This morning I got a phone call from a guy with an east Indian accent, but otherwise fine English, calling from an unknown number. He knew my last name. (He even managed to pronounce it correctly and confidently!) He claimed I had a Windows virus, and my computer was going to crash right away, and he was calling to help me fix my computer.
Uh... really?
I asked him what operating system he thought I was using. He said it was a Windows virus, so it was Windows. I said he was wrong. (I have a mac.) He hung up without even saying good-bye.
I suspect, had I been gullible enough, he would direct me to a website with a virus, or walk me through the steps to give him enough information for him to take over my computer directly. Or who knows, maybe he was going to ask for credit card information or something that he could use for identity theft.
If you have someone call claiming your computer is infected, and they're going to help you fix it, *please* don't fall for the scam! (You might also want to warn your more gullible, less-tech-savvy friends and relatives.)
Note: Here's an article about the scam, published by the Guardian.
And, in case you're interested, my computer is still doing just fine, 15 hours later. ;)
2 comments:
I know those scammers! They phone me about once or twice a week. I always tell them no, no no, but last time I kept the fellow talking for nearly a half hour before I told him that I was just wasting his time so he couldn't call anyone else. He seemed a tad miffed - maybe they won't call me anymore.
Hee! ;) I might do that next time if I'm not busy, but he called when I was asleep, and I wanted to return to that state. ;)
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