If You Receive A Phone Call About Your Computer Running Slow – Hang Up
If you receive a telephone call out of the blue about your computer running slow, hang up. It is a scam.
A relative of mine received a call yesterday from an Asian gentleman claiming to be calling from Microsoft about a computer running slow.
Now, there isn’t a PC on earth that doesn’t run slower than it did when you first got it out of the box simply because of the programs, software and other debris that get added over time. There isn’t a PC on Earth that doesn’t run slow.
The scam centres around trying to get control of the computer and getting your credit card details.
After asking you to go to Go to START then RUN, you will be asked to type in PREFETCH – and the result will be a list of pages that that should be loaded by Windows when a program starts. It is not a list of error messages that is causing your computer to run slow as the caller will suggest. Even if you delete them, Windows will simply replace them.
If you fall for this and tell them that there is indeed a list of error messages, the caller will tell you that you need to remedy this “problem” immediately and direct you to a website – in this case www.logmein123.com.
Logmein123 is a genuine company – it allows individuals and companies to gain access to remote PCs to help with tech support and so on. However, it can obviously be used just as easily by scam artists to trick people into handing over control of their PC. And that’s what’s happening here.
Anyone who has remote access to your PC will be able to access EVERYTHING on your PC whenever it is on and connected to the internet.
The caller will also offer to fix your computer for you or will ask you to buy software to prevent problems happening again. If you agree, the scam artist gets your credit card details too.
No reputable company will call you out of the blue offering to fix your computer. Nobody from Microsoft or Windows will ever call you.
If you get such a call, hang up.
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i think i nearly fell for this, but it was on a mac. downloaded it but promptly quit it (and hung up) after releasing it was a remote desktop thing and didn’t let them do anything. i then removed all trace of the program and forced the trash to empty.
That should be enough shouldn’t it considering it a mac, shouldn’t it?
I’ve just had a call from MicroPC solutions now. The Asian gentleman said that an error report had been sent to them warning of a ‘terrible’ virus that eats all data has been detected and cannot be found using any virus protection also this is why there’s a google blackout on 09 June.?!? He then went on to spew a load of bullshit thinking I was stupid about my IP address providing him with my phone number so that I could be made aware. Once I told him that IP addresses don’t include the users phone number. He said “look sir I’m the technical person here, not you” to which I replied I don’t even have a PC or Laptop and havnt for over a year (only use my iPhone now), even after this info he carried in blurting shite about someone else must be using my IP address which includes my number. I told him where to go and hung up.