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A phonecall from "Microsoft"

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  • 24-09-2010 8:28pm
    #1
    Krieg
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭


    So I got home and my brother tells me a story.

    He went outside for 2 mins and came back to the computer to find it restarting, he's thinking "wtf". Computer boots up fine. 2 mins later the phone rings and its "Microsoft", telling him that there is errors on the computer and that he will need to have them fixed. He directs my brother to a URL - TinyURL/xxxxxx :rolleyes:
    The webpage displays some BS claiming the computer has errors. Then my brother allow him to set up a remote desktop (I facepalmed). Apparently my brother was watching what he was doing very carefully but didnt do anything serious (an extra facepalm for good measure). Then he starts rolling on the pitch, pay "Microsft" 45 euro and they will magically fix all the errors. Luckily some sense kicked in and my brother said no depsite them really pushing it.

    So far he has run an AVG complete scan and a malware scan (I dont know what software, no doubt a freeware). Both turned up nothing which concerns me.

    Look for any and all advice


    Also, Would a computer using the same wifi as my bro's computer be affected?


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    #2
    bigpoppa
    Registered Users Posts: 459 ✭✭bigpoppa


    Disconnect from Internet completely.

    Backup all files onto hard drive

    Reformat machine

    Virus scan hard drive

    Slap Brother

    Have a beer


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    #3
    Krieg
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭Krieg


    bigpoppa wrote: »
    Disconnect from Internet completely.

    Backup all files onto hard drive

    Reformat machine

    Virus scan hard drive

    Slap Brother

    Have a beer

    That was actually my first thought and suggestion. But **** for brains is following our grand ethic of "ara shure itll be grand". He wont format the computer because he'll have to pay dell 70 euro to send out format discs. The computer is nearly 9 years old and he is too cheap to buy a new one.

    Im kinda not giving a **** about how this will affect him atm, yeah im a horrible person but im too pissed off at the stupidity, he's been using the internet long enough to see the signs and have a bit more cop-on when downloading random ****e from dodgy websites :mad:
    While his downloading habits may not have been the cause of this, Im guessing that the scammer saw our IP address somewhere, did a whois type search which would provide ISP, cust. name, address and phone number


    Right now, my brothers computer has the wifi base station connected to it. Im using my comp through a dongle as well as other family members using similar dongle. The security on the wifi includes a HEX key and MAC address.
    Assuming my brothers computer is compromised, How much at risk are we?


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    #4
    William Powell
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,479 ✭✭✭William Powell


    ? Sounds more like a random phone call scam. I really can't see how anyone has your phone number unless its posted on another site and someone just read the details from someones online profile.

    Why go to such great lenghts for a 45euor rip off not really worth the effort unless its just a random call to see who they can sucker in.


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    #5
    omerin
    Registered Users Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭omerin


    Scam!

    Please see

    http://www.hotukdeals.com/misc/call-from-microsoft-maintenance-dep/490961


    I think i heard something on the local radio station along the same lines, somehow these people are identifying your phone number:confused:


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    #6
    Bizzi Lizzy
    Registered Users Posts: 286 ✭✭Bizzi Lizzy


    It has been happening a lot lately. See thread here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055837564


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    #7
    Krieg
    Registered Users Posts: 2,378 ✭✭✭Krieg


    Yeah ive been reading all the stories. There was talk of them being from a call center in india, how have managed to get some software companies database and use that as their starting point. They also knew my brothers email.

    The fact that they were able to restart the computer means that it has to be compromised imo. Ive told him that if I were him I would get a new comp or at least operate under the assumption that there is at least a keylogger on the comp and that he shouldnt enter ANY form of login/password. But he thinks because he has norton (paid), he doesnt have much to worry about......

    Bizzi Lizzy wrote:
    It has been happening a lot lately. See thread here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055837564

    Ah! I knew I read a thread about this on boards before


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    #8
    Iancar29
    Registered Users Posts: 5,068 ✭✭✭Iancar29


    HOLY CRAP MAN!

    i got the exact same call only an hour ago so i came on here to see does anyone know anything...

    i didnt let him do anything coz i knew it was dodgey, foreign accent ye?

    i even asked wer they wer situated and asked him for his phone number...and his ip address to prove they wer from dublin. ( or at least somewhere i knew) and he was like " sorry sir i dont seem why u should need to know... so ye i hung up after some more crap he was saying to me!


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    #9
    ifah
    Registered Users Posts: 576 ✭✭✭ifah


    I would assume that all of your credentials/machines are now compromised.

    You say your brother is connected to the wifi base stations - I am assuming that this is via cable - if that's the case then a MITM attack should be pretty easy for whomever is doing this. Also they can run direct packet sniffing which will doubtless throw up the goodies.

    First things first - get him off your network
    then force him to follow bigpoppa's post.


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    #10
    Quiet you
    Registered Users Posts: 393 ✭✭Quiet you


    Ok, sorry but I have to ask. I'm completely clueless when it comes to security. Using Freeware virus scanners and firewalls are the extent of my computer savvy abilities but I've been taking the piss out of some Indian crowd that call me once a month for a fair while now and I'm left thinking, have they been poking around in my computer while I've been trying to have phone sex with them?
    P.C. Doctors is what they call themselves as far as I remember and they usually claim to be based in Sandyford which is just up the road from me. Sometimes its Dundrum or such but always within five miles or so of my home.

    Purely for informational purposes, they really don't enjoy being strung along and then given a made up credit card number and go absoulutely ballistic when they think you're doing your best to go blind while talking to them.


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    #11
    Dude111
    Registered Users Posts: 1,771 ✭✭✭Dude111


    William Powell wrote:
    ? Sounds more like a random phone call scam.
    Yes this HAS BEEN going on for awhile now :(


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    #12
    Ugh.Im.Clashing
    Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭Ugh.Im.Clashing


    My dad got a phone call from a "Kevin Jones" from Microsoft earlier telling him that our PC software was being attacked and that he would have to start up the PC for the guy to help. My dad basically knows how to turn on a computer and that's it but luckily he got suspicious and asked for a number and email. The guy got annoyed, started telling him some address like "infoad" or "info@" and then hung up. I'm really paranoid now :(. First time we've ever gotten a scam call like that!


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    #13
    Dude111
    Registered Users Posts: 1,771 ✭✭✭Dude111


    They will try anything im afraid to extract money!!

    You gotta be smarter than them :)


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    #14
    IluvGeeetar
    Registered Users Posts: 16 ✭IluvGeeetar


    Yea its defo a scam. Its so obvious because they are so unprofessional on the phone. They a called my home 3 times and iv told the to p*ss off all 3 times. The first time they called I asked if you work for microsoft and you see in the support centre that my operating system has an error then what version of windows was I using. He replied, well either xp, vista or 7....talk about stating the obvious. I then asked whats my ip address or my MAC address was and he couldnt answer. If it was microsoft getting errors they would have all that info.
    I knew this person was full of s**t after a few mins, so I thought I would step up the pressure and ask a few harder questions, like what was his name and who did he work for and where was the support center based etc.. Oh he crumbled under the pressure.

    The man then said (in an Apu from the simpsons like accent) " sir if you do no believe me hang up". So thats just what I did.

    Beware peeps, dont get done over :D


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    #15
    PorridgeHead
    Registered Users Posts: 30 ✭PorridgeHead


    Krieg wrote: »
    So far he has run an AVG complete scan and a malware scan (I dont know what software, no doubt a freeware). Both turned up nothing which concerns me.

    Look for any and all advice
    QUOTE]

    I have heard of the scam. It has been ongoing for nearly a year. I'd guess that 50% of the homes in the country have been called.

    I really question if they really did remote start your Bro's PC. Most PC's have that disabled in the Network Settings by default. Even if they had a Bot or Zombie infection, they could not remote activate it if the machine is powered off (unless it is really good and has a timer syncronised to their call center).

    Some Free scanners are OK, but many are actually spyware. Try a scan from Tren Micro http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/?id=home

    Probably the most rigorous scanner for already infected machines is Kaspersky. Dump the AVG (nothing is free if it's any good) and download a trial of Kaspersky Internet Security (2010 if you can still get it).

    Turn off windows backups before the scan, otherwise if there is any malware, it will reinfect from the backup.

    Good luck with it.


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    #16
    William Powell
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,479 ✭✭✭William Powell


    Nothing wrong with the free version of AVG :D


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    #17
    MoogPoo
    Registered Users Posts: 156 ✭✭MoogPoo


    Just saw this topic now. Same thing happened my mother a while back. Pretty much exact same really they asked my mam to do stuff, brought up a page saying you have 100 viruses or something like that and then another page saying its fixed now. Then they were hassling her to pay and my mam just said no. Then they kept calling back but eventually stopped calling...

    Same thing happened again about a week ago but this time they said they were a company giving free security scans. I said I have virus protection and they went on about some BS saying that infection are not viruses and my computer is broken and that I don't realise. They were very pushy to give a free scan but I just said no and hung up.

    I really should have just said yeah, out of cuiousity to see what they would have done. I don't think that many people could really fall for it tbh. My mother doesnt have a clue about computers and she copped on. Seriously they sound like some dodgy phone company asking about long-distance call scams or something. Some Indian fella was yappin away with bad reception and talking nonsense about viruses that didnt make sense.

    EDIT: I really think ye are all reading into it too much btw. I'm guessing your computer just restarted by itself for some automatic updates or something. I'm pretty sure they are just randomly ringing load of numbers trying to get a few credit cards straight away or something. I doubt they would go to that much effort to compromise loads of computers and put in spyware and stuff. They're just hoping some boggers will be like "Ok microsoft heres my money...".


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