Microsoft Windows Virus Scam

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Original Message Added : 4 May 2012

hi, my mrs shouted me to the phone ,yesterday, a guy with an african voice said i'm from microsoft we have noticed you have been on your pc this wk and we have a report off a virus on your computer ,i so oh yes ,he said we will remove it from your pc for free, he started to ask about login details ,at that point i new it was a scam ,i said how can you remove my virus ,he said he could remove it from his pc ,so i told him that was strange that microsoft had a report ,i was running apple mac ,and then the phone went dead ,i wouldn't fall for that but i think an old couple would be taken in. hope this helps ,

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	Philip Rawson from New Dawn Plumbing and Heating
Location :	Doncaster
Joined :	08 April 2008
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	2 ( 0)

Reply : 9 May 2012

This has made my day!

Nice one for saying you had a Mac, genuis!

Yes, this is clearly a scam - there is no way Microsoft (or any organization) will be notified is your machine is infected with a virus.

Stay well away.

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	Matt Clarke from Kyno Web Works
Location :	Dunstable
Joined :	25 April 2012
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	5 ( 2)

Reply : 27 May 2012

There's a slight variation on this scam doing the rounds. The caller says that they have noticed that your internet access is slow. This is invariably true as the scammers target areas that are known to have poor broadband connectivity - such as my local area to the west of Edinburgh airport. They claim this is due to spyware infesting your windows machine. They will direct you to various files on your machine with obscure names and claim they are malware, despite these files being legitimate. They then offer to fix it - for a fee.

I've had a few of these as well. I try to keep them on the phone for a long as possible while they direct me how to fix it. A difficult task since all my computers run Linux.

Unfortunately, because of this poor internet performance I've had a number of local clients contact me recently having been duoped by this scam.

As mentioned previously, no legitimate company will contact you in such a way. Tell them where to go.

If you do get stung, inform your bank immediately as well as the police.

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	Alistair Hamilton from BetamicroSolutions
Location :	Kirkliston
Joined :	26 May 2012
About :	IT Support consultant of some 20 years standing specialising in helping small businesses maximise their IT use.
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	27 ( 5)

Reply : 7 Jun 2012

I've heard reports that these miscreants are getting more inventive. This time they are threatening their targets with hefty fines and the only way to avoid breaking the law is have the caller 'repair' their computer.

It goes without saying that this is nonsense. Preying on the fears of their target is the MO. Just put the phone down and don't give them any details.

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	Alistair Hamilton from BetamicroSolutions
Location :	Kirkliston
Joined :	26 May 2012
About :	IT Support consultant of some 20 years standing specialising in helping small businesses maximise their IT use.
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	27 ( 5)

Reply : 20 Jul 2012

Have had the same call often they claim to bt from BT.

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	John Cowan from Spirit Motorsport Ltd
Location :	Norwich
Joined :	01 December 2010
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	4 ( 0)

Reply : 27 Sep 2012

This one is still about, my partner's parents (who aren't tech savvy, but have got themselves into the computer age just about) up in Scotland got called by 'Microsoft', told they had a virus, and that for £50, 'Microsoft' would guarentee they would never have a virus again. A good deal, they thought, and so paid up happily. Week or so passes, and they get another call, "Hi, I'm from Microsoft...I think somehow a scammer has gotten hold of your computer using a virus...oh, they called you? My gosh...that sounds like the scammer! But we are the real Microsoft, and for £100, we'll ensure you never get a virus again, and we will protect your computer from scammers so they cannot access your details". They ummed and ahhed about this one before telling my partner who facepalmed and got them to cancel their card.

They are a little shamefaced by the stern ticking off they got from their son, but luckily they only parted with £50 rather than more - the cheek of the scammer phoning back for more cash is insane! Definitely not cool targeting senior citizens either :(

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	Armadillo Pets from Armadillo Pets
Location :	Farnham
Joined :	20 July 2012
Contact :	Send Private Message
Posts :	6 ( 2)

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