Imagine if some unknown person rang you up and said there is a problem with your TV and it needs to be fixed immediately. How could they possibly know? They couldn't know could they? So the caller is playing a trick on you. The caller is a scammer. Don't say anything. Just hang up.
It's the same when an unknown person calls you on the phone saying they are from the Windows Technical Support Department; that your computer has been infected with malware and they will fix it for you. The caller is a scammer. Hang up immediately.
Here's how they operate:
First they help you locate and run a program called eventvwr.exe which is already installed on your computer. Then they ask you to scroll through the listing and look for all the warnings and errors (see video below). These are just a normal part of the computer's operating procedure and they mean absolutely nothing - but the scammer tells you that these are the malware programs that are slowly destroying your computer.
Now that they've got you worried they send you to a website (often it will be www.support.me) and show you how to download a program that will enable them to analyse your computer and fix all the problems.
In fact the program gives them complete control of your computer and they set about stealing any files that contain passwords or banking details or credit card information.
Then they tell you they can fix your computer for a fee of $140 as soon as you give them your credit card number - and once you have done that they change your computer's password so that you are now locked out and cannot use it anymore.
By the time you find a genuine repairman to get things back to normal it is too late - your bank account has been emptied and your credit card number is being used by criminals all over the world!
So the rule is clear: when someone phones to say your computer is infected with malware, just hang up.
It's the same when an unknown person calls you on the phone saying they are from the Windows Technical Support Department; that your computer has been infected with malware and they will fix it for you. The caller is a scammer. Hang up immediately.
Here's how they operate:
First they help you locate and run a program called eventvwr.exe which is already installed on your computer. Then they ask you to scroll through the listing and look for all the warnings and errors (see video below). These are just a normal part of the computer's operating procedure and they mean absolutely nothing - but the scammer tells you that these are the malware programs that are slowly destroying your computer.
Now that they've got you worried they send you to a website (often it will be www.support.me) and show you how to download a program that will enable them to analyse your computer and fix all the problems.
In fact the program gives them complete control of your computer and they set about stealing any files that contain passwords or banking details or credit card information.
Then they tell you they can fix your computer for a fee of $140 as soon as you give them your credit card number - and once you have done that they change your computer's password so that you are now locked out and cannot use it anymore.
By the time you find a genuine repairman to get things back to normal it is too late - your bank account has been emptied and your credit card number is being used by criminals all over the world!
So the rule is clear: when someone phones to say your computer is infected with malware, just hang up.
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Not everybody wants to immediately hang up on the scammer however. My brother (for example) likes to tease the caller by pretending to be a doddering old man who has no idea what is going on. No matter what the scammer says, my brother changes the subject and starts talking about the time he lived in New Zealand, or the holiday he had in 1976, or the trouble he is having with his neighbours, or how his grandpa fought in France during World War I. He just goes on, and on, and on - and the scammer stays with him because he is thinking "This silly old fool is just the chump I'm looking for. If only I can get him to listen for a couple of minutes I will be able to get all his money." The scammer perseveres because he really thinks he has a sucker on the line. Sometimes it takes twenty or thirty minutes before he realises he is being ridiculed!
I sometimes say, "Please wait for a moment, I'll have to put you on hold." Then I turn on my radio and put the phone on the desk beside it and leave it there while I go about my business. I don't know how long they stay 'on hold' before they realise that I'm not coming back.
Most of the scammers begin the conversation by claiming that your computer has been sending a large number of error messages to their server. They ask if you are aware of that - and when you say "No," that's when they tell you it is a malware problem that needs to be fixed.
Now think about this: If what they say is true (and it's not true) then they must know your computer's IP Address - because how else could they identify your computer? If they didn't know it was your computer then they wouldn't know that they had to call your phone number would they?
So when the scammer starts his spiel, just ask, "What is my IP Address?"
More often than not you will hear a click as the scammer hangs up on you. He doesn't know your IP Address and your question has indicated to him that you know what is going on, so he hangs up on you and goes looking for a less knowledgeable sucker.
Some scammers will try to avoid answering the question but you must not let them do that. Don't let them change the subject. Ask them again, "What is my IP Address?" As soon as they realise you are going to insist on an answer they will just hang up. The call will usually last for less than a minute.
Update Oct 28, 2015
Last time I asked the scammer for my IP Address he said he wasn't legally allowed to repeat IP Address but he could give me the identity number of my computer. I just hung up. You should do the same.
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Most of the scammers begin the conversation by claiming that your computer has been sending a large number of error messages to their server. They ask if you are aware of that - and when you say "No," that's when they tell you it is a malware problem that needs to be fixed.
Now think about this: If what they say is true (and it's not true) then they must know your computer's IP Address - because how else could they identify your computer? If they didn't know it was your computer then they wouldn't know that they had to call your phone number would they?
So when the scammer starts his spiel, just ask, "What is my IP Address?"
More often than not you will hear a click as the scammer hangs up on you. He doesn't know your IP Address and your question has indicated to him that you know what is going on, so he hangs up on you and goes looking for a less knowledgeable sucker.
Some scammers will try to avoid answering the question but you must not let them do that. Don't let them change the subject. Ask them again, "What is my IP Address?" As soon as they realise you are going to insist on an answer they will just hang up. The call will usually last for less than a minute.
Update Oct 28, 2015
Last time I asked the scammer for my IP Address he said he wasn't legally allowed to repeat IP Address but he could give me the identity number of my computer. I just hung up. You should do the same.
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