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Phishing?
I had a strange call today; the caller claimed to be from "Microsoft Windows Tech Support", but the call originated from London, U.K. He said my computer (old Dell Latitude D600 Laptop) was having problems; he would help fix them. Would I please open the computer while he was on the telephone. He would hold my hands in fixing the problems. The whole thing sounded strange and unsafe. I had heard of such calls, and that the purpose was to cause some damage, viral or otherwise, and then to offer repair service, at a price of course. I fended him off, but he called again the next day. However, I haven't opened the computer with the caller on the phone. Does anyone know what this could be all about? My computer does have occasional problems, nothing unusual though.
Bugbatter
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March 29th, 2012 21:00
Yes, it seems that you have received a "cold call". I'm glad that you did not fall for it. :emotion-21:
We have discussed these on this forum in the past. Articles that include links to additional information:
https://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/jun11/06-16MSPhoneScamPR.mspx
http://blog.eset.com/2011/06/17/support-scams-cold-calls-cold-hearts
Ozyman
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April 3rd, 2012 23:00
Thanks for all the links. Served my purpose. When I told the caller that I thought he was trying a scam on me, he protested. But I referred to the Microsoft circular which I'm sure he was aware of. When I asked for his name so that I could check with MS Windows, he backed off. I wish I could do something to 'trap' him. Strangely enough, my caller ID showed 3 different phone numbers for all his calls; and I could hear all kinds of background noises usually associated with a typical call centre. Should I send those phone numbers to MS for whatever they are worth?
Bugbatter
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April 4th, 2012 06:00
dalem29, what you received sounds like phishing rather than a cold call. You can report your issue to one or more of the following sites so that the authorities can handle the issues properly:
PhishTank - http://www.phishtank.com/
UAB PhishIntel - https://phishintel.cis.uab.edu/
US-CERT - http://www.us-cert.gov/nav/report_phishing.html
Please include as many details as you can. It would also be good to send a report to (email or phone) the company, bank, or organization that impersonated in the email. The contact information will either be under report phishing, abuse, or security on the web page.
SpywareHammer also has a forum for Phishing, Fraud, and Spam Reporting.
This KB article has some information as well: http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=9550.0
dalem29
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April 4th, 2012 06:00
On a related note I got an email allegedly from Bank of America yesterday saying I needed to update my account. Hotmail allows me to right click to view the contents of a message without opening it. Of course I didn't bite. Wonder if anyone else got something similar?
Bugbatter
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April 4th, 2012 06:00
Microsoft is probably already aware, but I will get in touch with my contact at Microsoft to see if they would be interested. If so, I'll send you a private message here at Dell Community that will have information on where to report the numbers that you have.
ky331
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April 4th, 2012 07:00
Dale,
To report a suspicious Bank of America email, you can forward it to abuse@bankofamerica.com
CdrF
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April 4th, 2012 09:00
I got the same type call this morning only they said they were from Dell themselves. When I started questioning she (with a heavy Indian sounding voice and poor, cellphone maybe, connection) then said her company was hired by Dell to track and fix problems such as mine. The "problem" was that they had dectected that I had downloaded a program that was damaging my computer. When I said that I would immediately do a virus scan she started getting pushy. I was looking for the Dell customer support trouble call number when I noticed this forum and am glad to see I am not the only one.
ky331
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April 4th, 2012 10:00
It doesn't matter WHO does the UNsolicited calling --- it could allegedly be from Dell, or Microsoft, or just about any other company --- if you get an UNsolicited call from them, advising you of a "problem" on your system, that they can solve if you pay them [and/or for which they'll need to take remote control of your system], DON'T BELIEVE THEM --- DON'T GIVE THEM ANY CREDIT CARD INFORMATION (nor bank payment) --- DON'T ALLOW THEM ACCESS TO YOUR SYSTEM --- IT'S A SCAM.
Bluntly: Dell/Microsoft do NOT take the time to monitor your system, to see what you've downloaded/installed. Period!