Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Watch out for Phone Scams claiming to be from Microsoft

I got one of these calls today and after I contacted Microsoft about someone impersonating their customer service and read up about these kind of scams, I thought I'd pass along what I learned.

Some man called me this morning claiming to be from the Microsoft Windows Help Desk. He knew my name and my street address. He said that someone had attacked or hacked my computer and that he was calling to help me fix it.

I knew it was a scam from his unprofessionalism, the fact that he sounded to be calling from inside a warehouse, and the fact that Microsoft wouldn't know about problems on my computer, let alone call me about them. Another red flag was that the man was calling from a "private number" which didn't show up on my caller ID.

Apparently, these scams get you to pay for their customer service, or "security software" (malware in disguise) or they get you to go to a legit sounding website which THEN takes over your computer.

If anyone calls you claiming to be from a major corporation like Microsoft, your bank, or credit card company, asking for personal information -- DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM! I know this is common sense, but apparently there are people out there who are more trusting than me. Get as much information as possible about them, the person's "name", which company they are supposedly calling from, a contact phone number (and/or website address), and report them to authorities immediately. Contact the company (using a phone number you got separately from said phone call) and let them know that someone is trying to scam their customers.

I'm personally on the Do Not Call list and don't give out information to anyone who calls me unsolicited. You should have heard what I said to the person calling on behalf of my local congresswoman recently WHEN HE CALLED AFTER 9PM! Needless to say, he won't be calling back.

I'm really steamed about this, because they called at the same time as someone responding to one of my resumes and because of that, I missed the other phone call.

Microsoft gave me a link listing reporting agencies in the USA, Canada, and the UK: Avoid Phone Scams article

Thanks VirginiaR, will pass this onto friends and family.

I got one of those scam calls while subbing in an office last summer. I'd heard of the scam before, but what immediately tipped me off was that the office used Macs. (Also, all tech problems are handled by the school district's tech department, who call either from an internal line that identifies the caller or from their cell phones, which all have a local area code.)

When I informed the scammer that I knew what he was up to, he tried to insist that Microsoft is now fixing problems on Macs. I laughed rudely and hung up on him so I could answer legitimate phone calls.

When I get one of those at home if I'm not doing anything I let them help. My record for keeping them on the line is about 20 minutes. It's amazing just how long it can take for me to get to my computer, boot it up and figure out what they mean for me to do :-)

If they're talking to me they are not scamming anyone else.

Cute about the Macs. I'm forever getting calls from people with an Indian accent clearly in a large building. I tell them I don't have a computer. They can't do anything but hang up then.
r/
Artemis

I love this solution, Artemis! Genius!

I was getting these A LOT about five months ago. I tried telling them I didn't have a computer. I tried telling them I have Macs. (We're a PC family.) I tried telling them I was reporting them to the police. I finally resorted to using a LOT of, shall we say "colorful" language when they would call. That seemed to do it, along with screening my calls as best I can. (Sometimes they would call as a "private" number, which I had to pick up because that's how my in-laws come up.)

Hi DC,

If your mother-in-law is willing to dial *82 before dialing your number (and the *82 can be programmed into her speed dial setting for your number, if she has one), callerID should work with her phone number. *82 is the sequence in the US to lift caller-ID blocking on a per-call basis.

Joy,
Lynn

Not sure if that will work in their case. FIL is a psychologist who sometimes has to use his home phone for calls, so I think they have their number blocked all the way around. I do know *82 though - I have to dial it when I call my mom because of the phone block.

In any case, if I suspect that it's a spam call (in-laws almost never call during the day, usually at night when hubby is home), I let the machine get it. No message? It's spam.

My husband got one of these calls recently. He told the guy that we use Linux (we don't), not Windows, and the caller promptly hung up on him.

In my opinion, Microsoft could put a quick end to these spam calls. If they actually started offering a call-at-home service, there'd be enough disasters that people would be appropriately wary.

I had an issue with MS Access and, in desperation, I called the Microsoft helpline (for $5 a minute). I was working on a deadline and for some reason the database wouldn't display correctly. Worked OK but I couldn't display it on the screen or print. Microsoft's first suggestion was to reformat the computer. When I laughed at the tech, her second suggestion was to reinstall Windows, followed by reinstall MS Access. Waste of time and pushed my blood pressure higher than it should go.

My husband got this a few months ago. The guy on the other end told him that his computer was sending spam and viruses out and they were getting notifications of it. My hubby asked ... "Oh, is it doing it right now? Can you see it?" The answer was "Yes".

My hubby then revealed that his computer wasn't even turned on!