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Listen To a Microsoft Support Scam As It Happened

Posted by samzenpus on from the can-I-trust-you? dept.

itwbennett writes You know full well that Microsoft will never call you and ask to "access your computer" to help fix a problem. Yet this is a ruse that many unsuspecting computer users fall for and wind up with their machine hacked. CSO writer Steve Ragan, turns the tables during a phone call with a scammer — and he records it all for us to hear. Do yourself a favor and play it for your parents.

10 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Funny thing... by stazeii · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Had one of these (and only one)... told them I only had Mac's at home, and the guy got belligerent and said I was lying, then finally after telling him that over and over for a good minute he basically said FU and hung up. Can't imagine what they'd say if I said I only ran Linux, or something really obscure ("Sorry, I only run OpenVMS"). =D So yeah... guess their scheme falls over pretty quickly if you don't have a Windows box...

    1. Re:Funny thing... by fermion · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It is for stuff like this I wish that phones could record calls. We really need a change of laws. When a business calls and intimidates people, we really need a record.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    2. Re:Funny thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The best thing you can do is to talk to these people and swear at them... for every minute that you have them on the line, they're not scamming some's Gramma.

    3. Re:Funny thing... by BUL2294 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      (IANAL) In Illinois, and likely most other states, if you believe that a crime will take place during the recording of a phone call (and this does likely count as a felony), you can record it without permission of the other party. In addition, you are shielded from prosecution for breaking wiretapping laws & your surreptitiously recorded evidence can be used for prosecution.

      --
      Windows 3.1x calc: 3.11 - 3.10 = 0.00
    4. Re:Funny thing... by HappyHead · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Another good trick to use is to pretend you're trying to follow their instructions, and that it's just not working.

      Tell them your virus scanner is giving you alerts, they'll think you're a really good target. If your phone has a 'mute' option, ask them to hold on for a second because you've got another call. Come back within a minute or two, and if they're still there, lead them on again. Never let on that you aren't actually following their instructions, never let on that you know it's a scam. As long as they think they've got you hooked, they'll keep trying. As soon as you reveal that you're not buying into their lines, they'll cut bait and look for someone else to scam.

      That's the big difference between the major scammers like this, and the ordinary telemarketers who just want to sell you things you don't need while you're trying to eat dinner - the scammers are allowed to hang up. The regular telemarketers aren't, and you can spend an hour telling them all about the coffee cup sitting on your desk.

    5. Re:Funny thing... by jp10558 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I feel the same way about Macs - they have issues with SAMBA, they can't run lots of software I use, and for lots of the FLOSS I use they don't have a useable installer - or when they do, it fails to do something critical.

      For instance, Fusion Inventory Agent. On Windows, run .exe with configure flags. On Linux yum install RPM and give conf file. In this case, it's all set up, and will check in every 24 hours, and grab all other settings from the server.

      On Mac? lol for the longest time you couldn't get it to install. Last time I tried, it installed, but only ran on boot. No way to get it to run every hour or whatever. Of course, I'm not a Mac guy, but I didn't need to do anything beyond software install + config file on Windows or Linux so . . .

      Puppet? Run MSI with installer flags. yum install rpm with conf file. On Mac? It installs as the user, who, even when admin, doesn't have permissions to run systemwide, or run on a schedule.

      So now I still can't really manage the macs like I can Windows and Linux.

      Snark over - it's what you're used to. There are problems with all OSs...

      --
      Opera, Proxomitron-Grypen,GPG 0x0A1C6EE3
  2. These guys call me every few months... by H0p313ss · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... and depending on my mood I have several strategies;

    1. Just tell them you only have Linux, they'll hang up immediately.
    2. Musical hold, put the phone next to a speaker and go on with your life.
    3. Tell them you have several computers running various Windows versions, which one did you mean... do you have a hostname or IP address so I can narrow it down? You don't? So how do you know it was my machine again? Really? ... So can I speak to your manager. (So far I've never got a manager.)
    4. Pretend to follow along with their instructions, honestly the most time consuming and least satisfying.

    But the problem is not with us, it's with Joe User who for some reason is unaware that Microsoft isn't phoning everybody. Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.

    --
    XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
  3. My parents laugh when they get this call by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My father used to run ubuntu now hes on fedora. My mother has been on a mac for the past 5 years. There is no windows in their house. When he gets the scam call about problems with his "windows" he tells them he doesn't have windows, only doors. It takes them a second to figure it out and then they hang up. Its pretty comical, and if more grandma's grandpa's had linux desktops this wouldn't be a problem. All they ever use the computer for is checking email and surfing the web anyway, if you guys haven't moved your parents off of windows by now, shame on you!

  4. Re:Which computer? by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It saddens me to see what kind of amateurs and dazzlers muscle into the ancient trade, if not art, of grifting. A professional would have said something akin to "Hmm... sadly I only have one set of data here and it doesn't say exactly what it is but from what's installed that would be a ... laptop?" Chances are that you have a laptop and maybe only one.

    Ah well, heavy sigh... But then again, everyone who perfected the art of sweet talking, telling people what they want to hear and at the same time making them fear the world as they know it comes to an end if they don't listen to him and pay him for it has long since moved on into consulting. More profitable and even legal!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. works in linux too by mejustme · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Maybe 3 years ago I played along with such a caller. I run Ubuntu, but didn't say anything to them about what o/s I was using. When he asked me to visit a web site and download a Windows file from a web page, I laughed inside, thinking nothing would happen. I downloaded the .exe from a throw-away Ubuntu VM I had. Unexpectedly, Ubuntu downloaded Wine, installed it, then ran the .exe file. I was both impressed and scared that Ubuntu had done this automatically to run the .exe file. This resulted in a completely empty Windows (Wine) desktop, to which they of course quickly tried to connect. I kept "accidentally" disabling their control, so they could only look. When I finally gave them access, they were very confused that it had none of the usual Windows applications and menus they were expecting to see, nor did their usual password changing and locking work. More and more people on their end of the call were talking on the phone, trying to figure out what was going on.

    After nearly an hour on the phone, I had enough and told them I was a software developer, and they hadn't scammed me. They swore at me and hung up. Immediately, I got a phone call from someone else saying he was calling to help me unlock my computer for a fee. Obviously as soon as they lock a desktop, they must trigger something in their call system so someone else calls back to earn some money.