Microsoft support scam morphs into BT support scam.

[stockhausen]

Yesterday I had a phone call from an automated voice, apparently from a UK number, claiming to be BT. it ran along the following lines:

This is BT Technical Department.
We have detected a problem with your Internet connection.
To connect with BT, please press 1.
Press 2 to connect with other provider.

The recorded voice was female an definitely not native British.
A quick Google confirmed that this was a new scam.
I do realise that calling numbers can be spoofed (presentation number).

 

[Diddums]

Should've pressed 2, rather curious who the "other provider" is.

 

[stockhausen]

Many years ago, I had broadband supplied by Tesco; their customers were taken over by TalkTalk; TalkTalk's customer database was hacked and sold to scammers; I moved away from TalkTalk. I suspect that these people have access to the TalkTalk data.

A year or so ago I used to get calls from "TalkTalk Technical Support"; they would tell me that I had a virus which they could remove by gaining access to my PC; if I wasn't busy I would string them along for a while. On a couple of occasions I said that I was actually a BT customer; they came right back with "Oh yeah that's right, this is BT Technical Support, you have a virus . . .".

 

[hominid]

I have these people phoning me up every two months on average, the calls I get are, after a brief pause, connected to talking head somewhere in deepest darkest India at a guess.

From the pause, from the auto-dialer at the start of the call, I know what sort of call it's going to be, but I cannot be 100% sure so of course I wait only to be disappointed. Normally they start with ' Hi, we are calling about your computer'(which one, I have 10+ here) or 'Hi, this is BT we are calling about your internet'(I'm with sky so I know they are lying right there).. What they all get round to is to get you to go to a website and download remote desktop software so they can have a route around to fix this for you.

I've kept them on the phone for 20 minutes before 'trying to sort things out because I'm not that computer savvy' so they thing they've go a good mark this time, then saying someone is at the door and putting the phone on the side for a few hours. But after 8 or so calls in the last 2 years I now just hang up on the scumbags.

It really annoys me as I'm ex directory and I've been VERY careful not to give out my land line number, but somehow they still got it.

 

[glenimp617]

I've never had one of these scam calls.......and I really wanna have some fun!

There's some great youtube videos

 

[malachi]

Unplug the landline and stick to using a mobile phone instead. Problem solved

 

[El_Watcher]

Unplug the landline and stick to using a mobile phone instead. Problem solved

I had a call on my mobile three days ago, that was a robot trying to sound human, telling me they knew about the accident I had. Mobile phones are not exempt from this type of thing.

 

[Duke]

auto-dialer <snip>

It really annoys me as I'm ex directory and I've been VERY careful not to give out my land line number, but somehow they still got it.

Auto dialler as you mentioned, just working through a list of numbers against each provider which are easily accessible online. I'm not sure how many people still have landlines they use though? Thought it was mainly the over 50s

I sub to 'Deeveeaar' on YouTube who call these call centres 24/7 and stream it, can't link directly due to some of the language used

 

[Werewolf]

This has been going on for months/years.

I rather confused one caller when I went "awesome, I've been having trouble with my BT line not working for 20 years, can you fix it?" (my landline is cable and has been since the 90's), I don't think they even have a clue what services* you are using most of the time but rely on the fact that they have a good chance of guessing just by using one of the main suppliers.


Unfortunately the advise to disconnect your landline doesn't work when you need to be contactable at all time, or when the scammers have started calling mobile numbers as well.

I really hate these ********, as before I got a call blocking phone they were calling anything up to 20 times a day and I couldn't just take the phone off the hook because we had the doctor/hospital/social services contacting us at odd times about my mother (and when I first put the callblocking phone in I did accidentally set it to block the the type of calls my mum's GP used - fortunately the doctor then tried my mobile).


*In theory you can work out who someone is likely to be using for their phone service based on the number range (IE in my area numbers with XX were originally signed to BT and YY to NTL) but numbers get ported and the people you talk to are unlikely to even know what number is connected until it pops up on their screen, let alone such details as which company issued the number originally (but saying BT will be accurate for the vast majority of UK landlines).

 

[malachi]

I had a call on my mobile three days ago, that was a robot trying to sound human, telling me they knew about the accident I had. Mobile phones are not exempt from this type of thing.

I'm talking about these particular type of scam calls. I never known a MS scam caller come through a mobile, always has been landlines.

 

[Jamauk]

I'd really enjoy getting a Microsoft/BT scam call, the way I look at it if I keep them on the line for as long as possible it'll stop someone else from being scammed, sadly not had one though.

I had a call on my mobile from someone telling me about a car accident I'd been involved in and that the 3rd party insurers had set aside some funds for me as compensation, and he needed my bank details to make a transfer. I asked how much and apparently it was £7k, I kept on saying it wasn't enough and kept on pushing for more. He gave up in the end and hung up!

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

Have anyone here attempted or seen a "reverse" type of thing, where you guide the scammer to a specific PC that you have, but it's a decoy PC? It would be riddled with spyware / trojan / virus, connected to the internet but not via your router, so not to affect the rest of your home network. Or if it's via your router, you put it on a different subnet. So then you give the would-be assailant the details of your decoy computer, and while they remote into it, your malware spreads onto the scammer's PC! Not sure if it's technically possible though, but karma eh if it was possible.

 

[MassiveJim]

I'd really enjoy getting a Microsoft/BT scam call, the way I look at it if I keep them on the line for as long as possible it'll stop someone else from being scammed, sadly not had one though.

I had a call on my mobile from someone telling me about a car accident I'd been involved in and that the 3rd party insurers had set aside some funds for me as compensation, and he needed my bank details to make a transfer. I asked how much and apparently it was £7k, I kept on saying it wasn't enough and kept on pushing for more. He gave up in the end and hung up!

I love when they ring me about my "accident" I always act surprised and say how did you know ?
when did it happen sir ?
Just now, right now, i'm sitting in my car written off and can't move etc.

it really confuses them.

i did tell one of them that my head fell off and she carried on running through her script

 

[Duke]

Have anyone here attempted or seen a "reverse" type of thing, where you guide the scammer to a specific PC that you have, but it's a decoy PC? It would be riddled with spyware / trojan / virus, connected to the internet but not via your router, so not to affect the rest of your home network. Or if it's via your router, you put it on a different subnet. So then you give the would-be assailant the details of your decoy computer, and while they remote into it, your malware spreads onto the scammer's PC! Not sure if it's technically possible though, but karma eh if it was possible.

I've seen quite a few videos where the scammers now need you to connect to their 'payment server' (a desktop machine) as I think due to them being blocked or restricted on teamviewer now. This then means people have uploaded the varies wannacry type tools to encrypt their machine within seconds. One other managed to infect all the ones on the subnet as well. Those plus leaving 'credit card info.exe' on the desktop often means they infect themselves after copying it off. Quite a videos on YouTube (see my previous reply for the channel name)

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

Quite a videos on YouTube (see my previous reply for the channel name)

I found the channel thanks and have watched 2 of the videos so far. Because they target the elderly / vulnerable, this is one of the most satisfying things I've ever seen. So cheers Duke! Will be watching some more of these and subbing

 

[Duke]

Kitboga is good as well

 

[Tican]

Kitboga is good as well

Kitboga is the best scambaiter. Streams most days on Twitch too

 

[wnb]

I had the same call, just hung up I'm not with BT for starters.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I only have a land line as it comes with the internet package, and most times it rings I don't even bother answering it as it's usually a scam or telemarketing.

 

[Resident]

Quite a videos on YouTube (see my previous reply for the channel name)

I remember one video I saw where the scambaiter managed by chance to infect an entire call centre. That shows how big a 'business' this is in the region.

For me it's something our government needs to be acting in, firstly by stopping any and all aid.