Microsoft scam

[pietpetoors]

My mother received three phone calls today.
It is very strange telephone numbers, does anybody perhaps know what type of numbers these are?
The numbers are:
001109
001114
001217

The scam is actually very funny. The caller says he is "The owner of Microsoft" and that there is a serious problem on Windows which will cause windows to crash.He then says he is there to help and ask that you go to your computer and follow his instructions.

I guess their aim is to let you give them access via remote desktop to get your info. Luckily my mom is clever enough to tell the guy to fly somewhere.

But anyway, those numbers, that must be special kind of telephone numbers. Who use such small numbers?

She phoned telkom to ask but they have no clue.

[Mud Dog]

Yeah it's a scam .... can't remember how it works but yes they want access to your info on your PC. Had a couple of those calls last year. IIRC they ask you to log onto a site that has "Microsoft" in the URL so as to make it sound legit .... the site either loads a worm or directly interrogates your system for bank details and passwords from your keystrokes ... something like that.

At the time I asked my ISP about it and they told me that it was something like the above scenario. One of the callers I told to go hopping and that I'm not falling for their stupid scam - he swore at me and hung up.

[Vlak vark]

Same here. Also had a call last year around. told the wife that there was a problem with windows 8 and that her laptop would explode. the strangest thing off all is that i bought her laptop about a week earlier. Seems like they have inside info.

[pietpetoors]

Did they call you on your landline phones or mobile phones?
Do you use ADSL or 3G?

[Thabogrobler]

001 is from the good 'ol Usa!

[Mud Dog]

Mine were landline calls and I have an ADSL connection. I recall that two of the calls were made by someone that sounded 'eastern', like Indian or Paki, one was male the other female. Come to thionk of it, the female also rattled something off in a derisive tone and foreign language after I told her that she was mistaken and that both my computer and ant-virus were healthy.

[Froll]

My wife also had a few calls on the landline, also got quite nasty when she told them to stop calling with their scams.

[Vlak vark]

mine was on the wife's cellphone and i have 3g. the telkom line is off 10 off the 12 months of the year. :evil: :evil:

[Family_Dog]

They called me too, told them I used Linux so why are they bothering me?... ;)


-F_D