Scam callers from 'Microsoft Support'

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shelford

115 posts

Master Geek

#147218 12-Jun-2014 18:24

Hey so this happened to my little sister about an hour ago

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=16820

She was scammed by these guys and was pressured into downloading a program called teamviewer so they could gain remote acess. She thinks she gave them the ID that came up but not the password as they said they couldn't hear her and tried to call again but my mum picked up and tried to ask them how she would know if they were legit.

My dad contacted his friend in IT and he got them to download a malware detection on her laptop, it's already picked up 20 problems. The thing is she can't find teamviewer in the uninstall a program on windows, does she need to reset her laptop to see this?

Any help and advice on how to stop them gaining remote access would be great!

Killerkiwi2005

374 posts

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#1064306 12-Jun-2014 18:36

Team viewer is an actual legit program the scammers just use it for remote access (assuming they didnt get her to install some thing pretending to be teamviewer)

Also I think it can be run without an install and may not actually still be installed on the machine

There's no way to be sure the machines clean if they gained access, If you are really worried I'd do a reinstall of windows

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#1064308 12-Jun-2014 18:40

TeamViewer is fine - you don't need to uninstall if it was just the remote access. The problem is the malware already there - probably unrelated to the call, and existing before that... That's the worry: make sure that PC is completely clean because you don't know what kind of nasty stuff may be there and be even worse than these scammers.

shelford

115 posts

Master Geek

#1064316 12-Jun-2014 18:56

So after running the malware program it should be alright? I got her to disconnect it from the internet and a friend who is good at IT will come round tomorrow to take a look at it.

Scammers are the worst, she said they were really aggressive and have already tried to call back a handful of times, that makes me think they didn't get what they wanted.

freitasm

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#1064317 12-Jun-2014 18:57

Aggresive? Hung up on them. That's it. Empower her.

DarthKermit

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#1064320 12-Jun-2014 19:03

Get her to leave the phone off the hook until they give up and hang up. At least they can't be scamming a second person while they're "on hold".

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

shelford

115 posts

Master Geek

#1064336 12-Jun-2014 19:22

freitasm: Aggresive? Hung up on them. That's it. Empower her.

She knows it now and they're hanging up on them now, not even answering the phone i think.

Satch

1985 posts

Uber Geek

#1064797 13-Jun-2014 11:51

I love these calls. I try to string them along until they start getting angry with me and hang up. That is when I have spare time.

I once got a call where I was asked to look at the row of icons at the bottom of my monitor to locate the start button. I kept saying that all I could see at the bottom of my monitor was power, contrast, brightness etc and I ended up being called ignorant. I was then told to go where I access the internet, at which stage I said "ok I'll just get my iPad as that's how I normally access the internet". Got asked if I was intentionally being stupid, I claimed innocence, at which point I was hung up on.

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Yabanize

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#1064821 13-Jun-2014 12:10

I have a VM setup ready for when they call again

xpd

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#1064839 13-Jun-2014 12:37

IF they ever call me (and they have never yet), they'll be talking to an Amiga user, not Windows..... wonder what their reaction would be, if I gave them Teamviewer access only to a WinUAE session running Workbench 1.3......

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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freitasm

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#1064844 13-Jun-2014 12:47

I got two or three of these calls in the last two years. One of them I just told them to bugger off. The other one I actually visited x...com and started playing a porn cli[p, with volume at max. it took the guy 45 seconds to hang up...

dafman

3919 posts

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#1064845 13-Jun-2014 12:49

I love stringing them along if I have time. Remarkably, they have stayed on the line long after my PC burst into flames and set the house on fire - they even listened through my surviving a crocodile attack. I have recently retired and passed the mantle onto my 12-year old step daughter. She managed to keep one on the line for a good length of time the other night. Very proud I was.

dwl

371 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1065212 13-Jun-2014 21:24

Yabanize: I have a VM setup ready for when they call again

I'm getting sick of these "Microsoft Windows support" calls - had one an hour ago and another one last night. I just hang up on them but when they ring back the next night it is getting painful.

Do you have any plans to somehow stop them doing this or is it just to hold them up? Any ideas would be appreciated.

johnr

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#1065226 13-Jun-2014 21:46

freitasm: I got two or three of these calls in the last two years. One of them I just told them to bugger off. The other one I actually visited x...com and started playing a porn cli[p, with volume at max. it took the guy 45 seconds to hang up...

Classic

ScuL

487 posts

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#1065250 13-Jun-2014 22:40

They usually call from India which means they believe in performing a good life as possible or they will be re-born in a poorer class (or even worse, as an animal).
If you tell them they will make a disgrace of themselves by doing this job it usually scares them enough to hang up.

Haere taka mua, taka muri; kaua e wha.