Microsoft Shennanigans

[Preacher]

So while I may certainly paranoid, is it justifed here? because something weird happened.

I got a call from somebody claiming to be from Microsoft. They said that they're computers had been reciveing alerts that my computer had been infiltrated by Malware from sites like facebook, youtube and flash games and that I had to follow her instructions to rectify the situation. Starting by going to my computer and pulling up the command prompt.

Three Problems with this:

1) My computers version of windows hasn't been registered

2) I haven't downloaded anything, except stuff from Steam, GoG, etc. And last time I looked, YouTube doesn't do viruses, I could very well be wrong in this respect

3) Shes asking me to go into the command prompt and find something called the Windows User License Number, or something to that effect, the line was garbled so I didn't get all of it, but why is someone from windows asking me to do this

Is this a thing that happens? or am I being unduely paranoid? I should mentioned I told the lady to call back another time with the excuse that I'm moving house, so shes most likely going to call back and try the same thing

[Darkobra]

Scam. Give her nothing, take from her everything.

[SilPho]

Definitely, definitely, definitely a scam.

Never hurts to be overly sceptical of something that seems out of the ordinary.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

I'm getting these calls A LOT recently.
Be paranoid and assume it's a scam. Not your fault that they're trying to warn you through suspicious methods.
What you stand to lose if it's a scam is greater than if it's not.
Doesn't help that the callers have what I assume are Indian accents.

I keep getting messages left on my answer phone of a few seconds of silence. If they REALLY wanted to get into contact with you for legitimate reasons they'd leave a message. Since they don't it means they're being cautious. Why would Microsoft want to be cautious when trying to HELP their customers?

I thought I was the only one being PISSED off by the dicks.

[Geoff_B]

Very much a scam. One of the other ones like that is someone rings you up (sometimes Microsoft or another reputable company) telling you you have a virus on your computer. They direct you to go to a website and download a utility which lets them have remote access.

If you are silly enough to do this they then tell you that you need a certain anti-virus program which will cost a lot of money.

The problem is that there are a number of people who, through lack of experience, are silly enough to go along with it.

And anyway when has Microsoft ever actively tried to be helpful like this?

[Preacher]

I was going to say. Anything out of the ordinary. So that means if Microsoft sent me an email I should scrub it with no less than 12 anti-virus programs because Microsoft is attempting to communicate with a customer

[Geoff_B]

Oh yes. And make sure they're non-Microsoft affiliated anti-virus scans. You know, just to be sure.

[SilPho]

Words to live by:
Unless the message comes directly from a virus scanner you have personally installed or someone you personally know, never trust ANYTHING that says you have a virus.

[Elomin Sha]

You know what I'll tell them.

[Geoff_B]

Along with never click links from a source you don't trust implicitly and never give out details to a person over the phone when you did not initiate the call.

[Darkobra]

I remember someone phoned my mobile. "Hi! We're from O2! We'd just like to confirm your bank details to continue your contract!" I'm not even WITH O2.

"Can I have your name please?"
"Mark."
"... Your FULL name please?"
"...." *click.*
"That's what I thought."

[Cybertrash]

Read about this, we've been getting quite a few of these calls at work, which is a bit problematic considering a lot of our users are pretty damn ignorant when it comes to technology, they'll believe anything you say to them.

As far as I know, Microsoft has no way of checking if your computer has been infected. Whilst Windows is capable of sending data to MS's servers, there is no constant "uplink" to them, they don't monitor your system. Even if they did, I highly doubt they'd call anyone who had a virus, considering the amount of infected Windows machines out there...

[Drinnik]

Next time say you have a Mac.

[Preacher]

Next time say you have a Mac.

...

Yes. Just Yes.

[empath]

Words to live by:
Unless the message comes directly from a virus scanner you have personally installed or someone you personally know, never trust ANYTHING that says you have a virus.

Along with never click links from a source you don't trust implicitly and never give out details to a person over the phone when you did not initiate the call.

But yeah, total phishing trip with that call.

I'd have started asking more questions until they hung up:

"Really? Well, which logical drive is the virus on?"

"Since you've been notified by my computer, what's my cpu make and speed?"

"Shouldn't you already have my 'User License Number'?"

"What's my first and last name? My mailing address?"

and if they really hung on the call through all this,

"Where's the nearest branch of the Better Business Bureau from where you work?"

[Smeghead]

Yeah, there have been warnings about people calling you claiming to be from MS even here, so I'm gonna put my vote on scam

[Gollom]

So while I may certainly paranoid, is it justifed here? because something weird happened.

I got a call from somebody claiming to be from Microsoft.

I got this far and stopped. I knew how the rest of this would play out. It's scam. It's always a scam. Microsoft WILL NOT contact you out of the blue. They just won't. They couldn't if they wanted to (they don't!). Your computer does not generally tell anyone not sitting in front of it it that it has a virus, or any kind of error. At worst, you opted in for Microsoft's "User Experience" thing, so your computer might be sending anonymous usage statistics. Certainly nothing Microsoft can trace back to your specific machine, much less you as an individual.

At least they've gotten smarter about the scam, though. The two calls I got were both from "The technical department at Windows". I laughed, called the first guy an f-ing idiot and hung up. Then felt bad because I was really hostile towards a guy who probably doesn't understand that what he's doing is a scam, it's just a pay cheque to him. Oh well.

But anyway: treat all unsolicited calls and emails claiming to be from any company (especially if you do business with them) as a scam. They will not usually contact you unless you ask them to.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

They know my surname...

[Master Gunner]

Not hard to get. Companies sell/trade around "mailing lists" quite frequently. If you've ever subscribed to a magazine, signed up for a store membership, or really ever put your name and any contact information on a piece of paper, it's up for sale.

[empath]

That's why you tell 'em you've got a Mac next time they call.

[Deedles]

So while I may certainly paranoid, is it justifed here? because something weird happened.

I got a call from somebody claiming to be from Microsoft.

My family got a call like this, someone speaking in English (kind of bad English I might add), which is funny because I live in Sweden.

Mum hung up on them the first time(I think she told them to call back or something, after she'd had time to speak to me and my brothers), and they called again. I answered that time, listened to the female blab something about a virus and needing to check it.

I told her "No thanks, not interested." and she just went stone cold silent.

Then I hung up. It's stinks of scam like a year-worn pair of boxers.

[the_lone_bard]

I got one as well, all the way down here in aus. Was amusing.

[Cybertrash]

My family got a call like this, someone speaking in English (kind of bad English I might add), which is funny because I live in Sweden.

Mum hung up on them the first time(I think she told them to call back or something, after she'd had time to speak to me and my brothers), and they called again. I answered that time, listened to the female blab something about a virus and needing to check it.

I told her "No thanks, not interested." and she just went stone cold silent.

Then I hung up. It's stinks of scam like a year-worn pair of boxers.

They seem to be posing as I dunno, outsourced Indian tech support or something, at least the ones I've heard of have been speaking with a "foreign" accent (which is a funny description considering how most Swedes sound when speaking English...)

[Deedles]

Yup, it was a foreign accent, sounded Eastern, not Scandinavian.

Hahah, yeah, Swedes can sound hilarious when speaking English. xD

[The_Doctor]

I've had a good ten or fifteen of these, they don't seem to get the message.