tovie

While reviewing Ugly Hedgehog photography forum digest today (perhaps the timing was coincidental) and clicking on a few of the links to read the posts, I suddenly got a 'phone call from some guy who said his name was "Shaun Watson" and that he was connected with Microsoft. (From his tone of speech, he didn't sound like a "Shaun Watson"). He gave his toll free number as 1-855-593-3163. He claimed that his web monitoring software indicated that my computer's IP address was the source of Web requests to download "illegal software or files". He said that I should see my "Microsoft technician" to have my Windows system purged of illegal software (netbots?). As it happens, I'm a Mac user, not Windows. He persisted however, and said I should then see a Mac technician at an Apple store and do the same.
What I want to know is: Is this some kind of scam? How can I check my computer (iMac/Mac OS X vers 10.8.5) to see if something illicit is going on?

Rongnongno Loc: FL

It is a scam, report it to your ISP as well as local authorities.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Your ISP won't be able to do anything about it. It's just a phone scam and they're phishing for information by identifying themselves as being from Microsoft. I've had a couple of calls like this myself. I think that the tipoff was the Indian accent, bad English, and background noise (talking). You've gotta know when you're being had both on the phone and in messages sent on the internet. Not everybody is who they say they are....like the message I got from AT&T asking me to reset my billing info, online. I highly doubt that it's AT&T since I never gave them billing info in the first place. So, always, be highly skeptical.

tovie

Thanx for your inputs Rongnongno and SteveR. I've let it pass as another scam.

Sylvias Loc: North Yorkshire England

Definitely a scam, I have had two of these calls just recently in the UK.

Lmarc Loc: Ojojona, Honduras

I got an email from Bank of America saying I needed to update my account info or my account would be frozen. They even provided a phone number in Chicago to call for more information. I sometimes use a VPN that shows my IP as being in Chicago, though I've never been there in my life, and I certainly don't have an account with Bank of America! They were guessing wildly hoping to snag a few suckers.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Trouble is, they do.
:thumbdown:

SteveR Loc: Michigan

The old flim flam thing where con men ask somebody to take out money from their account as a show of faith? A man handed over $10,000 of his life savings in the parking lot of the library where I worked before he figured it out.

Lmarc Loc: Ojojona, Honduras

Unfortunately, you are very right! :thumbdown: