Microsoft takes action against tech support scammers

Electron1

Electron1

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http://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-takes-action-against-tech-support-scammers/?tag=nl.e064&s_cid=e064&ttag=e064&ftag=TREe331754
Microsoft filed a lawsuit against one tech support firm for deceptive business practices and misusing the Microsoft name.

Microsoft has had enough. Last week, Microsoft filed a lawsuit against Omnitech Support -- a division of Customer Focus Services -- cracking down on tech support scams. The suit accuses Omnitech of unfair and deceptive business practices and trademark infringement.

It's about time. Microsoft claims it has received more than 65,000 customer complaints related to fraudulent tech support scams just since May of this year.

"Omnitech utilized the Microsoft trademarks and service marks to enhance their credentials and confuse customers about their affiliation with Microsoft," declared Microsoft in a blog post announcing the lawsuit. "Omnitech then used their enhanced credibility to convince consumers that their personal computers are infected with malware in order to sell them unnecessary security services to clean their computers."

As if that's not bad enough, Omnitech actually introduced security issues that weren't previously there in some instances. After granting Omnitech access to their PCs for the fraudulent tech support, some victims had malicious software installed, such as password stealing utilities that can compromise the user's personal and financial information.

How does a tech support scam work? It's sort of an old-school version of a fake antivirus scam. Instead of a strange pop-up message alerting you about a malware infection you don't really have, a "support technician" calls you on the phone. The scammers are generally intimidating and use scare tactics like telling victims that if they do not pay for support and deal with these non-existent issues immediately, they will lose data, attackers will get their personal and financial information, or their PC will crash completely.

If someone called you out of the blue, claiming to be a doctor, and started asking you medical questions, would you answer him? If he then told you that you had some illness you didn't know you have -- even though you have no symptoms and feel fine -- would you pay him money to "cure" you?

Of course not. So, why would you do that with your PC? Instead of falling for the pressure tactics and assuming that the person on the phone must know more about PCs than you do, you should question how he got your number and why he's calling you out of the blue to solicit tech support services when your PC has no symptoms and appears to be running fine.

Microsoft has some advice to help customers avoid becoming a victim of a fraudulent tech support service:
•Do not purchase any software or services
•Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the "service" -- if there is, hang up
•Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it's a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer
•Take the caller's information down and immediately report it to your local authorities
•Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support

If you, or someone you know has been a victim of a tech support scam, you can report the event to Microsoft online at this site: support.microsoft.com/reportascam
Click to expand...
 
A lawsuit, how is that going to put these scammers out of business?

If Microsoft really wanted to put the scammers out of business, Microsoft should have emailed a download link to the latest alpha build of some Microsoft malware (like Windows, Office or a hotfix that BSODs the PC).
 
Microsoft has some advice to help customers avoid becoming a victim of a fraudulent tech support service:
•Do not purchase any software or services
Click to expand...

Well, okay then. No more purchasing software, I guess. :D
 
zippy said:
As usual online journalism fail. The point is don't buy software and services from the companies offering "free" support services.
Click to expand...
You mean like Microsoft? They claim to offer free support, but as soon as you try to log an incident they want your credit card details.
 
No idea. But you could be confusing things. if you buy Office or VS from the Microsoft store you get free support for those products for a limited period. Then you can opt to buy support when the initial support ends. Maybe this is what you are clicking.

I have never bought extended support for anything I bought from Microsoft. I have never felt that I was been conned by them. I have an Office 365 subscription with them. I also keep my VS pro up to date. They ask for credit card for that. I don't really see the problem there... What I do know is that most people are pretty stupid and don't read what they sign or sign online. The Microsoft store is one of the few that are very clear about what you are buying.
 
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