Internet Provider support scam

[Bravo Delta]

First time I have had one of these

The technique is to ring you and tell you they are from your ISP and that their servers have been flagging up many errors on your internet connection

Your Computer will have many errors that need deleting

They will give you a false account number to try and trick you into believing it is your ISP calling , knowing not many people have this number to hand

They will get you to run event viewer to show you errors , then try to use delete on one of them , when you cant ( you cant this is normal ) they will say they will help you to fix it , and then try and get you to run team viewer. DANGER !

If you request an e-mail for the details, the caller will be keen to get the fixes done before the E-Mail as you won't be abe to fix it yourself

99% sure this was a scam I wondered what they would try and get me to do

Passed on to a 'supervisor' as I could not understand the callers very strong offshore accent I followed the instructions to do the harmless access of the Error Viewer , but he then asked me to run team viewer -100% its a scam

I am PC literate enough to know teamviewer is a remote access programme and I tell him I know what this is and am not prepared to run it so he says ok he will E mail the details ( still waiting surprise suprise )

Log on to my ISP account , my account number is not what they quoted and I report the attempted scam

Funny thing , get a call 10 mins later from same original caller , think she has forgotten to cross me off the scam list , she goes through the same patter , then I ask her what my account number is - phone cuts off when I tell her it isn't my account number

[cymaz]

Thanks for the info

[Bob Burton]

I usually get those sorts of call from "Microsoft Support"

I have 2 techniques for dealing with them depending on how buy I am at the time of the call.

If I am busy I just tell them that it is a scam and put the phone down.

If I have time I keep them talking. It is surprising how long my PC can take to boot up when they ask me to start it, even though in practice it is already running. I am happy to look at the Event Viewer when asked and express concern at what I see even though everything is normal. It usually takes several attempts for me to get to the EV as I am, of course, old and doddery and "don't know much about computers"

Trying to get me to connect to a Web site is very difficult for them as I persist in typing exactly what they tell me, or at least I pretend to. Entering a Web address of UUUUUUdotsomethingdotcom never seems to work for some reason. I am often passed on to a Supervisor and we then sometimes start all over again. It is not helped by my need to go to the toilet during the call. In practice I am making a coffee.

My record so far is to keep this going for 45 minutes until I got bored and told them that I knew it was a scam. To say that they were not pleased would be an understatement.

[Andrew Price 2]

A friend of mine, stupidly (naively) let her callers (Microsoft!!) into her pc. Of course they did something which later stopped her logging on. She was told it was a common and simple fault and would only cost her £5 to fix. When going through the payment process, she noticed a number 1689.45. When she queried that she was assured it was just an "account number". She abandoned everything when she realised the "number" was in fact an amount and she was just about to pay it over!! The £60 it cost her to debug the pc was cheap by comparision.

[Peter Miller]

I enjoy these callers. The latest are Windows technical department.

If I am on my Chromebook I keep leading them on and saying, "no. It isn't showing that" If you are lucky you can keep them going for ten minutes.

In the end they ask are you on Windows or a laptop and I say " No. I am on a Chromebook." For some reason they hang up.

If I am on the laptop again I lead them on to the point where they want to take control at which point I say "I know that one you thieving so and so"

For some reason they get upset at that point.

[Dave Hopkin]

Microsoft will NEVER call an end user - even if the BS the scammer is spinning was true, Microsoft simply wouldnt know about it anyway!!!!

[Keith Evans 3]

HI

I had one last week from windows support saying they have been monitoring my computer and that there was a serious fault and that the whole service would be shut down in two hours from now if I didn,t take their advice immediately .

I told them I knew this was a scam , and lo and behold my computer was still running satisfactorily two hours later .

[Bravo Delta]

Interestingly the scammer identified themselves as from my specific ISP , information that can be found in a number of ways , or it was a lucky guess

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Martin Dance 1]

My response to the 'your PC is running slowly' is to ask which of 2 PCs 3 laptops and a couple of tablet devices it is. and I will take it out and shoot it! They always hang up.

[Steve Jeffery]

Why dont we have a little friendly competition

How long can you keep the scammers on the line before they hang up??

I reckon about 30 min is a respectable score - any thing longer is a bonus

[John Privett]

The aspect of claiming to be from your ISP (I bet they don't tell you which ISP!) is a new one on me.

The calls from "Windows support" are a very well-known scam. Have a browse on youtube and you'll find lots of videos of people stringing them along for a bit of fun. The scammers always follow the same path - claiming that they're seeing lots of errors from "your computer" and asking you to run event viewer so they can "demonstrate" the errors, then use teamviewer (or similar) to get on to your machine. After that, who knows?

Bob, I'm impressed with your 45 minutes! Best I managed is just under half an hour. My laptop had to be retrieved from the boot of the car (not really) and then I realised I forgot the charger - also in the boot of the car (not really.) The postman delivered a parcel that I had to sign for (not really) and then I think one of my neighbours popped round for a chat (not really.) I did apologise profusely to the spammer that I found his strong accent very difficult to understand, and got him to repeat most things at least three times. I also had great difficulty finding the "Windows flag" key on my keyboard - silly me, I must have been confusing left for right, or something.

Eventually I ran out of delaying tactics and told him I knew what he was trying to do. He initially maintained that he was genuine but when I insisted he was a scammer he swore at me and hung up. I think I upset him because he wasn't able to scam anybody else whilst I was leading him up the garden path...

Martin - I always ask which of the several PCs in the house is showing "the problem" - they're always very vague with me about which one, you'd almost think it didn't matter which was the "faulty" one!

[trebor]

I had a so called Microsoft caller, I told him I didn't have time and to call back later. Then I tried 1471 and no return number present. Later I got another call and I said I was having my evening meal and call back later, tried 1471 no number. Got a third call from the same chap which dragged on for a while till I got fed up, tried 1471 again and got a uk number. Armed with a number I went onto the police action crime website and reported it. Conclusion, it felt like a waste of time. I never heard anything back.

They threaten me by cutting my computer off somehow and I just say carry on scammer. Our landline is registered in a different name so when I ask them to supply me with the Microsoft version user name they always get it wrong and I end up having an argument with them. It's got to the stage we've been thinking of getting rid of the landline and just use mobile phones as you can lock unwanted numbers for free.

[John Privett]

Trebor - any number that 1471 or a caller display device shows when these scammers call is almost certainly faked anyway. The ones I've had invariably look at a quick glance like plausible numbers but actually have the wrong number of digits.

[Andy G.]

I now have BT call guardian, which filters out these calls, but before that I used to string them along with a number of ploys to waste their time and money. I think my favourite one went along these lines... Phone rings and we go into the usual preamble about errors on my PC. I go along, pretending to be not the sharpest tool in the box. The woman caller asks me... is your pc operating under Windows? I answer,.... Well, it was, but the sun shines on the screen so I have moved it near the door now and it's much better. I hear that... stupid boy sigh and she asks me again, so I repeat the same again! We do this about 6 times before she realises i'm taking the Mickey out of her. The other approach is turn the convo around, take the lead and ask all sorts of irrelevant stuff, like where are you based, what's the weather like, or if you're bold enough.... MMM You sound nice... what are you wearing? .......................I'll probably never go to heaven!

[Bob Burton]

How well does the Call Guardian deal with calls from hospitals and GP surgeries which withhold their number ?

[trebor]

I wish I was more expert with computers as I would send them the mother of all viruses if they tried messing with my laptop.

[John Roberts 9]

This is quite a well known scam but a while ago I discovered a new variation on the methodology employed.

I had a broadband problem which I reported to my ISP (BT in this instance) who said they would look into the problem and get back to me. Later in the day I got a 'phone call from someone claiming to be my 'internet support engineer' and that he was responding to my 'computer problem'. He was able to quote some information about me, my account and the problem I had reported but there were enough gaps/mistakes in his knowledge to make me very suspicious. He was plausible & polite at first but he bluntly told me to 'Go Away' (in rather more forceful terms!) and slammed the 'phone down when he realised he had been rumbled.

My strong suspicion is that some of the call handlers in the support centre were passing on information to their scammer friends. This valuable information makes it a great deal easier for the scammer to persuade you that they are genuine. Beware!

As I recall the fault I reported turned out to be a BT network issue and nothing to do with my PC or router etc.

[Jon H]

Team Viewer is a great program which i have used to help my girlfriend and others fix/setup computer bits. Its a freeware program anyone can download and install. It is typically used by computer nerds and is not something microsoft would ever need and your isp couldnt give a monkeys if your pc is bricked as long as you pay for the internet.

So beware for sure, entertain yourself by keeping them hanging on as long as you can, and then once done with that go to youtube and watch people who really know how to manipulate computers get their own back by turning the tables by ruining the scammers machine.

It has to be said that i wont accept any call from anyone claiming to be anything. If i get a call from my internet provider, from my phone provider, insurance, bank, anything i refuse to discuss whatever it is they want to talk about and will call them back from a number i have on a statement or policy or whatever. So far i have had one legit call and countless bogus ones all detected using this strategy and the bogus phone numbers were reported to the fraud dept of each of real company the scammer was claiming to be a part of.

Edited By Jon Harper - Laser Engines on 07/09/2016 10:36:43

[Andrew Price 2]

Andy G. It's all in a good cause and I suspect you may well be granted a special dispensation when your turn comes to visit those pearly gates!! To be safe, however, my advice is to try not to be seen to enjoy such naughty talk too much!!

[Andy G.]

Posted by Bob Burton on 07/09/2016 08:10:55:

How well does the Call Guardian deal with calls from hospitals and GP surgeries which withhold their number ?

Bob, it depends how you do the initial set up. There's various levels of screening for calls. Calls from known numbers in your phone memory come straight through, with other numbered calls you can set it so they are asked to announce who they are, the phone will then ring and you will be told who is calling, you then choose to ... answer this time,, always accept from them, or always reject the call without you even knowing they called. Pretty much the same thing applies for withheld numbers, except of course you shouldn't blanket ban withheld numbers otherwise the needed ones can't get through.

Edited By Andy G. on 08/09/2016 08:26:59

[Phil 9]

I saw the title and thought this was a thread about SKY customer support

[Bob Burton]

Thanks for the explanation but it sounds like a mixed blessing.

"Microsoft Support" call and withhold their number. They are asked to announce who they are, which they do, and the 'phone rings and you answer it. You hear what they have announced and decide to continue or not.

It seems to me that you might just as well have answered the call in the first place. If you decide not to proceed then you have the satisfaction of being very rude to them or leading them up the garden path as several us have done when we have the time.

[Peter Miller]

Hey folks. I have just got a new laugh out of these gentlemen.

I have had a mass of calls telling me that people are trying to break into my router and that they, the "gentlement or women" can fix ot for me. The usual garbage.

The other day just for a laugh I was called and they siad that they were from my internet provider etc. etc

I said that I didn't understand why they were calling me because I was with Sky. They then transfered me through to the "Sky service"

Now I get regular calls from the "Sky service provider" telling the same old guff.

They get a very short sharp answer. I think I may next say that I am with an Australian internet provider and see what happens

[John F]

The problem with this is that they get more and more info from you; it's akin to the films whereby they keep the person calling talking about stuff and, eventually, will be able to trace them.

We've had several security briefs over the years and the best advice is simply to hang up. If you get chatting or try to be clever with them then your details are often passed on in lists as a potential con.