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Do Microsoft call your home or is this a scam?

ionapaul · 2010-11-06 12:49:33

Question: I'm at home in Galway, and my Dad just fielded a strange phone call, from someone with an Indian accent purporting to be calling from 'Microsoft / Windows' and wanting him to turn on his computer and do some work to stop malware or something similar. When I got down he had my Dad opening the command window and…

06-11-2010 12:49pm

#1

ionapaul

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Question: I'm at home in Galway, and my Dad just fielded a strange phone call, from someone with an Indian accent purporting to be calling from 'Microsoft / Windows' and wanting him to turn on his computer and do some work to stop malware or something similar. When I got down he had my Dad opening the command window and typing in 'inf unwanted' or something...at that stage I just got my Dad to hang up as it was so fishy, Microsoft aren't calling people in their home are they? He called back but when my Dad asked him for more credentials he just hung up. Anyone know what the hell that phone call was about?

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Comments

#2 06-11-2010 12:52pm

testicle

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It's a scam.

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#3 06-11-2010 12:53pm

Mr. Presentable

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It's a scam. Expect regular calls from them now they rang once
Thread here

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#4 06-11-2010 12:53pm

meglome

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testicle wrote: »

It's a scam.

Big scam

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#5 06-11-2010 12:55pm

Victor

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Scam. Typically they install software to hi-jack the PC.

Variations include charging you a few hundred euros for "fixing" it or your PC becoming a zombie for sending spam / malware / denial of service attacks.

As a general rule, if someone you don't know and didn't ask for asks you to do something random, they are up to no good

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#6 06-11-2010 1:03pm

ionapaul

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Thanks guys - will warn the folks to be wary

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#7 06-11-2010 1:05pm

joanas

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Had one of these calls some weeks ago. Told them to get stuffed. When I checked the number on the caller display the call was from lithuania!!

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