Virus Scam Alert

Thanks for the warning. It sounds like a very obvious scam - I mean how on earth would Microsoft know you phone number? What a shame these people cannot be traced, rounded up and burned at the stake, while we stand around clapping.

tell them you dont mind paying for a housecall to get your comp fixed

youre a texan millionaire and you were so grateful that you paid the last guy $ 10,000

he can help you push the stake in the ground while he is there ;)

Yes, this seems to be on the increase lately. I even had one guy who called back and asked why I had hung up on him the first time. He would not take no for an answer. They are getting more and more pushy, and irritating, and I am close to becoming quite rude to them.

Another wrinkle. Besides the event viewer, they tell you to search for a filename, "if you find it, you have a virus"; you will find it because it is a necessary part of windows.

When i had a business i got calls of this nature all the time. I would tuck the 'phone under my ear and carry on working, giving the occaisional "sounds good" or "oh yeah" "ok" etc. I figure by stringing them along for an hour or so they and their bosses would eventually work out that this method of getting business is uneconomical. Had some fun on the way.

or ask him to hold then take the phone with you into the bathroom , they will carry a natural aversion to ringing you ever again after listening to any sounds produced therein

side not to this topic , when you install new software on your comp and are asked to register it , do the registration under a fake name such as Hans Tiddybumbum and see how long it takes to start receiving junk emails addressed to Mr Tiddybumbum

do that with a different name for each software and you find out which companies are selling your details

I fell for one of these (trusting berk) and they put this file on my pc.

Could anyone tell me if it is a problem, and can I delete it with no affect?

[.ShellClassInfo]
IconResource=C:\Windows\system32\SHELL32.dll,14

Many thanks.

jt.

Wife say's, already got my epitaph prepared for my tombstone.

BENEATH THIS SOD THERE LIES ANOTHER SOD.

Yes, I got one of these calls a while ago, at home, luckily I answered, not the wife, or it would have worried her, but it was the best laugh I have had for ages.

To call me up and try to convince me that Microsoft were so concerned about me, my pc, or any virus I had, that they were 'phoning me about it, is the most far-fetched proposal I have ever heard.

Lets face it there is more chance I really have won millions on a lottery in Nigeria, and really have a dead uncle worth millions in china, and really have an exclusive offer of a high gain no risk Wall Street investment scheme.

I laughed out loud for 5 mins until they hung up, and another ten after that.

Thanks for reminding me about it! :)

cnc jim

Thanks AH for the heads-up about this latest scam! Now I always screen our telephone calls with the answering machine, then decide when to pick-up the receiver.

I think other should be aware of another scam that has been around for a few years. Foolishly I took the bait last year quite by accident. There is a

"pop-up" that appears on some websites that notifies you that your computer is infected with a new strain of malware....you click on the button and the damn virus downloads w/o your knowledge. In a few minutes the virus takes over the PC and then you are notified by another "pop-up" to download a nifty piece of software that is suppose to rid your PC of the nasty virus.....you are required to pay them for it, otherwise the PC will lock-up permanently. Unfortunately I paid nearly $100 for it and it kept locking up the PC's HD. Found out about this virus/scam via my spare laptop and promptly notified Paypal to not to honor the payment....thank God for Paypal!!!!

I had to bring my PC to the local Computer Geeks and have them eradicate the virus......cost me dearly + I lost nearly everything on that infected HD.

"IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLE IS".

[I'd like to see every scammer/virus developer out there caught, tried, convicted, and then line up against a wall..........you know what I mean!!!!]

I had a similar experience, but didn't pay them for the fake software. BUT, I did have to take it to a computer guru, who fixed it and charged me $95. He also removed McAfee Antivirus, which he told me was virtually useless (I've definitely proved that on 3 occasions), and installed Microsoft Security Essentials (free) and Malwarebytes. No problems since, but always on the lookout.

We started using Malware bites,Avast Spybot & AVG and haven't had any problems since. I tend to start them and let them run in the background and when I am done for the moment and have to run on calls I start AVG and set the AUTO SHUTDOWN feature and leave it to do it's thing. I have not had a problem in at least 2 years that I have had to call my IT guy and have him look at it. My wallet says thank you. I have been locked out of my mind for years or at least since I got married, not sure when.

I have had nothing but problems with McAfree and AVG in the past....

I downloaded the WebRoot software about 6 months ago and it has performed flawlessly & catches what most anti-virus programs won't....

I also run the MS Essentials in the background as well.

Every time I deal with Microsoft I get a headache I have started using Mozilla to get on line and then the anti-viral software and don't have too many problems but I am not that much of a net cruiser just for hardware info for jobs. not much else since finding Globalspec.com I don't go much of anywhere else I find almost everything I need/want there. Duke P.S. I STILL MISS MY MIND THE MOST, just cant remember where I left it.

ask yr wife ;)

reckon i know where she hid it.

I have a Hacker on my P.C. ! A Repair Shop wants $150.00 to remove them! But, I think they will have too much control of my P.C. I have... 4 Kinds of Repair I cons.

Scared to use them... They want $50.00 + ea. I think it is a racket!