'Microsoft' Scam Callers Arrested After Years of Terrorising the Technically Challenged (gizmodo.co.uk)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Those shameless scammers that cold-call people pretending to be from Microsoft and demanding money after walking users through supposed problems with their computers? They're going down, it seems, with four people arrested in the UK for enabling the rip-off. City of London Police and Microsoft, the real Microsoft, have been working together for two years to trace the operators of the scheme, with the four people -- two from Woking and two from South Shields -- arrested on suspicion of fraud. Although the calls were found to originate from India, the investigators found that the scam was allegedly being run out of the UK, with the poor overseas callers working from scripts and, presumably, not really aware they're doing anything hugely wrong.

Comments

Of course the callers were aware

[Anonymous Coward]

They'll lie their asses off when they call. Of course the poor overseas callers were fully aware it was a scam.

Re:Of course the callers were aware

[mbadolato]

Oh ok is that why when I'd mess around with them pretending I was looking at my computer they would immediately call me a motherfucker that was wasting their time and hang up?

They called my mother...

[Anonymous Coward]

How the hell does this kind of thing take years to track down?

Right.

[cheesybagel]

I got a phone call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft and that my computer had a virus. Which was... interesting to say the least. Considering that I never gave Microsoft my phone number in the first place. The guy on the phone line had the most ridiculous accent.

Best way to deal with these scams

[mwvdlee]

The first few times I tried talking to them, then I tried calling them liars.
But I found the best way to deal with them was to just say nothing and mute the phone; it wastes their time, but not mine.

Re:Queue

[Hognoxious]

Please do the needful of knowing *queue* and *cue*, then revert if you have one doubt.

Really?

[jenningsthecat]

First, I find it hard to believe that there's only one group of scammers running th Microsoft Support con. Second, TFS says "the poor overseas callers working from scripts and, presumably, not really aware they're doing anything hugely wrong". From my many experiences with these callers, I would say that they're VERY aware that they're at least pretty far over on the shady side of the street. Some of them I wouldn't want to meet unless I was armed, judging by the things they said after I strung them along for a few minutes by describing what I was seeing on my Xubuntu machine... :)

Re:Really?

[mdpowell]

Yeah, saying they are "presumably, not really aware" is BS. I'm not sure why the post's author felt compelled to express sympathy for people perpetuating a scam that takes advantage of vulnerable people. The people who both manage and make these calls are criminals, and they should pay for their crimes with whatever $ they have and loss of freedom. Sympathy should go to the victims.

I engaged one of these guys once who for whatever reason would not hang up on me. He was articulate and seemed quite intelligent. I called him a scammer and a criminal who should be in jail. I told him he should be ashamed to face his family. I told him to get an education and a real job. He claimed he was going to school in preparation for the merchant marine, which I agreed was a real job. He eventually admitted he was a scammer. He was totally aware of what he was doing.

Not the only ones

[spaceman375]

The business model has proven itself lucrative. Do you really think they're the only scammers in this global town? The shakedowns aren't limited to windows users; they use IRS and tax collection scams most often, but any possible billing is fair game to scammers. They prey on old people, immigrants, and minorities just because they are more vulnerable.

At least two other "organizations" are already running this fake microsoft scam. It's just another revenue stream to them.

Re:Queue

[Hognoxious]

You could argue that the moon is made of cheese, but you'd be wrong about that too.

Be careful; they might combine their scams

[knorthern knight]

Hello; this is Rachel at Tax Services. We understand that you got a free upgrade to Windows 10. Because it was free, there is a gift tax payment outstanding. Either you or your attorney must call us immediately at 1-800-xxx-xxxx to settle this outstanding bill or else you will face immediate arrest. We only accept payment in Itunes cards.

Re:Fun Game

[slide-rule]

My favorite encounter (on behalf of the M.I.L. whose phone they called) was about 45 minutes. The pattern from previous calls is they want you to type "(win)+R" to then launch event viewer, because OMG all the errors they'll show you.

So I stymied them for over five minutes when I explained my keyboard didn't have that little windows key on it.
Oh, yes, I know what it looks like, my neighbor's PC has one, but I don't.

Then after some mention of "this thing is awfully slow, I'll have to restart it" (setting the phone down) was more minutes of his life gone. Then accidentally hung up half way through a sentence. They actually called back. Then allegedly the kid was having a meltdown, very sorry sir I have to check, but I'll be right back, and I do want these problems taken care of. Et cetera.

The jig was up after I "tried" to download their remote control software, but my (IE, allegedly) said site could not be found. (I was instead googling the error message to simulate a 'dialup modem not connected' scenario that they'd have to walk me through. You know, stay a step ahead.)

Finally Dave's "manager" cursed at me and said that I had ample time to get this to work and that I was wasting their time. A realization that was honestly 30 minutes too late. (Oh, no calls since.)

Re:They know what they are doing is wrong...

[Dan Ost]

"Hold on while I boot my computer. I'm glad you called because it's been slow lately."

Then I mute my phone, set it down, and continue on with my day. Eventually they hang up.

Easy way to stop this sort of scam

[buss_error]

There is a fairly easy way to stop all kinds of scams like this.

Issue "Fraud cards" to LEO.

What, might you ask, is a fraud card? It's a special card that will stop a merchant account. Shut it down. Scammer calls a undercover LEO or their call is forwarded to them, LEO gives them the number, and as soon as it hits the card processor, it locks the merchant account and triggers a fraud investigation into that merchant account.

Full stop.

As for checking, that would be a tiny bit harder but not insurmountably so. Bit coin I doubt much could be done about it since the point of crypto currency is to avoid LE as much as possible.

Re: Fun Game

[Dutch Gun]

You wasted 30 minutes of your life on this? Let's never mind the fact that it's your *life* you wasted and look at from an economic standpoint. You make how much per hour? Indian in call center makes how much per hour? I don't see how you are winning.

I'm guessing he counted that in his "entertainment" time allotment.

In any case, I'd prefer to call this a "public service" rather than a "waste of time". Those 45 minutes he forced them to spend was 45 minutes they could NOT spend scamming some other poor soul who might be genuinely bamboozled by these scum.