Microsoft virus phone scam

This morning I had a phone call from a guy with a strong Indian accent claiming to be calling from Microsoft in London saying my computer was sending out viruses.

As an ex Call Centre employee I'm instantly suspicious. Its pretty obvious from the jumps on the line he's not in England so I challenge that fact and he lies to me saying he's in London. I tell him he's an unsolicited and unwanted cold call and hang up on him.

No surprise it takes 3 or 4 attempts to break the connection and get a dial tone. A few seconds later the cheeky twat calls back asking me why I hung up on him, he asks if I use Internet Explorer. I tell him I haven't used IE in 5 years and that I use Firefox, he continues to persist that my computer is sending out viruses and that if I go to Google he can show me.

I inform him I am behind a firewall, have plenty of anti virus software but the guy stubbornly persists. I say if you can prove my pc is sending viruses then send me an email to prove it. He says we dont have your email address. I say but your Microsoft, you should have it.

By this time I'm just too annoyed to talk to him any more so I tell him hes a cold call, unsolicited which is illegal and I'm hanging up on him and if he calls back again I'll take legal action. Again it takes several attempts to break the connection (which is always a sure sign of an illegal scam call) but finally I get a dial tone and try 1471 only to get exactly what I expected "The number was withheld", they didnt call back again.

Afterwards I Googled and it turns out these people get you to connect to some program to hijack your machine and steal your bank details or charge you to run anti virus programs for crap they install on it. I guess a less technically educated person might have fallen for it. All I can say is BE CAREFUL!

Saturday 2nd Oct 2010 12:20pm
And guess who called me again? Another thick Indian accent claiming his name was Paul claiming to be from the "Microsoft Technical Department" telling me my computer needed and update.
I said "Did you know its illegal to make cold calls?", his voice wavered as he insisted he was from Microsoft.
So I said "Did you know its illegal to impersonate Microsoft", his voice wavered even more as he insisted he was from Microsoft again.
So I reply "I bet your not" and then HE hung up on me, obviously it was a caller withheld their number after a 1471 so the scam is still being done this maney moneys later.