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The Unstoppable 'Tech Support' Scam
Barence writes "A pernicious new type of scam is targeting British computer owners, reports PC Pro. The con is both fiendishly clever and ridiculously simple. The fraudster cold-calls the customer and tells them that Microsoft has detected a virus on their PC, then invites them to download a piece of remote-assistance software. No doubt reassured by the lines of indecipherable code flitting across their screen, the caller assures the customer they can make the virus vanish – but first, of course, they want payment. £185 to be precise. The spoof site behind the scam is approved by McAfee's Site Advisor and bears Microsoft logos, something which both companies have failed to act upon. Meanwhile, an assortment of British regulators have said there is nothing they can do to stop it."
Oh, but so much more can be done.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. We need an Internet License.
Regulated much like drivers licenses, with different endorsements.
The Internet Endorsement: Allows a user to access the Internet when standardized testing shows competency. Users are only allowed to receive information.
The Email Endorsement: Allows a user to participate in email communication when standardized testing shows competency. Users can participate in two-way communication.
The Website Endorsement: Allows a user to author web content when standardized testing shows competency. Users are allowed to participate in forums, create websites or write articles.
The Server Endorsement: Allows a user to maintain a web server when standardized testing shows competency.
Each level of endorsement requires the previous endorsement. Maybe an etiquette endorsement in there somewhere.
"Lame" - Galaxar
A vague allusion and a car analogy. Yup, this will suffice to describe this complex phenomenon. What an insight.
I think this is a clear case in which Obama needs to use his new powers to shut down the internet until this is resolved!