"Microsoft Support Call Scam"(Event Viewer)

Anonymous
2014-08-13T14:31:05+00:00

I received a phone call today from a private caller with an Indian accent saying he was from Microsoft Support.

He told me my computer was constantly sending windows errors to Microsooft and we needed to fix it.

He went on to ask me how many computers I have in my home and said all of them had to be fixed.

He had me go on my computer, type: EVENTVEWR in the box and look in options,all of this sounded strange as he kept asking me what i was seeing on my screen at the time.

I went on to ask him to hold and googled "Microsoft Support Call Event Viewer" in which I found a blog with lots of people having the same thing happen to them(http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-security/phone-call-scam-received-call-from-a-technician/6ed2b99c-20ff-468b-a69b-aec78b93f287?page=22&tm=1407939072026 )

I then hung up the phone and he kept calling back(4 times)and this time it was a local number(15129633287), of which I googled immediately, bringing up a list of local numbers on a list with a foreign language as the titles.

I then decided to call Microsoft Support directly to confirm it was a scam and was informed that Microsoft never makes calls without a customer request and that Microsoft has its own set of programs it uses to fix computers instead of "event viewer".

I was told I could submit a post on here to let Microsoft know of the Incident, which is the purpose of this post..in addition to help anyone else from having to go through the experience many people have had with this issue.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Security and privacy

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-02-12T15:54:01+00:00

    When was the last time you called a company as large as Dell and a human answered the phone?

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-02-12T15:50:51+00:00

    The guy that called me gave his phone number as 800 425-9822 and if you call they answer the phone with Dell computers how can I help you. Dell swears that they will not call you and say your pc is malfunctioning. Dell also tells me they do not have an outlet in Alleghany county Md.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-02-12T15:50:00+00:00

    There are two possibilities:  There are millions of Dell computers in use around the world, so a scammer can fool a gullible Dell user just by saying he's from Dell.  If the user isn't using a Dell computer, all the scammer has to do is hang up and call someone else.  It won't take very long before he finds someone who is using a Dell computer.   The other possibility is that the second call came from the same person, or a confederate of the original caller, even if the phone number displayed is different.  

    You have let them in, so you need to change all of your passwords, back up your data and do a clean installation of the OS.  That's the only way you can be sure you've eliminated any residual effects.

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-02-12T15:36:17+00:00

    I would like to know how they know what type of pc you have. This has happened to me twice. The first time they told me they were from Microsoft. I let them into my dell computer. I was suspicious so I called dell and they told me they will never call to say your pc is malfunctioning. the next call I got the guy with the indian accent said he was from dell. The number they called from was: 800-425-9822 he said his name was dave dawn and he gave his ID# as B706288. This is a scam. They want your credit card,sell you an antivirus,and charge you for clearing your event viewer.

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-02-01T22:32:17+00:00

    I am in complete agreement that Microsoft and Dell should take more responsibility in these matters. After all they have the power to resolve these scams more that the little guy, their customers. But we must also hold them accountable by following up on these scams. I have liked their pages on social media such as Facebook and put my complaints on that sight also. Never thought about Youtube but thanks for the idea for I will make use of it. Keep in touch on this page also for we never know what may become of this information we share.

    If Dell and Microsoft continue to treat these matters lightly we may have to come together as one and figure out a plan of action. I would be asking to have my PC replaced.

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