Slashdot Mirror


Symantec Disavows Business Partner Caught Running a Tech Support Scam (malwarebytes.org)

An anonymous reader writes: Malwarebytes has caught one of Symantec's resellers running a tech support scam that was scaring users into thinking they were infected with malware and then graciously offering to sell Symantec's security software at inflated rates. Malwarebytes played along with their scam and found out the company behind it was Silurian Tech Support, located somewhere in North India. Symantec told El Reg that it terminated the reseller's contract and will work with law enforcement to defend its brand and intellectual property.

30 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The nearly two dozen I've worked with leads me to believe no.

    1. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Insightful

      India has a long history of corruption. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    2. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ripping people off is just doing the needful. Revert this comment to agree or disagree.

    3. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Insightful

      India has a long history of corruption. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

      Must be why U.S. companies are so hot to work with them, the CxO's are happy to find some of their own across the sea -- but too stupid to realize they'll be treated the same.

    4. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Outsourcing is really cheap.,.especialky when you never deliver.

    5. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You have to do background checks. We dodged several bullets by simply confirming employment info. They have no problem lying on resumes.

    6. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I work in their building in Belkevue, WA, and it's sad to hear them brag about ripping people off.

    7. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They just don't have Western ethics.

    8. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      But Google says they have a 4.5 star rating with numerous positive custome reviews!

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    9. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And anyone who leaves India automatically gets a PhD!

    10. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by davester666 · · Score: 2

      that problem is for the next CEO.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    11. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by antdude · · Score: 2

      Are any companies honest ANYWHERE today?

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    12. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Bert64 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Cheap outsourcing gets you your bonus and increases the share price.
      When the outsourcer fails to deliver you've already taken your bonus and moved on, and the shareholders have sold on their shares for a profit. The resulting downsides are now someone else's problem.

      That's the whole problem with todays economy, it's geared up to encourage short term thinking.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    13. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by Bert64 · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately many people who have lived all their lives in english speaking countries also make frequent english errors...

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    14. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by ruir · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It seems you do not use linked.in and facebook regularly. As a non-native speaker, - and mind you my tongue and grammar is radically different from English - it irks me people educated in an English speaking part of the world have systematically such a weak English. It really seems they do not care about it. And do not get me started on the sorry display they make of themselves when using technical boards.

    15. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      However, it is still only US English and therefore not far off.

    16. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Funny

      And even more especially when you write "Specially" because you do not know any better. Please do a world a favor, and stop using the "Internet".

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    17. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      It's even worse - they're also using the British/UK spelling - "favour". Add that to the American slang "Specially", and it has to be some dumb Canuck. :-)

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    18. Re: Are ther any honest companies in India? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      No - not if you've been following the twists and turns of businesses trying to work in India, where if you don't grease every palm you run into exponentially increasing bureaucratic delays. It has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with a country with an ingrained culture of corruption. Add in that the caste system is still alive and well (just ask any of the 160 million "untouchables") and nobody should be surprised. Just because it's illegal doesn't mean anything - law in India is in many cases not worth the paper it's written on.

      Then again, what do you expect from a country where it is perfectly legal to rape your wife and where female genital mutilation is an open secret?

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    19. Re:Are ther any honest companies in India? by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      "Flamebait"? Really? Simply a fact when I Googled them.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  2. Watch out for those Silurians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They better check for tunnels underground, too. And maybe a blue police box.

    1. Re:Watch out for those Silurians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They better check for tunnels underground, too. And maybe a blue police box.

      Actually they should have been called the "Eocenes" but the other name had already stuck.

  3. Re:Stoopid bathroom policies by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

    Just go in the kitchen sink.

    People will agree to go back to the bathrooms pretty quickly.

  4. Silurians by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 2

    Aren't they the reptilian` lizard people?

    1. Re:Silurians by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Aren't they the reptilian` lizard people?

      And the Sea Devils!

  5. Terrible scam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Selling people symantec to get rid of malware? Sounds like using grape juice to get a spaghetti stain out.

  6. What about Germany? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's not only India, as we are finding out Germany is the same. I am not talking just about VW, big scandals for example with weapon manufacturer kickback and corruption or even Siemens running all sorts of illegal dealings in Greece and then Germany refusing to extradite the people responsible etc...

  7. Anti-virus software is our savior! by jetkust · · Score: 1

    Let's all say a prayer and offer our faith-based donations to the church of anti-virus.

  8. Re:surprised by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nonsense.

    1) The "surprised?" nods to the high likelihood that tech support scams originate in India. This is true.

    2) The problems of corruption in India are about local business culture, not race.

    I tread the line between the SJW and the bigot which means I tend to get flak from everywhere. In this case, I'm going to say that India is a ridiculous place to contract IT/software development work, with the exception of a few reputable (and much more expensive - hardly worth it) firms. As hippies like to remind us, not all cultures are the same and European culture is not always best. For example, a lot of India's political problems stem from its weird legacy of Empire English institutions exploiting existing feudal infrastructure. So, we can put a bit of blame on the English. But rather than finding a balance, India's gone from protectionism in the '70s through to neoliberal bullshit since the '90s - the former prevents development, while the latter encourages short-termist irrational selfishness.

  9. Even Dell computer had the same problem by destinyland · · Score: 1

    A Dell customer service rep phoned me, told me the model numbers on both my computers, described issues from my support history seven months earlier -- and then tried the exact same "infected with malware" scam.

    http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/20...

    I think the only thing that will change this may be more news coverage of how common this is -- to the point where companies like Dell and Symantec have to reassure their customers that this will no longer be happening when you purchase their products.