Victim of the Microsoft scam ?

• Have you received a phone call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft advising you that they have detected your computer is running slow?
• Or infected by a virus?
• They may have asked you to follow their instructions and go to a website where they have taken control of your machine.
• Have they asked for credit card details and now your computer is not running properly?
• Or, worse still, you may have paid them and they sabotaged your computer!
• Is your computer now locked with a startup password ?

DON'T PANIC!

You're not the only one to fall for this "Microsoft call scam".

• We can resurrect your computer!
• We may even be able to trace them for you!

There are very few computer companies or technicians that know how to fix this.

Hi-Speed Networking is experienced in resolving this and can safely bring your computer back to normal, usually without losing your data.

You need to call us urgently on (02) 9451 4343 to have the damage rectified.

You should also turn off your PC immediately so that your machine is not sending any more details out to the scammers. Then call your bank or credit card issuer to alert them that there may be unauthorised transactions about to take place.

How this Microsoft fraud works:

There are several variations of the "Microsoft Phone Scam" or "Microsoft Tech Support Scam".

They vary from installing spyware that can report everything you type, to locking your computer with a password rendering it unusable.

The Plot:

Firstly you will receive a phone call, usually from an Indian female, claiming to be from Microsoft, who claims she can see your computer is running slow or is infected and is sending out viruses. As many people feel their computer is slow or are frightened by the threat of viruses, they tend do what the scammer asks and all too often it's too late once you have supplied your details.

She will try to talk you through some steps looking for errors in your system logs (these are quite normal errors in all versions of windows).

Then they explain your machine has serious issues that only a technician can sort out and that they will need to put a technician on the line.

If you stay on the line the operator will transfer you to the "technician" who will step you through several actions.

They may:

• Direct you to a site that will enable them to take control of your machine. e.g. Team Viewer, ShowMyPc, or VNC
• Obtain your credit card details for the supposed fee for their services (which are actually being used to pay for other unauthorised purchases).
• Install spyware that will send your private information back to the scammers.
• Obtain your Banking logon details from within your hard drive.
• Lock your computer if you decide not to give them your credit card during the call, but have already allowed them to make changes.  (This is done by adding a start-up password and effectively holds your computer to ransom).
• Instigate encryption on your registry which can not be undone without special software and techniques.

Beware: unless you use the correct methods, attempting to remove the startup password will nearly always corrupt your drive and data. The problem is they will turn on Registry Hive Encryption and attempting to restore your registry will render the machine unusable.

They will disconnect just before 20 mins is up and call back straight away. This makes 2 things difficult:

1. Calling your bank or authorities to cancel your cards or notify police.
2. Trace their calls as it takes 20 mins to trace a call in Australia.

Whilst this is happening, it is common that they will blank your screen so you can't see what they are doing.

Beware! No one from Microsoft will ever ring you to offer technical assistance!!