Raids mounted on fake Indian tech support centres

[hunter]

Source: BBC

More than 50 people have been arrested in India for their alleged involvement in fake security warning scams.

The New York Times said that Delhi police made the arrests during raids on 26 call centres linked to the scams.

Software giant Microsoft helped police trace who was behind the large-scale operations.

It said it received more than 11,000 calls per month about fake security warnings and that many people lost significant sums to the fraudsters.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46357007

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[littlemissmartypants]

1. Kicking. eom

[Raster]

2. About freakin' time!

[cstanleytech]

8. Question is are the big fish involved in this going to be brought to justice and go to prison

to serve hard time or will they get off with a slap on the wrist while the small fry are sentenced to long prison terms in their place?

[IronLionZion]

15. The big fish have paid off the local cops long ago

and are out of reach of US law enforcement. The money is already laundered too.

[MontanaMama]

3. We've gotten a gazillion of these stupid calls.

I have my kiddo handle them and he is a master of wasting their time. Unfortunately, these assholes got my in laws on the phone and they did everything the scammers told them to do....the scammers had access to all of her bank accounts retirement accounts, life insurance policy #'s and more. It was a MESS.

[Siwsan]

4. I used to get 2 or 3 calls, a day, from these scammers

Once I got caller ID, the agro ended.

[cstanleytech]

9. I simply switched on my "do not disturb" and set it so only those on my contact list

can get through to me.

[Siwsan]

11. I've never gotten a call from them on my cell phone

Always the land line. And I noticed when I switched from AT&T to Xfinity, the calls diminished, greatly.

[cstanleytech]

14. I'm using Verizon prepaid as its far cheaper than doing one of their traditional plans.

Granted my phones only a J7 V and not anything fancy but it does the job.

[Siwsan]

16. As soon as my "bundle deal" ends, with Comcast, I'm dropping the land line

I have my cell service through Consumer's Cellular. If the caller isn't on my contact list, I let it go to voice mail. I may have gotten one or two nuisance calls on my phone.

[cstanleytech]

18. Aye, I was getting a ton of fake local calls on my phone until I turned on DND and now

I don't even notice them.
As for anyone else like a doctors office that is not in my contact list they can just leave a voicemail as that is what its there for.

[IADEMO2004]

19. Caller ID said it was me calling from my home phone

Calls every couple hours for days. Phone Co. pleads they can't stop it. I call BS

New scammers will be back soon.

[Siwsan]

21. I had a call that said it was from a well servicing company that's done work at the house

So, I answered, despite me not calling them, in the first place. I thought MAYBE there was some sort of recall, or something, on the pump. Turns out they had been spoofed.

[IADEMO2004]

26. This summer spoof ID was a local graphics business I have used in the past. Hate those scammers.

[LakeSuperiorView]

5. I have gotten two of these calls today...

after months of not hearing from someone with a heavy Indian accent telling that it is not a scam...

[Submariner]

6. You mean no more calls from Bob, Dan, Bill and my favorite, Ralph

I have been expecting one of these mass shootings with an AR-15 to be wiping out an entire call center, but it looks like the law got them first.

[keithbvadu2]

20. AR-15 style rifles are the preferred weapon for shooting school children.

AR-15 style rifles are the preferred weapon for shooting school children.

[LogicFirst]

7. Be creative

The first time years ago when I got the call, I said that I did not own a computer.
The Indian voice said, "You don't own a computer?" CLICK. After I received 3 such calls, all calls stopped. Magic.

[IronLionZion]

13. What is a computer? All is see in my windows is fog so I cover them with curtains

My windows do need to be washed though, if they want to come over and clean.

[luvtheGWN]

23. I had one the other day. It was a hoot!

Caller told me I had a problem with my internet -- it was being hacked. I said "Really?" He said "Yes, Comcast is experiencing many problems and I'll help fix it for you." I said "I don't have Comcast" (idiot didn't realize we don't have Comcast up here in the GWN). He said "You're lying" and I replied "You're an idiot" and hung up!

[Takket]

10. I have something to add to this thread...

But just got a call. Seems I have a virus on my apple windows system. I’ll have to post later!!!

[IronLionZion]

12. Good!

I've gotten scam calls for the IRS, banks that I have never used, cell phone service, viruses I don't have, and much more.

It's fun to waste their time. I was born in America and have a Christian name so these scammers don't know I'm Indian when I mess with them.

It's a shame that they prey on elderly folks who don't know any better. A buddy's grandmother was caught up in some scam call claiming she needs to pay to bail him out of jail.

The worst part about these scams, are it's often the same people who work in legitimate company call centers and really do have access to all your personal data and account info. They develop a resentment for Americans and feel justified in scamming people who are easy to scam and have money to pay them.

[leftieNanner]

22. Don't know if this is effective

but I ask them "Does your mother know that you're a crook?" and then I hang up.

Mostly, we just don't pick up the phone any more if it's not a number that we recognize.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. "26 call centres"

Wow. That was a huge operation!

[RealityBasedNewYorkr]

24. Check out Project Mayhem

...on YouTube. This guy blows up scam call centers with tens of thousands of auto-dialed untraceable calls and a synthesized alternating voice message. Pure hilarity!

[GetRidOfThem]

25. Yes yes yes!!!

Way to go, lock 'em up!!!

:

[vishnura]

27. Online Nusiance

I cussed them so many times......

[AdamGG]

28. There's one comical Indioan scammer call where they claim that they're the IRS

I got one of these. They claim their name is something like Bob Johnson and then have barely intelligible accents. They try to get people to drive out to a store and buy itunes gift cards to pay their IRS debt with. You'd have to be senile or living under a rock to think this was real.

[PeeJ52]

29. Now go after those Medicare scammers that keep calling...

about wanting to get you approval for a back brace or ointment for your back pain. I must get 2 or 3 calls a week with someone wanting to talk to me about my back pain a telling me I'm already pre-approved.

[mr_lebowski]

30. These aren't phone callers folks ...

In this particular scam, they hijack your browser, and your browser pops up a warning message saying 'hey, we're Microsoft, your computer is infected with a virus, and we're going to deactivate your Windows copy in 5 minutes, due to your computer possibly infecting our network!"

I've even seen one of these messages where there's a very convincing sounding audio message playing through your speakers.

The message offers a toll-free number, and they redirect your browser to microsoft.com so that it looks like an 'official' Message from MS.

That's the reason that Microsoft is specifically involved is because these browser hijacks specifically tell users that they're being contacted by Microsoft.

When you call them they answer 'Microsoft Support', and they have you download a Remote Desktop program that allows them to take charge of your computer, supposedly to allow "Microsoft" to 'clean' the problem for you.

During the process they download one of the "Password Locker" programs, ostensibly to 'show you how your passwords are compromised', but guess what? Those programs will SHOW your passwords onscreen, to all the websites at which you have saved passwords. So while they're showing you this program, they're taking screenshots of the display, and scrolling through your password list, looking for bank logins, paypal logins, stock market or retirement accounts, and any site you may have a saved card at, like Best Buy, NewEgg, Walmart, whatever.