Call from windows

martineatworld

Hi,

Looking for a bit of help, probably a bit of a stupid question but I thought I'd try it anyway. I live with my parents but I'd be the main user of the computer, and my own laptop. Currently, the laptop is the only one that is used online as the PC is 8/9yo at this stage.

I just recieved a call on my landline, asking for Mr. "Mysecondname". I asked who was calling as it was a foreign girl, and I obviously thought it was trying to sell something, so I was initially cautious. She then asked for the main user of the computer and proceeded to tell me she was ringing from Microsoft Windows and that my PC had been infected over the past few days and that my PC was sending error reports. She then asked me to sit down at my computer and follow her instructions. I told her that there were two PC's in the house with different windows OS's, and could she tell me what operating system was on the PC that send the error reports. She couldn't, so I hung up.

Am I an idiot or was this a scam?

damiansynnott

Its a scam. Been going around for a while on here

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70787578#post70787578

martineatworld

Thanks, apologies to the mods for opening the thread without searching the forum... Doh.

I mean, I opened this thread to serve as a constant reminder of the threat of scams like this.... Ahem.

ejmaztec

I had another one a couple of days ago, and as soon as I mentioned "scam", the guy of unknown origin hung up. It seems that whatever "unavailable" number rings me, it's always someone trying to get money out of me, whether it's a scammer or genuine creditor.

reunion

I asked what virus had infected my computer and they just hung up!!

Ally Dick

These Indian guys have rung everyone I know, including an elderly relative who doesn't even have a computer !

Fahrrad

It's a scam so obvious i don't know why they keep trying.

cython

Had a friend's father who got caught out briefly by something like this lately (as in he granted remote access, but copped before they could do anything other than copy off some photos, from looking at the log of the session). In his defence, the call woke him up, and he's only a recent convert to using computers!

Personally I almost look forward to the day I get a call off someone like this, just so that I can wind them up. Not sure whether to go down the Tom Mabe route, or to act paranoid as if I believe that my computer being able to contact them must surely be the beginning of Skynet and that the machines are going to rise up and put us all in the Matrix.

mugbags

Just had this call this evening at about 8 o'clock, for the third time in the last six months, an Asian man from "Windows Technical Support" insisting on me switching on my computer and pressing this that and the the other key, I was in the bath at the time and told him I was doing what he asked and he was getting really frustrated with me because he wasn't able to hack into my computer! I kept him on the line for ages, pretending I was doing what he wanted me to do but the Alt key wouldn't work (computer was switched off and in a different room!) When I finally confronted him about this being a scam he started to get aggressive and said that they had my entire computer usage records and could show them to me to prove that they were legit, but to see the proof I'd need to switch on my computer and press the keys he told me! I just kept saying, no, this is a scam and he got mad and hung up! Five minutes of my life I'll never get back but it was fun though!:D