Yes, I too have had these callers and even when I told them each time that we were registered with TPS they still kept calling back for several days - they actually became quite rude in the end! Had to threaten them before they would leave us alone.
Telephone Calls from Microsoft? - Scam
Scammers are phoning people pretending to work for Microsoft
The caller, often with an Indian accent, asks for the householder, quoting their name and address before saying "I'm calling from Microsoft".
They will tell you that they report from their ISP of “serious virus problems” from your computer.Then they ask you to open a program called "Windows Event Viewer" which lists errors, (some "critical" errors) which causes most people to make the fatal mistake of trusting the caller. (Seeing errors in Windows Event viewer is perfectly normal and does not mean you have a problem)
You are then directed to a website where a download awaits, which is a program that hands over remote control of your computer, and the caller "installs" various "fixes" for the problem.
The bogus "Microsoft" rep asks for a £185 for a "subscription" to the "preventative service".
Not only could you be paying for something that’s completely unnecessary, but you may be giving your entire computer over to the scammers.
They may say they are "Microsoft Gold Certified Partners", which Microsoft says means that they must have "demonstrated expertise" and "must employ a minimum number of Microsoft Certified Professionals". Don’t be fooled. Microsoft never rings anyone up.
Action - Do not give away any information and hang up - or you can watch this video and tell them to call 'Peter Brown' on the number at the end
Comments (4)
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Sun 13 May 2012 - 11:44AM | easykeyHi Sarah, registering with the TPS is great for stopping calls from reputable companies. However most people running a scam will either be operating via cheap IP phones outside of the UK (thus not subject to TPS) or just ignore this. If you are getting repeated calls we suggest either you tell them that you are not the owner of the PC and that it belongs to 'Peter Brown' giving them the phone number at the end of the video (follow link at the end of the article above) Or to stop them in their tracks just tell them that you have a Mac
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Mon 30 Apr 2012 - 10:35AM | Ken Mackay - scammersover the last 5 months have been getting calls 3 to 5 times a week involving this scam.... being in a tiny village they tend to keep calling over and over...no matter what excuses I make up for not being interested they always ring again.. have told them I dont have a computer of internet I use a Mac ect... but they are really persistant
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Mon 30 Apr 2012 - 09:08PM | Easykey - Try the instructions on this videoSorry to hear about your frustrations Ken. Click the link at the end of the article above to watch the video. Tell them the PC belongs to 'Peter Brown' and to phone him on the number at the end of the video. We can then record their conversation with us and publish it on YouTube again :)
