Gotta admit this is a LOL recording of a "Windows Support" scammer
As we all know, there is a massive industry of fake "Windows Support" or "Windows Repair" services. Many of these operate from India. They have various modus operandi. Some simply cold call random numbers at enormous rates, hoping to find suckers who will fall for their "something is wrong with your computer" pitch. Others depend on conversions from phishing emails, or sucker bait websites -- all of which typically display scary "Your computer has been contaminated by viruses and spamware!" notices, and a handy phone number to call for help. Once they've got you on the line, their first step is usually to tell you to go to Google and search for a specific PC sharing utility -- "Team Viewer" appears to be very popular. Once they've got you to install the sharing app, they talk you into giving them control over your PC, at which point you're pretty much well and truly screwed. They'll display fake errors and warnings, and may even start deleting your files or doing other damage. Of course they'll offer to fix you up -- sometimes pointing you at their site festooned with certifications and testimonials. Just enter your credit card number right here! Prices range from $40 or $50 up to hundreds -- and now they've got your credit card info for other fun! Of course, if you're not running Windows, that's a problem for them. It's an even bigger problem if YOU are trolling them and recording the call. And indeed, there are folks whose hobby it is doing exactly this, stringing the scammer along to the max. I've heard many recordings of these, but this particular one (even though it's missing the first few minutes) had me laughing out loud -- for real -- pretty much through the entire recording, especially at the end when the scammers' politeness breaks down into a not safe for family tirade. Enjoy -- but also be sure to spread the word about these scams to your friends and loved ones. And don't let your tea get cold. (You'll see!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOek9LAwuU --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com _______________________________________________ pfir mailing list http://lists.pfir.org/mailman/listinfo/pfir
