Scam Alerts

[warrydailey]

Caution: Telephone Scam I believe a notice needs to get to all Microsoft users, as a company who solicited me (but say they are not selling anything) only had my street address & not my mailing address & my last two computer purchases were from HP. There is a company in Los Angeles (possible ID is Computer X Spot GK using a phone # of 323-522-5336) who say they are not selling anything; "they are the authorized Microsoft rep" & there is a serious issue w/the O/S. They ask you to go to your computer & log on with them, but I refused to do that & told them to mail the info to my address of record, which was not the street address they gave me. My telephone & DSL provider has received several complaints & advised me that the "scam" is to get you to allow them onto your desktop in order to fix the so-called Microsoft problem & they install a virus they can fix for a fee. DO NOT LET ANYONE GET ONTO YOUR DESKTOP THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.  This is not referring to your HP Tech Support, but from 'UNSOLICITED' spam or telephone scams.  I contacted the FTC and recommend anyone getting a call LIKE THIS to go to WWW.FTC.GOVor PHONE THEM AT 1-877-382-4357 to file a complaint.  It is these type of people who 'prey' on people who are too trusting and end up with a crashed computer and unnecessary problems for their future.  Please know this has apparently been going on for some time, but the FTC needs pressure to bring this SCUM to the reckoning point for their SCAM hobby.  I have notified HP, but recommend users to be forewarned & notify any unsuspecting friends of this problem.  Tks...Warry

[TheOldMan · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the alert, as people need to be aware of this scam!!! 

Might I add that once the scammer has access to the PC for whatever they claim to be doing, that your and your data are in jeopardy of ID theft, bank account loss and credit card info being stolen.

Never, ever allow a caller where you did not intiate the call, to have access to your PC.

[warrydailey]

This is excellent point, but even today there are people (like me) who use software but hardware issues I leave to the experts and fortunately I have my nephew and 2 brothers who are pretty savvy. I also received a reply from Microsoft directly and they also believe in doing business the right way - which is the only way it should be done. Those who deposit worms on computers ought to be residing with them at ~6' under; they could also become fishermen for a living...ha...warry

[skyrocketer]

Thanks for sharing! I felt obligated to post because I got a call like that, too. The scammer told me that they detected a virus in my system and that my system's about to crash.

But as much as the scammer wanted me to panic and allow him access to my computer, I realized the scam right away. Why not? I don't have a Windows OS in the first place. I got a MacBook Pro.

And besides, the caller said his company was Windows. But we know it's not a company name. Rather, it's the OS introduced by Microsoft. 

[skyrocketer]

So what I did was report the phone scam to the local authorities and also showed them http://www.callercenter.com/402-875-9195.html where several complaints were posted, associating the phone number to this fake Microsoft/Windows scam call. 

I also filed a complaint with the FTC in an attempt to shut the scam down.

[warrydailey]

Thanks for acting on this; I often feel alone in making a difference, so it is refreshing there are still people in America who care about doing the "right" thing despite economy and the times.

[Uncas]

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To Warry,

When I got my first HP desktop last July 2012, I started to get similar bogus ‘support’ calls.  I immediately surmised due to accent and background chatter that were originating from an overseas call center from none other than the Asian subcontinent (India)!

Secondly, these telephone calls started when I first called HP for assistance in late June 2012 and my telephone number is unlisted and unpublished. Therefore I have now removed my telephone number in the personal contact information from HP’s support page PERMANENTLY!

It’s bad enough that HP outsources some of their online support to overseas call centers so why should you have to deal with annoying and unsolicited telephone calls?  Incidentally, since the bogus calls began in mid-July 2012, I no longer speak to overseas (Indian call center) HP support staff when I have an IT issue. Instead, I'll usually wait until 10 am EST on the weekdays to speak to someone from HP in North American who I find are more proficient, professional, and can speak and comprehend Basic English. It's nothing personal, it's just business

So welcome to the wonderful world of HP Support.  If you still get these bogus support calls for Windows, demand to speak with someone from HP Corporate (Palo Alto) by contacting HP support during recommended weekdays and times above.  And a few ground rules to remember:

Rule #1, never contact HP Support via telephone at any time but except 10 AM to 6 PM EST Monday through Friday.  If you call them later during the weekdays or on the weekends, you will always get someone from one of their overseas (Indian) call centers.  Personally, I consider these ‘overseas’ techs about as useless as ‘fart in a wind storm’!  Not only do they not know what they are doing, they can screw you up big time with your computer and take down so many rabbit holes it will make your head will spin. 

Rule #2, Remember Rule #1!

Hope this helps.  Incidentally, I just got another bogus support call again today (my first since last September 2012) so it time to start  BANGING THE DRUMS!  I thought HP fired these little pukes but maybe they just moved them around.

[angiejones720]

Hi,

I've just received a phone call supposidly from Microsoft claiming that my computer has a serious virus and that I needed to turn on my computer for them to help me get rid of it. He sounded Indian and I've had these types of phone calls b4. How do I remove my phone number from the site so they can't contact me as my phone is ex directory as well? I'm also with TPS but I've been told that it doesn't work if the phone call was made overseas!

Hope you can help

Cheers!

[Uncas]

Angie,

For the record and to report old news, the ‘bogus’ telephone calls have effectively ceased! And thanks to an article published in the Guardian and subsequent interviews with Edward Snowden in June 2013 that revealed the National Security Agency has been collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. Verizon customers in bulk.

Although I was not surprised but alarmed by the news, I guess my ‘littlefriends’ in the overseas call centers got ‘spooked’ and maybe just as well.  It seems sometimes, things work out for the best, eh?

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. – Albert Einstein

[angiejones720]

Hi,

Thanx for the reply. that's nice to know, although some are still filtering through because my mum has had three in the last month claiming her computer is faulty. I've had a couple in the last couple of months. P'raps they're getting few and far between. Let's just hope they are! Thanx for the info again.

Kind regards

Angie