I felt like I needed to write a post about the Microsoft scammers who are calling people about their computers, and telling them they have problems, or their computer is infected. This scam has been around since 2008, however it still works, so the scammers are still using it. Innocent people get caught up in this scam. It all sounds legitimate when they call. "Sometimes they have your name, and isp provider, so they make the call BELIEVABLE!"
Most of the time the caller has an East Indian accent.
Sometimes, it is not a phone call, or a pop-up on your screen!
Two neighbors actually ended up paying for support and the latest victim has a start-up password the scammers put on their pc. Not the Windows start-up password, but a start-up, sys key.
Now, they cannot get into their computer at all, unless they can guess the syskey password.
The scammers got mad at them, because they didn't want to buy a service. So basically their computer is useless in this state. It means you have to re-install Windows and start over. Hopefully people have back-ups for their computers, in case it crashes or something like this happens. You can restore your precious files. Thankfully they do have a back-up external drive my husband set up for them.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Use a back-up for your computer!
Microsoft DOES NOT make unsolicited calls to you about fixing your computer.
If you ever get a call from someone claiming they are from Microsoft, just hang up!
The Event Viewer logs everything. Errors in the log doesn't necessarily mean bad things.
They tell you you have damaging errors or hacking files, so you need more protection.
The scammer gives you a web address for software that allows third parties to take control of your computer, such as log me in, team viewer or more. When people download this software, you get a ID and a password and the scammer asks you for that info. They can then take over your computer. If you do not pay for services, they can then delete your files, add a sys key password and really corrupt your pc. It gets nasty!
Sharing remote desktop is not a bad thing! Just don't do this with strangers. My husband and I happen to use Team Viewer for connecting to people's computers to fix things remotely.
I have done this several times with my Mother who needs my assistance.
These scammers make me angry. because so many innocent people get caught up in this awful scam.
The scammers are persistent, because there is big bucks in this scam. 1.5 billion has been lost in the US because of this scam and a third of the people fall for it.
Here is a video from Jerome Segura, a senior security researcher at anti-malware company at Malwarebytes. He decided to play along with the scammers and recorded the whole event.
If you watch and listen to this video, you will see how they try to scam people.
Obviously, this post is needed, because many people are falling for this scam.
Be smart! Hang up on these terrible people. Back up your computer. Use good protection for your computer. I just don't want anymore people to get caught in this scam and have their day ruined.
Here's a list of security software.
AVG
Malwarebytes
CCleaner
Glary Utilities
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How horrible. I have a parent who was recently scammed...over the telephone. Not this one...but another one. Money was lost! So so low of scammers.
ReplyDeleteOh Linda!
ReplyDeleteThis is just terrible, but thank you for sharing this information with us. I know that individuals are being bamboozled daily with internet scams. We needed to hear this.
xo
Jemma
Don't you hate people like this...if those scammers would put half of their energy into doing something productive, imagine what they'd accomplish!!!
ReplyDeleteLaura
www.24-7style.com
Ugh. Two things keeping me safe from this: 1) I have a MacBook and 2) I never answer my phone unless I know the caller. I usually Google the number and, yes, several times it has come up as someone saying they need to fix my PC. I thought about answering and doing what some people have done. Apparently you can mess with them and go along with what they're saying, then finally say, "I don't have a Microsoft Windows device, you jerk!" But I don't have time to play games with these people.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda! This has happened to me a few years ago and I almost fell for it! They scared me to death saying the my bank account and credit cards were affected! My hubby came home and had just heard about this. I told them to call back later and they did! Got called again and I let them talk and I gave them a piece of my mind. It probably didn't do any good but it made me feel better. Thanks for bringing this up.
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing well.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
I'm glad you shared this. We can never be reminded of the scammers out there too often.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jan
ps...perhaps you should do a post about using back-up - I know alot of people don't understand that whole thing and YOU DO!
Very valuable information, Linda! I don't answer either phone if I don't know the caller. You understand my "lack of technical knowledge" so I'll just ask...what is the best way to back up your computer?
ReplyDeletexo
Pat
Thank you so much for this information. I'm very careful, sometimes even suspicious of innocent callers, but every night on the local news you hear of someone who has fallen for a scam.
ReplyDeleteYes- I know someone (a very smart person) that just got scammed by this same tactic. I could not believe it. I am very wary of anything that pops up on my computer with a "warning", too. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you so much for warning people about this! I have gotten these calls, they have the gall to say they are calling from Microsoft! My response? A very emphatic, "No, you are not calling from Microsoft, and I want you to stop calling me." I then hang up. I am a very soft spoken and polite person but when I get calls like this I become abrupt, because I know exactly what they are doing and I don't like it one bit.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I always tell my family, especially my parents to just ignore call if they don't recognize the number or there's no any prior phone call appointment. Luckily my parents don't have any computers. I personally always look up the number on sites like http://whycall.me before I pick up every unfamiliar call. People should always be vigilant to these scammers. Thanks for posting this, Linda.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that awful I heard about this on the news last week but I didn't know how widespread it is. Thankful I'm not so gullable but understand how some can be lured in. Good post and hopefully a lot of people will spread the word.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this important information with us in order to protect us, Linda!
ReplyDeleteSo good of you to share this info, Linda, and hopefully it will prevent someone from getting scammed.
ReplyDeleteHope your week is going well, WW xoox
Hi Linda, I almost fell for something simiar to this but my husband had a fit and I did not believe him, still I did not reply, this happened to a couple of our friends and then I quickly realized that was what he was talking about. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo many scammers out there. I do try to keep a careful watch, and it's always good to get info from people in the know. So thank you for passing along this info.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a beautiful weekend,
Brenda
I have gotten those phone calls myself - good warning for people. I had someone flat out lie to me from a rival satellite company telling me they were looking at my account and telling so you have the such and such, right? I told them they would know what services we had if they were truly looking at my account. Such sneaky ones these days!
ReplyDelete