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Tech Support Scammers Used Victims' Webcams To Secretly Record 'Testimonials' For YouTube (gizmodo.com)
A team of scammers sneakily filmed dozens of Australians by remotely accessing their webcams, then uploaded those videos onto YouTube, according to Australian news outlet ABC. From a report: The victims were reportedly lured in through a false tech support operation. One victim, Geoff Sussman, told ABC he looked online for a service that could help him download Adobe software. He says he was duped by a fake Adobe support page claiming to provide "Support for Adobe Australia," and called a 1-800 number on the site. The number led him to an operation called Macpatchers, which told him he had a virus and asked him to download software to give them remote access to his computer. This is a common scam technique, but Macpatchers seems to have taken it a step farther and asked him to read a script that appeared on the screen, claiming he was pleased with the service. Unbeknownst to him, Macpatchers were accessing his camera, and recorded the statement. The group then reportedly uploaded the video to YouTube along with the videos of 68 other victims -- a chorus of fake testimonials recommending the service. A man who describes himself as a "scam-baiter" uncovered the operation and shared his finding with ABC. He told ABC that Macpatchers recommended he check out their reviews.
I have a relative who fell for a "free Microsoft service" scam. (No cam here.) The family eventually had to lock their credit and bunches of other headaches because of stolen personal info.
He fell for it for two reasons. First, he's up there in age and not so clear-thinking these days. Second, he's a cheap-skate and didn't want to pay for real service. The idea of "free" always made him giddy, even before his marbles started slipping away.
Table-ized A.I.
Need we say anything more?
but Macpatchers seems to have taken it a step farther and asked him to read a script that appeared on the screen, claiming he was pleased with the service. Unbeknownst to him, Macpatchers were accessing his camera, and recorded the statement. The group then reportedly uploaded the video to YouTube along with the videos of 68 other victims -- a chorus of fake testimonials recommending the service.
If you are willing to perform like a trained monkey, I'm not sure anything can help you.
This shit is so evil as to be ... actively funny.
Hey, you know what else would be funny? Tracking down the muppets that pull this crap and breaking their knees on video. It'd be a great testimonial for the baseball bats used. "See, they smash over and over without splintering! Buy Sweet Revenge brand baseball bats today!"
A truly excellent pizza parlor is a delight unto the heavens. Treasure the sauce and the toppings!
The tech giants strive to make things as easy to use as possible, to increase their target audience to include the lowest common denominator of intelligence.
These people are completely lacking in Internet street smarts. They do not have the critical thinking capacity to know how to smell a scam, how to avoid copycat sites, etc. It is dangerous for them to be let loose on the Internet.
As a lifelong PC user, I recently used my dad's iPad...the browser won't even show you the URL you are accessing. Why in God's name???
How come this is less and easier work than making money legitly? Anyone?
I have a hard time understanding how someone could think that reading something out loud would be a vital step in fixing a computer.
The other part is how much Adobe support sucks. I tried to unsubscribe from Photoshop and there was no way to do it online. I had to call their support center. The rep told me I had to wait until twelve months had passed from the sign up date, and I would only have a month window to cancel renewal.
Who allowed us to get to this point. Then the tech company CEOs who helped make the necessity of it believable. Then the developers who implemented it because their fat paychecks were more important than their morality.
After we've gotten that far you can start beating on the citizenry for either voting these schmucks in, not educating themselves in regards to tech, or for falling for these scams.
It's beatings all the way down.
The part that weirds me out the most, they read the script out loud?
I mean, they didn't think the webcam was on, and they were asked to read a script which supposedly no one could hear. But they read it out loud? And not even in a mumbling, under-their-breath voice, but a clear enough voice with convicing emotion that could be used in a marketing video? When they thought no one could hear them?
Jesus Fucking Christ. This clown did everything but drive over to the scammer's house and hand them cash. Is it really a crime to take money from someone this gullible?
I had a spare VM image lying around when they called my parents. Was curious what they actually 'did'.
Got me to download LogMeIn and guided me to Event Viewer. Pointed out "red crosses" as signs of a virus. They then proceeded to poke around the PC, occasionally firing up Regedit, and just generally looking through folders.
At the end of the process, I explained I'd just been following along as I was curious what the patter was, he attempted to delete My Documents, My Pictures and My Music, and proceeded to swear at me for wasting his time.
https://downloads.tomsguide.co...
#DeleteFacebook
My mother-in-law was hit with this one. As her "tech support guy", I then had to reformat her PC. They're very slick in gaining people's trust. They ask them to download the software and then read all their stored passwords out to them. Not only is it the money, but it also makes people feel stupid to anyone who finds out they fell for it. It's only going to get worse - what will happen once scammers can emulate other people's voices really well? What about fake photos too? Should old people no longer have a phone?
The ABC article includes a screenshot of the scam site, which is riddled with grammatical errors. The victim featured in the article is said to be a Professor of Medicine.
Further proof that education does not equal intelligence and that age does not confer wisdom.
Also worth noting that the victim is pictured using a Windows PC, not a Mac as the name of the scam outfit - Macpatchers - would lead you to believe.