There is a company calling around town (Windows care online), they will tell you yor internet is slow, and proceed to give you steps to do online. DO NOT follow the steps they are trying to gain access to your online banking and credit cards. Thought I would let people know as I know a couple people who followed the steps, and had to call banks as well as credit card companies to change passwords.
They will also tell you your IP has been suffering numerous attacks and should be dealt with. And, yes, they can help.
Ask them their name - in two different instances from two different people the second they asked for the sales rep’s name = click! Hangup. If they’re too afraid to give you their name, way too shady. Hangup on these people immediately.
Besides, at the very least they call, incinuate your IP is either:
a) Being attacked (it’s not)
b) Slow (It’s not - but of course it IS CityWest)
c) Exposed to security risks and is broadcasting virus’
d) Has a virus
These people are rude and pushy most always with heavy accents asking people to “go to an internet URL.” LogMeIn / Teamviewer? Who knows. Nothing positive would come of people blinding soliciting tech work over the phone.
I had this call last month. Last week I had what sounded like the same type of call except they claimed they were calling from Dell. My worry is that because they are actually a person and not automated, they are probably fooling alot of people.
Something will happen all right. If you’re stupid enough to listen, you’ll be rooted and your bank account emptied and credit card maxed out.
It’s already happened here a couple times, and many people got the call. I tried to file an incident report so the RCMP would investigate but the receptionist wouldn’t pass me through insisting that was a job for PhoneBusters.
So I called the local rag and they ran an article warning people. About five more came in afterwards and told me it happened to them. They had the common sense to tell the caller to F.O.A.D.
Funny commonality was how one guy wit an EI accent was very pushy, and tried to be logical by ending all his sentences with “right?”.
You wouldn’t want to ignore this problem with your modem and let someone hack your computer, right? Your repair shop can fix your computer but as soon as you bring it home the modem will infect it again, right? So you better let us fix your modem right now, right?
One lady came in and I questioned her step by step. Ended up feeling like an RCMP bully that intimidated a bunch of us in Grade4.
Did their number show on call display? - I don’t KNOW if I have call display!!!
Did they get you to do anything? - I sat at my computer and they told me what to do!
Did they ask you to install anything? - I don’t remember?
Teamviewer? Remote desktop? Did they mention those? - I don’t KNOW!!!
Did you download anything? I don’t KNOW!!!
Asked her to bring her system in and I would look at it for free. She never did.
The one I did investigate had been nailed for over $30,000 the call display showed a 555-xxxx number. Her kids had downloaded something and minutes later the phone rang and she was told it was Microsoft and her modem was infected.
Saved and scanned all her files, formatted and reinstalled 3 systems plus all her software and she insisted on a new DSL modem just in case. Made a lotta $$.
Three days later she called about a Kaspersky warning. Let the kids back on the computer!
Good thread! I will certainly let my family know about this. We get so many spam calls as of late that we usually screen all calls.
Caller: “Your computer has been infected by your modem”
Me: “I don’t run Windows, FOAD.”
Heh-heh 
it would be more funny, if they called me, i have all that stuff blocked, i should put a windows machine on my network and do exactly as they want me to…
Fakers are getting sneaky, times are tough so people are looking for good ways to scam people.
Just have to remember Microsoft will never call you, and dell, i know for a fact wont call you… i deal with them 5-9 times a day.
They have called me three times. The first two times I gave my usual response to unwanted calls - “I am not interested” and hung up. The third time went like this.
“How do you know I am having trouble with my computer?”
Incoherent explanation.
“Why don’t I believe you.”
“Well if you don’t believe me you can hang up.”
So I did.
Yeah I owned a Dell once too. Hahahahahahaha!
ask them the company they are calling from again after they have already told you and ask what their name is, after they tell you ask how to spell it, they finally tried to call my house… they hung up oon me after those questions were asked, not to mention they couln’t get my number right and tried telling me that my number was something totally different… lol
[quote=“herbie_popnecker”]
Yeah I owned a Dell once too. Hahahahahahaha![/quote]
I do all the EMC stuff here in town, and all their server & arrays 
Plus all the laptops & desktops.
I used to but they cut their rates and travel years ago. Would’ve spent more in gas than I made! Was like 60-100 miles each way plus time put in for $40. No way!
I get my hourly wage, plus travel time and fuel it’s a awesome job, love laptops & server repairs. Best part, I don’t do ANY software support at all!!!
I wasnt much of a fan of unions before but i like them now that im in one. I get .50c/km. on my trip to mackenzie and home I made 1000.00 just for the drive… gas/food cost me about 150.00 return and the best part is when i turn in my receipts i get the food $$ back.
I really do want to go back to IT work but its hard to find a job with good wages. also on topic… anyone who falls for these scams deserves what they get for a few reasons:
- who the fuck would call you to tell you your computers broken. do people call you to tell you your car is broken? no…
- its been on the news for YEARS how you shouldnt give out information or download things people tell you to on the internet or over the phone nor should you give out your bank information.
3)even if it was real dont be a dick support your local IT guy if you have a problem not some mega corporation.
“even if it was real dont be a dick support your local IT guy if you have a problem not some mega corporation.”
glad your union now, not the local IT guy!
Here’s some info (all fake!) giving an example of what people put up with, this came from a lady who got 7 calls, each demanding more money every day until they got up to demanding $452.00 and telling her the longer she put them off, the harder and more expensive it would be to “fix” her computer.
[quote]Dean Jones
www.bclivesupport.net
support@bclivesupport.net
1-201-399-5899
- domain never registered
- email no good
- phone number Englewood New Jersey[/quote]
of course some of the feeble minded can’t even clue into the “We’re in BC with a 201 area code”, “Your emails to us come back undeliverable - that PROVES your infected”
The last time I had a call claiming to be from Dell I asked them a few questions, location, telephone etc. They were also calling from NJ. I have never owned a Dell computer. What bothers me about these calls is that people that are not comfortable with operating computers will possibly be sucked in. Most know to just hang up when getting automated calls but when there is someone speaking on the other end some might think it is somewhat legit. Called the local RCMP to let them know, they also gave me the instructions to “just call this number for Phonebusters.”
Although I swear by the saying “It’s immoral to leave money in the hands of a sucker”, this scam stoops a little too low for my liking.
Over half the people I deal with are scared shitless about their computer in the first place, and all the media talk has people paranoid. Some douchebag on another site was warning people not to buy refurbished systems without first using a D.O.D. approved drive scrubber “just to be safe”. Tinfoiler…
They just called me! They knew my name and everything. I had a lot of fun with the guy; first I played along for a while, and then I told them…“that’s weird, because I have a Mac” and he sounded kind of flustered and hung up on me mid sentence…