This is an outright scam that is running across the globe and is *usually* sourced from the sub-continent. It's unusual to leave an Aussie number and even more unusual to leave an address.

I've been tracking a number of these and recorded the call I had last night which is now on my blog here: http://www.troyhunt.com/2012/08/cold-call-scammed-again-but-this-time.html

I'll also be sharing the info with local authorities to see if we can get some traction on it.

This is the "Help4Windows" Scam where they want to remote into your PC and "fix" it. Yeah right.

I found a great way to stuff them round.

First claim you want their number so you can call them back. They usually have a number that you can call them back on. This is useful later when you want to trick them further.

Just agree with them, yes I have errors, someone said they would fix my computer and remote into it ...... Get far enough through the process them to provide you the 6 digit pin number for the logmein or support.me website and hang up. Don't click "connect to technician" and you will be fine.
Even if you do, there are about 4 things you have to click yes, OK, I agree to before they can get into your PC, so don't get too concerned. I use logmein all the time to support my clients on their PC's.

Call logmein support on the number here https://secure.logmein.com/AU/contactus/ in Australia that is 1800 658 079 and report a scam to them giving them the 6 digit pin number. Logmein will then cancel the scammers account.

If you want to repeat the process, I just call them the scammer back from time to time and say you are ready for a remote session, say you were busy before and are ready to go, yes I'm on the support.me or logmein123.com website and am ready for the remote support, get another 6 digit pin and then report it to logmein to be blocked again.

I've done this a lot now, you would think they know my voice, but I've had about 10 of their accounts cancelled. Logmein are aware of this issue and are only too pleased to assist.

Go Scam the Scammers
Robert

Got these scam artists calling me today from the Windows Support Centre, suposedly calling from Sydney, however all three people I spoke to had very strong Indian accents. After wasting their time, they encouraged me to click to www.support.me, and then enter a access code, that would have given them access to my computer - which of course, I did not do, however I did enjoy wasting 15 minutes of their time!

I think this scam has changed the way it works They are noe calling saying we are from Windows Refund department and say they will refund money for a program that I have not used They ask you to call back on a Sydney number (02) 8005 8264 to verify that this is correct They then ask you to log onto a computer service so they can access your computer and log you into Wester Union money transfer system. I rand Western Umion and they confirmed this was a scam

I knew about the scam so went through the steps "hypotheticaly with him first to waste time. He insisted I do all the cleaning myself, they dont need to log into the PC. Get to teh actualy steps to see fi he does anything different from the norm and oh..theres a problem.. i will need to log in ;) His name was "alex" nth sydeny postcode 2060

An Indian guy calling himself "Austen" purporting to be working for Microsoft "Help for Windows" tried to convince me that a random log of events in the "Computer Management" folder of my computer were instances of malware attack or hackers trying to access my computer. They aren't. I knew this, but I wanted to see where it was going.

So I played dumb-but-suspicious in order to waste as much of his time as possible, and also for the opportunity to analyse the techniques he uses to gain the trust of his mark, and was eventually lead to a website: http://www.showmypc.com/. I was directed to download a program which would give someone remote access to my computer.

The would-be scam artist is calling himself Austen, and says he is working for "Help for Windows" which (apparently) has an office in North Sydney. He gives his number (02) 8005 4980/">(02) 8005 4980 and encourages you to call him back on your mobile, as if this somehow proves that he is who he says he is, and also, so that you pay for the joy of being scammed, rather than them having to pay long-distance call rates from India.

His technique seems to be based on saying whatever he needs to say to keep you on the line. He gets slightly ticked off when his identity and authority is called into question, plays the sympathy card: "hey, why you being so mean to me... I'm just a little guy working for Microsoft". He flatters your ego, bows to your "greater authority", and he can even pull the emotional blackmail of the "If you don't trust me, I can't help you, and you'll be stuck with these invasions of your computer" variety. He'll even sneer and condescend, and suggest that you're stupid if you keep asking questions. He even talks around in circles, and makes absolutely no sense at times, but it's all just a confidence trick to get you to question your better judgement and give some random stranger access to your passwords, social media, online bank account access, and who knows what the hell else... blackmail fodder?

Microsoft doesn't cold call its customers:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

This particular scam has been going for quite a while now, and there seems to be little the authorities can do to stop it:
http://www.troyhunt.com/2012/08/cold-call-scammed-again-but-this-time.html

http://phonenotes.org/(02) 8005 4980

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=73980&highlight=&sid=4b8e7d21166a6b87ce329d2b5e89baa1

This practice is disgusting and needs to stop... think about how they could devastate the life of an elderly person if they managed to gain access to their life savings. When are the authorities going to stop this crap? This is fraud!

Immigration Dept might be raiding the address soon, and that of other suspected call centres.

i've had the same experience. they even told me that they wanted to return money that i'd paid to them. when i told the bloke i hadnt paid any money he got very upset. i told him to calm down and laughed at him and told him to stop playing with himself and hung up, but they keep ringing. its annoying...

The woman who called me was "Genellia" with a terrible indian accent so thick I couldn't even really understand her. I knew it wasn't right because I've never given permission for anyone to contact me about anything with my computer. She even said she could fix the problem without being online which is interesting. Just the same I got the website and number and said I would call back if I thought it was legit. Then I found these blogs. Soooo grateful. I hope these guys pay for what they are doing. They try to sound so nice and polite on the phone, which just makes me feel sorry for them and their families. Love Roberts idea, scam the scammers... genius!

Just had a very interesting phone conversation with a gentleman with an Indian accent. He advised me that he was from Microsoft Help Desk and that his company had conducted a survey of my neighbourhood finding that 31% of all PC uses had files down loaded that disrupted their computers. He wanted to check and was wanting me to open my computer to his site. I got his phone number making out that I had no problem if I should have a problem I would ring for assistance. I wanted to know more about their prising he won't tell me that that was something the supervising technician would discuss with me should they find a program planted on my PC. I hung up to take another phone call. Then the supervisor rang me back to try to convince me to open my PC. I told him that I have an automatic checking system installed to bar the types of files he refered too and on doing so he hung up. I was entertained for 15 minutes and for 15minutes they wasted their time. Everyone should waste as much of these bottom feeders' time as possible. It cost them!!

Just had my second call from Help for Windows located at North Sydney. Austen this time - phone 02 800 54980. He went into great detail about how Chinese university graduates were hacking into computers worldwide and only they could save me from this illegal practice. lol.

Austen call me 3 times today claiming he was from Helpful Windows in Sydney offering me help with my slow running computer Telephone No. (02) 8005 4980Austen informed me this was not a scam as this was the first thing I ask himAs I was using the computer when he called I ran a computer virus control which turned my computer off, He said he would ring me back again which he did this time I was on another Phone He than rang me back  when I was making Tea I haven't heard from him since , which has given me time to check this wed site out  for which I am thankful for

A guy called Austin was put on after a women with a thick Indian accent called and passed me on to a tech advisor. She had me investigate my computer without being on the internet for internal software problems. Scveptical she put on Austin who proceeded to inform me that I needed a software licence to run my computer after the original runs out after 2 years!! The call started at about 5.30pm on a Friday night and they did not stop until 9.15pm. Stupid me I let them into my computer and then said I needed to pay for a lifetime internal security which they would provide to cover all software problems Price quoted $349. They changed that to $199. I paid $99 through a pay pal. I have contacted my bank after finding out of the scam and they will prosecute an enquiry about the obvious scam. This is posted as a warning to others.Address etc as reported in above post..Nth Sydney.As above prison time would be too good for these guys.

Add (Albert -- Indian or Oriental accent) 1-877-491-0562 to equate to this same the Call-Story as above.   5 or 6 call in 3 or 4 days -- with a hangup-upon him by me 5 of the 6 (4 of the 4) times.  Said that his website was help4window.us  (note the window is singular the operating system by Microsoft is Windows (plural).   I do not have Caller ID so the number above is the number he gave me is the number on which to call him back, the the number on a caller ID.

Once he called back right after a hang-up by me and ask "why did you hang up on me".

Real phone numbers or not, put 1-877-491-0562 and (02) 8005 4980 into the same dirty bucket.
 
Jim   (jimbizcity @ GMAIL.COM)

A guy named Michael De Suza called me up telling me he was from "Help for windows"Apparently as a genuine windows customer (i'm not) he was calling me to tell me there was an "online infection" but was not a virus and would not turn up in virus scans (suspicious)I was immediately suspicious and asked how they found my phone number, they said "From your router" which is also impossibleI asked for more details and they transferred me to their "Technical" department who failed to answer any of my questions and I was quickly hung up on

This situation is ridiculous! I just got a call from an Indian woman, with a really bad accent, it was so thick and her english was so poor that I could barely understand a word she was saying. Straight away something was wrong because they called me on my home phone number and I have only just got it setup and never given it to anyone yet. The only people who know it is my ISP, which makes me very concerned. She said all the same stuff not a virus, but something on my Windows computer needed to be fixed and they were fixing everyones in my area. I said "Really, everyone with Windows!, that millions of people, how can you do that?" she also said I didn't need to be connected to the internet which is a little bit different to everybody else's story. I didn't trust her... how did she know I had Windows? or get any of my details? She said she didn't work for Windows or Microsoft, I yelled at her "Well then who do you work for?" HelpForWindows. I had never heard of it, and had heard about these scams where they call up and get you to give them access to your computer. I demanded more information... She said her name is 'Genellia' and she was in North Syndey, I said "Really, North Sydney, your accent says otherwise" then she went on to pretend she just moved to Australia. I said give me some contact details so I check this is legitimate and I will call you back. I was given a website 'www.helpforwindows.com' (which doesn't exist) and phone number 02 800 54980. I googled the number then found this website! I have never been so proud of myself for being skeptical, I only wish I could talk to her again and tell her how horrible what she is doing is, and whatever God she believes in will surely punish her for this. I doubt she will call again. Thanks for this website!

This is an outright scam that is running across the globe and is *usually* sourced from the sub-continent. It's unusual to leave an Aussie number and even more unusual to leave an address.

I've been tracking a number of these and recorded the call I had last night which is now on my blog here: http://www.troyhunt.com/2012/08/cold-call-scammed-again-but-this-time.html

I'll also be sharing the info with local authorities to see if we can get some traction on it.