Dear Geek,
I received a phone call from Microsoft the other day, telling me I had all manner of problems with my PC. Something didn’t feel right, so I hung up. Was I right?
Concerned of Canterbury.
Dear Concerned,
You were spot on!
We are hearing more and more of these tales and can assure you that they are hoax, scam or (my preferred term) attempted theft calls.
The script follows a pattern – the caller introduces themselves as being from Microsoft or some related or similar organisation. They claim that they are monitoring the internet constantly and can tell that your PC has problems.
They get you to type a command into your PC that brings up the “Event Viewer” – this will show any errors that your PC is having.
As you read back the contents of the screen, the caller will sound shocked and concerned at how bad the problem is.
Well, my event log is full of errors and warnings too. 9 times out of 10 they are absolutely nothing to worry about, just little Windows foibles. If your PC is exhibiting other problems then this log is somewhere your friendly geek will explore to sort it out.
But the caller is counting on you not knowing that and falling for the next trick. They will offer to remote control your PC and sell you a support service. This is like handing your car keys over to a stranger in the street because he just told you that your car is making a funny noise.
At best, they will relieve you of some money, at worst they will install software on your machine to give them access to your passwords, bank accounts, you name it.
So, hang up and, if you want a health check for your PC, call someone you can trust. I just happen to know the only Trading Standards Approved PC support company in your area…
Geek x
A Microsoft Certified Professional with many years of large corporate experience and training, he now focuses on helping small businesses make the most of their IT.
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