"Windows Technical Services"

[Chewy509]

Hi Guys,

I just had one of those phone calls from "Windows Technical Services" (aka pc support scams), and managed to get my personal best of 34mins before they hung up on me. That was after they started abusing me, saying I couldn't speak English correctly, that they would cut off my Internet connection, and a few others... (This according to local media, is a typical MO, they get abusive if they don't get their own way pretty quickly). The person (heavy Indian accent) stated they were not Microsoft but an independent 3rd party to advise MS customers that their PC are having problems.

While I wouldn't normally post something like this, I thought I would give a heads up on the different tools they tried to use to remote in:
1. TeamViewer
2. Ammyy Admin ( http://www.ammyy.com/en/downloads.html )
3. Supremo ( http://www.supremocontrol.com/ )
4. TightVNC
5. SV Remote ( https://svremote.jaxhealth.com/Citrix/xenapp/ )
6. specview ( http://www.specview.com/html/remote.html )
and there was a fifth one, but can't remember it exactly...

The script basically was, use Win-R to bring up the run command dialog, and type "eventvwr" to open up EventViewer to demonstrate that several errored events. I claimed I have "Program not found" error. The person tried several times, and I clearly stated (and he repeated to me) that I when I click on the Windows Icon / Start button, that it read "Windows NT Workstation". (This is one of their catches to pick up from being reversed scammed, if the person says Win95/Win98, they know they are being reveresed scammed). Note: "Windows NT Workstation" is displayed on NT 4.0 Wkstn. He also asked me what was in the Start Menu (and admittedly I did a quick google image search to get this right), and as NT4.0 and Win9x start menu are slightly different he fell for my deception. He also didn't pick up on NT version either...

He than had me try the different tools, I went as far as accessing the sites, but didn't actually download the software, as he kept probing on what I saw on the screen. I would say I would click on Run, and that the programs all would say "incompatible version, require at least Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8". He didn't manage to pick up on the NT version... Until I actually mentioned NT 4.0 was before Windows 2000... (about 25min into the call). The strange thing was he never questioned the browser I was using?

Anyway, I started probing him about his location (London, but not London, UK), his qualifications (apparently a Bachelor level degree). He then started getting abusive, at which I just said, "Well if you're going to be rude to me, I'll just hang up as you not giving very good customer service", and he quickly changed his tune to keep me on the line... He even questioned me on if I was just playing with him, and I got around it by being a little submissive and stating that I just wanted to get my pc fixed... Then towards the end, he finally clicked that I was describing an old computer, and he clearly stated that "it's illegal to use old computers on the Internet, and I must purchase a new one or I'll be arrested", and that he had no option but to shut off my Internet connection within 24hrs... I hit back on the old PC being illegal one, asking exactly with Australian law I had broken, and he just kept restating it was illegal....

I then asked him if he could shut off my Internet connection (he couldn't tell me my ISP, nor if I was ADSL, Cable, 3g/4g mobile or Sat), the what was my IP address... He read out some numbers, (which IIRC are not in APNIC ranges), and I said he was wrong, I was on 172.16.253.9... He laughed and said he had me now... (Hint 172.16.x.x is the private class B range). I just playing along until all of a sudden the line went dead... he hung up... I guess he finally realised...

 

[mangyDOG]

Love it. I never have the patience to string them along for more than a couple of minutes.

Well done on the PB!

Cheers,
mangyDOG.

 

[time]

That is awesome! :bow:

 

[Mercutio]

Was he asking if you had those programs installed? Was he trying to get you to install them?

I've never gotten one of those calls but I know probably dozens of people who have. At least here in the US, the common pattern seems to be that people who get the calls tend to be over 60 and well off, which makes me think they're working from something like an AARP mailing list, but I suppose it could just represent the demographics of people who still have land lines.

 

[LunarMist]

I'm not understanding the issue, though it seems you enjoyed being disingenuous.
Is the goal of the scammers to hack your computer or sell you something useless?

 

[jtr1962]

I'm sure one of these people called me at one time or another but I never pick up numbers I don't recognize. If someone calls from the same number more than a few times they have the "privilege" of being added to my block list so my phone never rings again when they call. Here's a better solution as my phone system can only block 20 numbers (and I may get one myself):

http://www.digitone.com/

The nice feature about this is you can block entire area codes. This nifty feature means I can not only block all the usual 800, 888, 900, etc. area codes which are always scammers but I can block area codes from parts of the country where I don't know anyone, and hence anyone calling from these area codes will be a scammer. Another feature is automatic blocking of spoofed caller IDs like V46874949. I honestly feel the only way to finally kill off telemarketing for good will be for phone service providers to implement some sort of universal block list. If you get a junk call, you press a series buttons like maybe *1000 to inform your phone service provider that this is a scammer. The number gets added to their list, and henceforth that number is blocked from getting through to anyone. It won't take long before these telemarketing firms get nothing but dead air when they call people. Telemarketing is a scourge which we should have nipped in the bud before it got widespread.

 

[Mercutio]

Both. The scam is incredibly common, international in scope and I suspect they scam less savvy people for at least hundreds of dollars on a regular basis. I probably hear from one or two people a week who get those calls.

 

[LunarMist]

Then towards the end, he finally clicked that I was describing an old computer, and he clearly stated that "it's illegal to use old computers on the Internet, and I must purchase a new one or I'll be arrested", and that he had no option but to shut off my Internet connection within 24hrs... I hit back on the old PC being illegal one, asking exactly with Australian law I had broken, and he just kept restating it was illegal....

:rofl: Illegal? That is really funny.

 

[LunarMist]

Both. The scam is incredibly common, international in scope and I suspect they scam less savvy people for at least hundreds of dollars on a regular basis. I probably hear from one or two people a week who get those calls.

I guess they missed me.

 

[Bozo]

If you add the three tones that precede the "This number is no longer in service" to the very beginning of your answering device, the scum bucket calls will disappear in short order. Something like "beep, beep, beep, please leave a message" works great.

 

[Bozo]

Microsoft finally doing something.

 

[Chewy509]

Was he asking if you had those programs installed? Was he trying to get you to install them?

Trying to get me to install them...

The reason I posted the list, I know a few of you do tech support for bothn small/large companies and knowing which tools they are using, you could block the use of the tools on the PCs...

 

[Chewy509]

I'm not understanding the issue, though it seems you enjoyed being disingenuous.
Is the goal of the scammers to hack your computer or sell you something useless?

The aim is either:
1. Install some PC Support software that randomly crashes the PC, and you call them with Creadit card details to get it fixed... (Several hundreds at a time).
2. Install keyloggers to gain access to online banking and email systems.
3. Install other malware and since they have direct access they can turn off/modify AV to not detect the malware. (SPAM gateways, tor nodes and proxies, etc).

The top 2 are the most common though.

 

[Chewy509]

I've never gotten one of those calls but I know probably dozens of people who have. At least here in the US, the common pattern seems to be that people who get the calls tend to be over 60 and well off, which makes me think they're working from something like an AARP mailing list, but I suppose it could just represent the demographics of people who still have land lines.

We get them call about once a month, and they seem to be using the public phone book to obtain numbers, names and addresses... The calls are typically mid-day when most office workers are at work... hence I why I guess you see a lot of older people getting hit by the scam... There was one reported event here in Australia, that the other person was so absuvise and threathening, the 80yr old women who took the call, called the police immediately and basically broke down on the phone to them due to the death threats she received for not co-operating...

 

[Chewy509]

If you add the three tones that precede the "This number is no longer in service" to the very beginning of your answering device, the scum bucket calls will disappear in short order. Something like "beep, beep, beep, please leave a message" works great.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to work in these cases. The problem is they are using an automated dialer and only places the call through to an operator if they get a pickup on the other end and the pickup talks and says active for a number of seconds. (This is a telltale sign of a scam call, you get nothing but silence for 5 secs before they speak).

 

[snowhiker]

I honestly feel the only way to finally kill off telemarketing for good will be for phone service providers to implement some sort of universal block list.

1) If the phone companies lost money because of telemarketing, telemarketing would not exist.
2) Plenty of criminals/assholes willing to steal from people to make money.
3) Plenty of good, honest, TRUSTING, folks who will fall for scams.
4) Telemarketing/email-scams/phishing/malware, etc, etc will continue to exist.

 

[Bozo]

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to work in these cases. The problem is they are using an automated dialer and only places the call through to an operator if they get a pickup on the other end and the pickup talks and says active for a number of seconds. (This is a telltale sign of a scam call, you get nothing but silence for 5 secs before they speak).

The computer doing the dialing hears the tones and your message, flags your number as being out of service then moves to the next victim. The answering device counts as a pick-up.

 

[Howell]

I had one of those calls the other day. He talked to me for a few seconds including telling me that that if he doesn't help me my computer may crash.
I told him I wasso glad he called because my computer had already crashed. He hung up on me.

 

[snowhiker]

I guess I could Google, but is there any pre-written scripts floating around I could follow if I ever got one of those calls? I have nowhere near the technical knowledge of most/all of you here and I could never pull off what Chewy did. LMAO.

 

[jtr1962]

You could try the Arnold Schwarzenegger Soundboard. When they ask info about the computer, respond with "My CPU is a neural net processor". Lots of choice phrases there you can have fun with.

 

[LunarMist]

I had one of those calls the other day. He talked to me for a few seconds including telling me that that if he doesn't help me my computer may crash.
I told him I wasso glad he called because my computer had already crashed. He hung up on me.

I'd say the computer has an SSD, so how can it crash?

 

[sedrosken]

LOL at everyone above. But seriously, as to the browser you could have used on NT 4: Apparently, HTML5 works mostly okayish on Seamonkey 1.1.18/19/20pre on NT4/95/98.

Err, scratch HTML5. But everything else should mostly work? I dunno, I dont have a copy of NT4 handy to test.

 

[Mercutio]

NT4 would leave you stuck on something derived from Gecko 2.0 like Kmeleon or else whatever misbegotten Opera release.