microsoft to offer me a refund. Told him it was nearly 11pm and to clear off
[05/03/2013 11:18:20 PM] Friend: Jesus these guys are really working Hard
[05/03/2013 11:20:36 PM] Me: If he’s in California, it’s 0430 in California (San Francisco)
[05/03/2013 11:20:39 PM] Friend: Dont abuse him because he is like my son ok
[05/03/2013 11:21:23 PM] Friend: ya I know that is why I said he is woking hard
[05/03/2013 11:23:11 PM] Friend: he is doing a night shift job there and also studing in a college
[05/03/2013 11:24:08 PM] Friend: so in day time he used to study and in night he work for his pocket money
[05/03/2013 11:25:34 PM] Me: OK, so if he wants to give me a refund, he can send it to you and you can put it into my bank account. I don’t like cold callers and they always get short shrift from me as they are all scams as far as I am concerned or charities begging for money
[05/03/2013 11:27:40 PM] Me: Why are we typing instead of talking?
[05/03/2013 11:28:21 PM] Friend: My lid are heavy now
[05/03/2013 11:28:46 PM] Me: I was about to go to bed when I saw someone had Skyped me
[05/03/2013 11:29:15 PM] Friend: alright
[05/03/2013 11:29:23 PM] Me: Was actually about to turn off the compter
[05/03/2013 11:30:04 PM] Me: you’ve just come online
[05/03/2013 11:31:29 PM] Me: Goodnight
[05/03/2013 11:31:45 PM] Friend: Good Night

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A good simple rule…. I never give out any personal information over the phone, unless I originated the call.

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Okay, I have to share one story with you all. A bit of context first: I am a computer junkie. I know just enough about computers these days (in the old days I was almost an expert!) to get by. Meaning I can recognize a scam when I see one. Follow all the protocols of clearing out cache, careful passwords, etc. I know about and sometimes use double verification. I have taken some college courses on cyber crime run by an RCMP forensic tech veteran for an instructor. Whois, wayback, reading the complete thread of an email to see it origin, bla bla bla to all of you who know what I am talking about. I’m talking about trying to be proactive in my own protection, and being a member of Windows Secrets is one way I protect myself. I have purchased Woody’s books too. That’s how I found about Windows Secrets. I’ve been trojaned, biosed outted, hacked, crashed just like we all have been at one time or another, and survived to tell the tail.

If you are still reading this, it is fair to mention that compared to the people on this site I practically know nothing. I know this and you know this too. Ladies and gentlemen I am here to exploit your knowledge and expertise for my benefit. IN A GOOD WAY!! My computer butt has been saved a couple times by your contributions. On the flip side of expertise, many of my family and friends seem to think I know what I am doing. The biggest security measure that I think is important; is to know where to go and when to go to find reliable help.

So my 75 year old neighbor asked me to check out her computer. My big mistake was helping her!! She had more than one trojan, and one was sever key logger along with over 225 other minor infections. I kid you not. When I showed her she got mad at me! Accused me of not knowing what I was talking about, and if I am so ‘awesome’ (her words not mine) that I would be tucked away in some cubicle doing this for a living. At this point I had already taken measures to clean and freshen up her system, and was showing her the logs. After all this is what she asked me to do. She was upset with the information and took her computer into a ‘shop’ to have it checked out by an expert. It cost her $120.00 and the tech said there was nothing wrong with her computer and she concluded that I was an idiot. I was flattered, of course there was nothing wrong with her computer, I had just cleaned it up, using most of the tools I have found on these forums. This same neighbor asked me to find some recipes for her a couple weeks later and for my own fun, ran her paid for antivirus software which revealed a new severe recently released key logger. What did I do? I laughed and left it there. A couple days later she was complaining that she got a phone call from her security provider (paid for anti virus provider – BOGUS) informing her they discovered problems with her computer. She was on the phone for over 4 hours while she gave them access to her computer and talked her into upgrading her antivirus software right then and there with a credit card. She regaled me with how smart she was fixing this herself and how happy she was that her antivirus took her security so seriously that they would actually go out of their way to call her and help her. Of course she told me this to once again let me know I was an idiot!!

True story.

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So my 75 year old neighbor asked me to check out her computer. My big mistake was helping her!! ……… Of course she told me this to once again let me know I was an idiot!!

I say this with a big smile. All she did is confirm what you told us !!!

But, I’ve been there, too. Well, except for maybe being told I was an idiot by someone other than myself !!! Many was the time I should have known better. (I did learn that lesson with regard to very close relatives. They seem to lack any understanding or sympathy for the pain they were putting me through.) Nevertheless, I would have removed the keylogger the second time, but might not have told her, so that in the future when I foolishly went over to help her again, and found the keylogger again, it would just confirm what you already knew.

Sigh.

P.S. Seems to me she got off cheap paying for her own infection.

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I say this with a big smile. All she did is confirm what you told us !!!

But, I’ve been there, too. Well, except for maybe being told I was an idiot by someone other than myself !!! Many was the time I should have known better. (I did learn that lesson with regard to very close relatives. They seem to lack any understanding or sympathy for the pain they were putting me through.) Nevertheless, I would have removed the keylogger the second time, but might not have told her, so that in the future when I foolishly went over to help her again, and found the keylogger again, it would just confirm what you already knew.

Sigh.

P.S. Seems to me she got off cheap paying for her own infection.

You are sooooooo right!! I’m still laughing. My father used to say all the time: “The art of tact: Is ability to tell someone where to go so nicely that they actually look forward to the trip.” Well done!!

I must say that I have noticed a huge advantage that scammers have on certain generations which enable them to be so successful. The way people conducted business 50 to 60 years ago in principle is actually working against them today. They have it in their mind that if you put a ‘hat’ on and open a store front or produce an invoice that you must know what you are doing or you wouldn’t be in business. One of the ways society deemed you successful was if you were in business for a significant amount of time. Also when you paid for a service such as lawn maintenance or the milk truck you received the service first or you didn’t’ pay. These days in the software world, you pay first and then see what kind of service you get for your money. This neighbor of mine pays for her antivirus (per anum I think) and she expects that it takes care of everything. She looked at me like I had three heads when I asked her how often she updated her ‘virus definitions’. Her sharp answer to me was “I don’t have to do anything. I pay for this service and they take care of everything. That’s why I pay them.”

Although it is sad that there are so many people in the world that take advantage of others, after some reflection one can understand how easy it is to do so. For the part of the population that has a natural tendency to aid and help others, we get burned by having to stand back and watch ‘the take down’. If we try to help proactively …. well that’s the new definition of idiot for me.

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