BS: A new phone scam?

Subject: BS: A new phone scam?
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 07:13 AM

Some of you may have already encountered this - but it's new to me.

I've received a couple of phone calls lately from men with Indian accents. They introduce themselves with English names ('George', 'John' etc.) and ask me if I have a computer? They then ask me if I know that my computer could be corrupted by viruses and other malware (Oooh! No. I had no idea!)? They then invite me to switch on my computer so that they can help me to 'fix' it over the phone ...

Now I'm sure that no Mudcat member is likely to fall for this one ... but just in case ...?

I wonder if this is happening because anti-virus software, anti-malware and firewalls are getting stronger, and more impenetrable, and bad people need to find a new approach - just as car thieves are having to find new ways of stealing cars because locks and security devices are getting stronger?

Subject: RE: BS: A new phone scam?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 08:48 AM

Thanks for posting, Shimrod. It will be interesting to see how common this is.

I haven't had such a call here in the U.S. Midwest.

Subject: RE: BS: A new phone scam?
From: Amos
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 09:58 AM

WHy would anyone invite an unannounced and uninvited stranger to work on their computer over the phone?


A

Subject: RE: BS: A new phone scam?
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 10:16 AM

"WHy would anyone invite an unannounced and uninvited stranger to work on their computer over the phone?"

No-one I know, Amos. But whoever's behind this must think that there are enough dumbos out there to make it worthwhile.

By the way I asked the caller exactly the same question - before I told him to f**k off!

Subject: RE: BS: A new phone scam?
From: GUEST,PeterC
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 02:59 PM

As I screen all my calls through the answerphone I don't get things like this. If it was widespread I would have expected a thread on webmasterworld by now.

Subject: RE: BS: A new phone scam?
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 03:16 PM

There's another scam going the rounds in Britain which involves somebody pretending to be from the HSBC Bank. It's rather more plausible than some of the others and it works like this.

The phone goes, a businesslike voice tells you that she needs to ask you a few non-urgent questions about your account. "First I've got to take you through the security questions. The first half of your postcode is XXXX. Can you tell me what the other half is?"

"On yer bloody bike Missus. My postcode is not one of my security questions."

Useful tip. The chances are that the miscreant party won't have withheld their phone number. This seems to be a useful way of gaining your confidence. If they haven't withheld it, try googling it. If it is a scam, there is a strong likeliehood that you will hit a message board where other people are complaining about the same number.