The Tech Support Scam
I had a phone call the other day from the ‘Online Windows Technical Support’.There was the normal slight delay as the auto-dialer connected me to ‘Veronica Parks’ in some call centre in Asia so I was already suspicious.
Anyway, back to the story.
Apparently they had received a report of errors on my computer that may result in the loss of data and my programs failing. Shock! Horror! I asked for confirmation on who they were and they became the Microsoft Help Desk. They then asked me to turn my PC so they could diagnose the problem.
I don’t have one of those things on my phone that tells me who is calling so I asked for some details about the company. I got their phone number and the name of the business (Online Tech Guys). She faltered a bit when I asked for the name of the owner but carried on with the script.
A quick Google and I had their website in front of me. Very dodgy looking. She blathered on about them being Microsoft certified which apparently made it all legitimate.
At this point I gave up and told them I was reporting their scam. The poor lamb at the other end of the phone just didn’t get it and still wanted me to hand over control of my computer to their support team.
I’ve reported them to Action Fraud.
The worrying thing is that Mum and Dad just won’t know it’s a scam. They are trusting people and would just do as the caller tells them. I don’t even really blame the call centre, it’s the people behind the scam that need locking up. But they are hidden behind multiple layers of protection.
Here’s what others have said as well:
Got a call today. Very good. Even when I told them I knew it was a scam, that I worked in law enforcement and would be paying them a visit. Kept going down the line of giving me their address, contact number, telling me they knew other people doing this were scammers, even giving me. String of numbers that apparently is my computer ID. Told me they were acting under the DPA 1998 section EX. Not wobbled for a minute when I quoted the act back at them. Eventually tried to scare me that unless I let them do it I would be liable for everything illegal that happened using my computer, and that the call was being recorded as proof to be used in court.
What’s really annoying is we are told to report them to actionfraud but the company behind the scam (onlinetechguys) are still in operation. But since the government can’t even fix the big national frauds (AKA tax evasion) I doubt they even care about scam phone calls like this.
I got this. Very sharp. Asian told me they were at 14 Hanlver Place, Mayfair. Some asked him what restaurant he like there. He did not miss a beat and spouted out a name. It didn’t exist of course, but boy are they sharp. And pushy. Mine said he was calling from BT.
Get as many as three calls in an hour,all with Asian accents. They are just a pain in the arse. Last time I told them I was recording the conversation with a view to going to harassment
but the soon hung up on me. If the cannot give you a valid address hang up on them.
I got a call from them. They changed script part way through from saying they were Microsoft certified to it being OK with Norton. I told the lady I was reporting her to the police for scamming. I did report it, the police said as nothing had been stolen there was nothing they could do. So I sent an email to Watchdog.
I had then on the phone again today. I asked them for a company address and they try to give you one in London which I know its an address linked to Microsoft. I asked where they were calling gettin and they said America and when asked for an address they gave one in Salt Lake City. I have not looked up this address yet but I’m sure it is likely to be linked to Microsoft. The supervisor I spoke to flustered over the addresses as well. He also told me it is impossible to gain remote access to a computer because technology was not that good? House the heel did he expect to check my PC for errors and malware? Idiot! He got upset when I eventually told him I wasn’t going to tell him anything asking me why the hell I’d kept him on the phone
I regularly get these twerps. Sometimes I string them along but it’s getting a bit boring now. My favourite was when I pretended to be a computer illiterate 80 year old with an old incontinent dog that needed letting out every couple of minutes. It was a hoot but I eventually hung up. They then rang me back so I told them that my younger 75 year old brother was dismantling the computer so he could kill the bugs. This resulted in another half hour of happy banter
My Partner was scammed by Online Tech Guys 2 weeks ago much as above. They seem to have a credible website and UK phone number but they are crooks. Quite why the police and trading standards can’t take action against them or their web & phone providers I don’t understand. I got my £420 scam cost back from my c.card, but not the cost of sorting out my PC. Mike
The worry is a lot of elderly people are taken in by this scam. I help out a pensioner with IT problems and he got caught, and he considers himself to be quite savvy. I reported the business more than once and as you say nothing seems to ever happen. But at least this blog post comes up if you search for their name.
I get these calls a lot. If I have the time I string them along as much as possible, but that’s getting boring. I usually ask for their company details and they end up hanging up the phone. If I have to end the call I tell them I am a computer programmer and that it is a scam. End of call. I’ve noted the action fraud link, thanks.