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New trojan about to strike???? Got strange phone call

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  • May 19th, 2011 4:11 pm
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May 14, 2008
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New trojan about to strike???? Got strange phone call

Hey everyone,

Have you heard anything of a new trojan that's about to strike? I received a strange phone call about an hour ago, from somebody who sounded like he was in an Indian call centre. He seemed to be blind-calling, as he didn't know my name. He said he was a Microsoft Cert Systems Engineer, alerting me to some scary new trojan that's about to harm my computer "within 24 hours". He wanted me to turn on my computer and go to "www.teamviewer.com". This all sounded very fishy, so I ended it then and there. I have no idea who he was, or what his goals really where, but I'm not going to hand remote control of my PC over to a complete stranger. Anyway, I'm now curious as to whether or not anybody else has received a similar call? I also figured I'd better warn others less computer-literate than me in case they receive a similar call. It seems like a very odd way to try and spread a virus, but also a very strange way to remove one too.

FWIW, my computer currently seems to be operating fine. I've not received any warnings from my anti-virus software either. If my posts cease tomorrow, you'll know what happened... ;)
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10 replies
Newbie
Jul 9, 2010
76 posts
I can't see microsoft calling everyone in the world to let them know about a virus lol.
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Nov 29, 2007
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It's a social engineering scam/slight-of-hand to get you to buy whatever service or product they are selling.

He would have likely had you open your Event Log, or remote in and open it for you, and show you that it has a bunch of errors (which almost every PC event log does) as proof your computer is "compromised" or otherwise in need of their service/product to fix the supposed problems.
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JMAC323 wrote: I can't see microsoft calling everyone in the world to let them know about a virus lol.
Exactly what I thought. He kept going on about how he was a MCSE, but I actually had to explain to him that MS automatically sends out updates and fixes for things like this. Even after that though, he still spoke as though everything had to be spelled out letter by letter: "w" "w" "w" "dot" "are you still there?" :facepalm:
Frosc wrote: It's a social engineering scam/slight-of-hand to get you to buy whatever service or product they are selling.

He would have likely had you open your Event Log, or remote in and open it for you, and show you that it has a bunch of errors (which almost every PC event log does) as proof your computer is "compromised" or otherwise in need of their service/product to fix the supposed problems.

It's pretty sad if MCSEs really are reduced to sitting in busy call centres making scam calls like this seemed to be. Those certificates don't come cheap. Anyway, good to see that nobody else received similar calls today. That would seem to confirm that there's no real threat out there to be concerned about, beyond the usual hazards. My computer is still working fine, despite his warning, and I'm confident it will continue to do so. The only virus that ever infected one of my PCs was put there, presumably unintentionally, by a tech who installed a HDD many moons ago. I've always done my own tech work since then. Hope my caller doesn't get more gullible PC users to grant him access to their PCs though, as who knows how much trouble he and his pals could cause then.
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Oct 9, 2003
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This is 100% a scam, its been all over the news. My wife got called with this, she used colourful words to tell them to go away...
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Jul 10, 2008
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Thats funny. Teamviewer is a really great RDP tool.
I use it all the time... heh
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Tornado F2 wrote: It's pretty sad if MCSEs really are reduced to sitting in busy call centres making scam calls like this seemed to be.
It's even sadder that you take the time to listen, explain and listen again to all the garbage.

If they ever call me, off chance, I will put it in speakerphone.

-Take my #1 and #2 leisurely.
-Take a long hot shower.
-Take the time to sip a good home brew coffee.
-Watch some TV and read a book or two.
-Go to sleep.

And by the time I wake up, he should be gone long ago.
Mark77 wrote: That's not very nice....and you're missing out on a lot of valuable knowledge if you ignore me. Your loss.
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fred999 wrote: There was a similar thread just a few days ago

suspect-spam-windows-live-team-beware-1038615/

obviously a scam...

It's a lot easier to send out a million spam emails though than it is to make a large number of live phone calls. That's why it seemed so odd that I actually received a live call, even if it did appear to originate in India. Anyway, my PC is still running fine and my caller didn't receive a penny from me. Hopefully nobody else fell for whatever he was up to either.
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TeamViewer in and of itself is NOT a bad program. It helps people legitimately help others with computer problems.
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_Allan_ wrote: TeamViewer in and of itself is NOT a bad program. It helps people legitimately help others with computer problems.

I'm sure it is. But only a fool would let a complete stranger take control of their PC, especially a foreigner calling to tell you that your PC is about to fail. Sadly I suspect a lot of people may fall for it, which is the main reason why I posted.
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