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Phone Scammers target PC users with phony virus reports

fony computer virus telephone scam

They are calling Canadians.  I’ve experienced these calls twice in the last year.  They know my name.  Clearly they are calling from the Canada411 directory.

Remember: Nobody is going to know your computer has a virus.  You most certainly will not receive a phone call from a computer technician “out of the blue”.

Here’s some good text from ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/phone-scammers-target-pc-users-with-phony-virus-reports/4198

An old social-engineering scam appears to have taken on new life lately, targeting PC users worldwide.
Ironically, the scam doesn’t use a computer at all—at least, not initially. Instead, it starts with a phone call from someone who claims to be affiliated with Microsoft or another legitimate company or government agency.
The caller then asks for the primary computer user in the house, who is told: “Your computer has downloaded a virus.” And, of course, the caller is ready and willing to fix the problem. All you have to do is navigate to a web site, click a link to install some remote-control software, and allow the “technician” to get to work.
The perps are using legitimate remote-assistance software, like the Ammyy Admin program from Ammyy Software Development, which posted a warning that included some reports the company has received from scam victims: