New computer scam ?

May 20, 2010 8 Replies

Interesting gambit:



Get rung up by a voice with a thick accent ( you can guess the origin ) claiming that my computer is generating errors and reporting them to M$soft. Offers to send a technician to help fix the errors and restore computer to "full working order". Cannot give details about which computer is generating the errors. Cannot send a transcript of the error log to me - does not know my email address. But has my name, street address and phone number - which anyone can get by looking in the phone book. Assumes my computer is running Windoze, but does not know which version. Suggests I run the error log report using eventwvr, which does show a few errors and warnings, but then I know about those, and M$soft specifically says that errors from this log are never sent to M$soft.



A good way of getting a bit of work and money ?



An even better way of getting entry to a house with a view to casing the joint ?



Maybe I'm just too suspicious.


Regards, Adrian Jansen adrianjansen at internode dot on dot net Note reply address is invalid, convert address above to machine form.

Its a very common scam. The aim is to convince you to sign up to a maintenence deal involving you handing over your CC details to the "maintenence " company.

Thanks. Thats what I thought.

Regards, Adrian Jansen adrianjansen at internode dot on dot net Note reply address is invalid, convert address above to machine form.

not at all, most of this stuff is scams these days.

first thing he should know is your IP address, as this is the only method of ID anyway.

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if he doesn't have this, then you aren't reporting errors to him.

Cheers Don...

Don McKenzie Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/email Web Camera Page: http://www.dontronics.com/webcam No More Damn Spam: http://www.dontronics.com/spam These products will reduce in price by 5% every month: http://www.dontronics-shop.com/minus-5-every-month.html

t

Have had that several times in recent years.

I just tell them that its impossible - as I don't have a computer

If you have to tell them you have one - tell that you are using Linux

- and that it cant be reporting "windows errors" to "microsoft"

I know a mate who often tells spam callers flogging phone plans that he "doesnt have a telephone" :). This really throws them !

It is unfair to judge an Irishman as 'thick' just on the strength of his accent !

geoff

t

Probably not the same "scam", but interesting just the same

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Yes, sounds like a variation on the same idea.

IMHO many so-called registry cleaners are not much more than this.

Regards, Adrian Jansen adrianjansen at internode dot on dot net Note reply address is invalid, convert address above to machine form.

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