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"Windows Technical Department" Is A Scam
Dec. 15th, 2011 07:13 pmI keep getting calls from people claiming that they are from the "Windows Technical Department" saying that they have detected a problem on my computer and want to help me fix it. Usually I just hang up since it's clearly a scam, but tonight I decided to play along.
The first call (yes, they called twice) was from a guy with an Indian accent. I asked him for the name of his company and he said that the company was called "Windows Technical Department". I clarified with him that that was the literal name of the company.
I asked the guy for the company website and he told me they didn't have one, which seems pretty odd for an outfit so advanced that they can tell remotely that one of my firewalled machines has a virus. Oddly, though, when I asked for a phone number he gave me one: 209-753-4558. Not sure who it belongs to, but it's somewhere in California. When I asked for their email address there was a long pause and then he hung up.
A Google search of "Windows Technical Department" turns up about 127 million hits, which all seem to talk about how it's a scam. They convince you that you've got a virus on your computer by having you look at system logs which actually show normal activity, then they sell you software to "fix" the non-existent problem. Then, for good measure, they get you to give them full access to your machine so that they can steal your identity if they so choose.
The second caller was a woman with an Indian accent. I didn't quite catch the name of the company this time but it also had "Windows" in its title. She was able to give me a web-site - www.turnertech.com - but not a phone number, saying that they had no ability to receive calls. She started out saying that they had detected that my computer had a problem. I told her that I have five computers and asked which one it was. She told me to check all of my Windows computers. I kept insisting that if they were able to remotely detect that one of my computers had a problem, then they should be able to tell me which one. Give me a system ID or even an IP address! We went back and forth like this for about 10 minutes, then I got bored, told her I knew she was a scammer and hung up.
I don't know if www.turnertech.com is really involved in the scam in any way, or just an innocent bystander. However they are located in California and it is odd that a company which claims to be highly trusted only accepts payments by PayPal which, conveniently enough, has very loose identification requirements and leaves virtually no trail. (H/T to the paramour for finding that.)
So, if any of my less computer savvy readers should happen to get a call from these people, do NOT give them money or access to your computer. Don't even type a single command or make a single mouseclick that they tell you to. If you think that they might be at all legit, take down their contact info and tell them you'll call them back. Then get hold of your computer vendor and check with them whether the call is legit.
The first call (yes, they called twice) was from a guy with an Indian accent. I asked him for the name of his company and he said that the company was called "Windows Technical Department". I clarified with him that that was the literal name of the company.
I asked the guy for the company website and he told me they didn't have one, which seems pretty odd for an outfit so advanced that they can tell remotely that one of my firewalled machines has a virus. Oddly, though, when I asked for a phone number he gave me one: 209-753-4558. Not sure who it belongs to, but it's somewhere in California. When I asked for their email address there was a long pause and then he hung up.
A Google search of "Windows Technical Department" turns up about 127 million hits, which all seem to talk about how it's a scam. They convince you that you've got a virus on your computer by having you look at system logs which actually show normal activity, then they sell you software to "fix" the non-existent problem. Then, for good measure, they get you to give them full access to your machine so that they can steal your identity if they so choose.
The second caller was a woman with an Indian accent. I didn't quite catch the name of the company this time but it also had "Windows" in its title. She was able to give me a web-site - www.turnertech.com - but not a phone number, saying that they had no ability to receive calls. She started out saying that they had detected that my computer had a problem. I told her that I have five computers and asked which one it was. She told me to check all of my Windows computers. I kept insisting that if they were able to remotely detect that one of my computers had a problem, then they should be able to tell me which one. Give me a system ID or even an IP address! We went back and forth like this for about 10 minutes, then I got bored, told her I knew she was a scammer and hung up.
I don't know if www.turnertech.com is really involved in the scam in any way, or just an innocent bystander. However they are located in California and it is odd that a company which claims to be highly trusted only accepts payments by PayPal which, conveniently enough, has very loose identification requirements and leaves virtually no trail. (H/T to the paramour for finding that.)
So, if any of my less computer savvy readers should happen to get a call from these people, do NOT give them money or access to your computer. Don't even type a single command or make a single mouseclick that they tell you to. If you think that they might be at all legit, take down their contact info and tell them you'll call them back. Then get hold of your computer vendor and check with them whether the call is legit.
