I don't know which forum in which to post this but all here at USMB should know about it.
This morning I received a call from 499-662-1530. A heavily accented (India) voice (with lots of phone chatter in his office) telling me he was calling from Microsoft about serious messages they were getting from my computer. He directed me to open my run box and view my Windows Event Viewer ... a utility that is always filled with harmless warnings and error messages. He then instructed me to open Supremo - a legit app that allows you to control a remote PC in just a few seconds - and then told me to download it to my computer. I quickly opened another page and googled Supremo and the first link was about a scam that the dirtballs are using to gain access to your computer. I read the story to him, pointing out that he was doing exactly what the article stated while he responded by claiming legitimacy. When he realized I wasn't going to download anything to my computer on the direction of a cold-caller claiming to be Microsoft, he abruptly hung up. Please spread the word to your friends and family quickly.
From the article:
As we've written on numerous occasions, scammers have made an estimated tens of millions of dollars by tricking computer users into thinking their PCs are infected. The scammers cold call people, tell them that harmless error messages in the Windows Event Viewer are actually signs of a major problem, and then convince them to install a remote desktop program that gives the scammer access to their computer. The scammers pretend to fix the computer and charge its owner for the unnecessary and imaginary service. The same tricks can be used to steal users' passwords and private information.
Commonly used remote desktop programs include TeamViewer and LogMeIn, the latter of which posts a warning telling customers to beware of "malicious third parties posing as LogMeIn."
After our most recent story on this topic, we heard from the makers of a remote desktop tool called Supremo, another program used by scammers.
"For us it's really frustrating," Digital Marketing Manager Davide Costantini of the Italy-based Nanosystems told Ars via e-mail. "Non-tech-savvy users are the weakest target and they easily misunderstand that we’re not affiliated with the scammers. They write us e-mails asking for refunds (the scammers make them pay for the support) or looking for further support."
"The scammers use Supremo as a tool to get control of remote computers and steal passwords and other relevant information," he also said. "Of course the user of the host PC has to authorize the inbound connection in order to allow the remote control. But the scammers convince him that he needs assistance. Usually they tell the victim they’re calling from Microsoft and that they have problems with the Windows license or that they have malware in the PC."
https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...ds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEEoDaoDm29p2ZHlwsXpFSu3za4wg
This morning I received a call from 499-662-1530. A heavily accented (India) voice (with lots of phone chatter in his office) telling me he was calling from Microsoft about serious messages they were getting from my computer. He directed me to open my run box and view my Windows Event Viewer ... a utility that is always filled with harmless warnings and error messages. He then instructed me to open Supremo - a legit app that allows you to control a remote PC in just a few seconds - and then told me to download it to my computer. I quickly opened another page and googled Supremo and the first link was about a scam that the dirtballs are using to gain access to your computer. I read the story to him, pointing out that he was doing exactly what the article stated while he responded by claiming legitimacy. When he realized I wasn't going to download anything to my computer on the direction of a cold-caller claiming to be Microsoft, he abruptly hung up. Please spread the word to your friends and family quickly.
From the article:
As we've written on numerous occasions, scammers have made an estimated tens of millions of dollars by tricking computer users into thinking their PCs are infected. The scammers cold call people, tell them that harmless error messages in the Windows Event Viewer are actually signs of a major problem, and then convince them to install a remote desktop program that gives the scammer access to their computer. The scammers pretend to fix the computer and charge its owner for the unnecessary and imaginary service. The same tricks can be used to steal users' passwords and private information.
Commonly used remote desktop programs include TeamViewer and LogMeIn, the latter of which posts a warning telling customers to beware of "malicious third parties posing as LogMeIn."
After our most recent story on this topic, we heard from the makers of a remote desktop tool called Supremo, another program used by scammers.
"For us it's really frustrating," Digital Marketing Manager Davide Costantini of the Italy-based Nanosystems told Ars via e-mail. "Non-tech-savvy users are the weakest target and they easily misunderstand that we’re not affiliated with the scammers. They write us e-mails asking for refunds (the scammers make them pay for the support) or looking for further support."
"The scammers use Supremo as a tool to get control of remote computers and steal passwords and other relevant information," he also said. "Of course the user of the host PC has to authorize the inbound connection in order to allow the remote control. But the scammers convince him that he needs assistance. Usually they tell the victim they’re calling from Microsoft and that they have problems with the Windows license or that they have malware in the PC."
https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...ds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEEoDaoDm29p2ZHlwsXpFSu3za4wg
