When Antivirus Scammers Call the Wrong Guy

ancientribe writes "Phony AV scammers posing as Microsoft dialed the wrong number when they inadvertently phoned a security researcher at home. He lured them into a honeypot to study their actions, and posted the video online here. His main takeaway: they were 'Stone Age' when it came to their tech know-how."

Comments

Sounds familiar

[MrEricSir]

His main takeaway: they were 'Stone Age' when it came to their tech know-how."

So they're exactly like Norton, McAfee, and CA?

Re:Sounds familiar

[sa1lnr]

"That shit ain't funny, it's fucking Insightful."

Great, now we're getting false funnies.

Re:Question- How did scammers do this?

[Anonymous Coward]

the call is coming from inside the house!

Re:Not surprising

[oxdas]

There are much better outlets for exceptional scammers and thieves; politics and wall street seem popular right now.

Re:Question- How did scammers do this?

[Bromskloss]

On some phone systems (for example Luxembourg during the eighties), only the caller can hang up a line.

cpu6502, do you remember if you were in Luxembourg in the eighties when this happened?

An awesome telemarketing call I got

[Teppy]

I have a rule for dealing with telemarketers - if they admit they're telemarketing right away, I'll nicely tell them I'm not interested. If they lie, then anything goes. Here's what happened to someone that called me from a "security company:"

Her: Is the business owner there?
Me: Are you telemarketing?
Her: No.
Me: Ok, this is the owner, how can I help you?
Her: Are you aware of the security threats faced by businesses that use the internet?
Me: Oh, yes, I'm well aware of threats. There are all sorts of threats when you're in business.
Her: Does your business use PCs?
Me: Security is a big problem, lawsuits.
Her: Ok, well, we offer a comprehensive...
Me: Because you know, you can be sued for all sorts of things. Employers can be sued by their employees. Business owners have to be very careful.
Her: (Trying to get back to her script) Yes, I'm aware of that. Well anyway, if your business is one of the millions...
Me: For instance, sexual harassment lawsuits, those are a huge concern if you're in business.
Her: I don't think that's ...
Me: Do you realize that people can sue their employer for harassment just because they receive unwanted sexual advances while at work?
Her: No, I didn't, but...
Me: (whispering) So... what are you wearing?

Re:An awesome telemarketing call I got

[gman003]

Oh, I do this all the time to political surveys. Started out just re-using some Monty Python bits ("I believe America should be an anarcho-syndicalist commune...")

I'm pretty sure the Republicans' database lists me as a registered Communist and practicing Norse pagan who believes gay marriage should be mandatory, thinks abortion should be illegal "except for ugly chicks like Hillary", supports using nuclear weapons to secure the Canadian border, watches exclusively Fox News, and has voted for Ron Paul in every election since '92. They seem to have caught on - they haven't called at all since 2010 or so.

If the Democrats ever call, I'm telling them I'm a monarchist, an ordained Coptic Orthodox deacon, and a veteran of the Third Punic War. I may even claim responsibility for the assassination of William McKinley.

Re:I got one of these, too

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a call from these guys once.

I set up a new user account in Ubuntu, and then ran the remote access software they asked me to download in Wine.
The remote software sort of started to work, and connected to something their end, but didn't work enough to give any desktop access.
I was running wireshark too, so could see which IP addresses it was talking to.

So, I just kept babbling stuff, and pretending I did not know how to set up the remote access software properly. Then I started dropping hints about 'the base firewall' and 'asking the officer on duty' to make it seem like I was on a militery base. Then I said that the commander of the computer section wanted to talk the them, and the phone went dead.

Re:What I do

[Anonymous Coward]

Time kept on line:
    2 days ago: 53 mins
    months ago: 1hr 47mins

Useful lines ...
    "I've got my credit card and I really need your help"
    "yeah, I think it has a virus ... it takes literally 10mins to boot" (make 'em wait 10mins)
    "oh, you meant the PC, not the Mac, hold on" ... 10mins
    "The screen has gone blue and it's crashed... I'll reboot" ... 10mins
    "Someone's at the door, I'll be back" ... 5 mins
    "My wife turned it off while I was downstairs, sorry" ... 10mins
    "I bought a ferrari last week, I got a yellow one. Do you like ferraris"...5 mins
    "What's your job? I break legs for a living" (at this point they got suspicious)

Re:Get them to hang up the quickest.

[Beardo the Bearded]

One time I got a call from a guy trying to sell a travel service. I try to be polite, since my wife did telemarketing to get through school.

"How often do you travel?"

"I can not leave the country at this time."

"Uh, okay, what about your family, kids?"

"They are quite young, so they wouldn't travel without a parent."

"Okay, what about your wife?"

"I have been advised by my lawyer not to answer any questions about the whereabouts of my wife."

"..."

"..."

"You, uh, you have a good night sir."

Re:Can you blame them?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm going to setup a VM with a desktop showing me raping Shiva, shooting and dismembering a cow while holding the Pakistani flag and taking a shit on a set of cricket stumps. The audio would be interesting.