Solved SCAM? Phone call from "Microsoft Windows Repair Support, Albany"

[retread]

SCAM? Phone call from "Microsoft Windows Repair Support, Albany"

While experiencing issues with BSOD and inability to repair Windows, the Repair Tool pop-up when it discovers it can't fix the issue asks if I want to report this to Microsoft. I chose SEND, and continued banging my head against the desk.

Couple of days into this foray and I get a call saying they were "Microsoft Windows Repair Support, Albany". I asked them to confirm if they were Microsoft and was it in response to my sent reports, to which they said YES. The tech then proceeded to have me log into TeamViewer and I allowed remote access.

He kept asking how old my computer was, to which I replied 4 or 5 years, but that it didn't matter, it was the HDD that had corrupted Win7 boot and that HDD is only a few days old. He suggested that I consider buying a new computer and about then another tech took over. Again, wanted to know how old my computer was and what brand. I told him I built it myself using Intel mobo, etc. and had no problems until I tried to restore a backup I made recently and that the HDD was less than a week old. He proceeded to tell me my system was full of virus programs and that my email was highjacked, but for a small one-time fee he would fix it. I hung up, closed the TeamViewer connection, and promptly changed my email password.

I googled Microsoft Windows Repair Support, Albany and found that Microsoft had implemented a program of paid support code named Albany a few years back. I am convinced these people that called me were scammers, but can anyone give me some feedback?

 

[stormy13]

Yes they were. Microsoft will never ever call you if you are having a problem.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I've gotten two of those calls, one just yesterday. Both times, I told them quite specifically what I thought of them.

 

[gregrocker]

Do you have a System Restore point before the unknown agent remotely connected?

Post up your data to our BSOD forum for help from the actual top experts in the field: Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions - Windows 7 Forums.

Then while you wait start working through the Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7.

 

[LMiller7]

I have received numerous such calls. Undoubtedly a scam. The caller didn't even know you had a computer, this just being a reasonable guess. The fact that you were having problems made it more believable.

Microsoft or any authorized representatives will never make cold calls. The only time they might call is with an ongoing problem where you initiated the contact by calling them. When you sent the error report to Microsoft this did not include personal information like a name, phone number or address.

 

[retread]

I have received numerous such calls. Undoubtedly a scam. The caller didn't even know you had a computer, this just being a reasonable guess. The fact that you were having problems made it more believable.

Microsoft or any authorized representatives will never make cold calls. The only time they might call is with an ongoing problem where you initiated the contact by calling them. When you sent the error report to Microsoft this did not include personal information like a name, phone number or address.

Well, that's hard to believe.... I don't remember how many times Microsoft has demanded my name, address, phone number and email just for buying their product(s). They probably know how many children I have and the age of my cars. Microsoft=Big Brother

Also, it is a setup when their software asks if you want to report your issue. One would expect that they would take a reasonable effort to help you sort things out. I did have an issue with Windows Update a number of years ago that I emailed them about and Microsoft called me and helped me fix it.

 

[UsernameIssues]

I can assure you that Microsoft is never going to use (and pay for) TeamViewer.

MS has their own remote control tools.

 

[retread]

I can assure you that Microsoft is never going to use (and pay for) TeamViewer.

MS has their own remote control tools.

That was the first thought that crossed my mind.... but things change over the years, so I let it go. I thought they outsourced the support. Should have been my first red flag and stopped right there. Now I realize that they just happened to pick me when I was actually experiencing trouble. They didn't know about my issues but certainly tried to take advantage of it. My current issues played into their hand.... they just kept making too many stupid comments about my system... once I realized it was a scam, I got rid of them. Just hope they didn't infect my system. I did a fairly extensive scan post-scam and see nothing.

 

[gregrocker]

Did you System Restore to before the remote session, just to be sure?

What exactly are the remaining performance issues?

 

[Borg 386]

Might be wise to roll back to a restore point (2 back if you want to be safer) before you got this call. You have no idea what this person may have injected into your system. Also, if you had any personal information on there (credit cards, passwords, etc.) those may have been compromised also.

After you do the restore, be sure to do a full system scan with your AV to be sure you don't have anything hidden on the system.

 

[DreadStarX]

Lol. This made me laugh horrendously hard. Some people never cease to amaze me.

 

[dwarfer66]

I have been getting phonecalls at least 3 times a week lately, saying my PC is infected (last night being the latest) always seems to be about 6.15pm, I just tell them to F**k off, and hang up. (and yes ALWAYS Indians).

 

[chenchen]

I understand where you're coming from. I have received a call like that, too. The caller claimed he was from Microsoft Tech support and that their system detected a virus in computer. Lol! I may not be savvy with computers but I know for sure that computers do not send out alerts or anything on their own. I called the bluff and hung up.

Besides, I don't have a Windows computer. What I got is a Mac.

 

[chenchen]

I'm wondering. Did the caller use a phone number with 416 area code? The call I got came from that phone number. And I'm sure it was a scammer because I Googled the number and 416-915-3536 - Austin and James Dawson, Toronto, ON - page 1/2 came up along with several complaints from other people, associating the number to this fake Microsoft calls.

 

[Ex_Brit]

Microsoft never call you unless you have ask them to through a help and support case. These scams have been around for quite a while and the number you see on call display usually has little to do with the actual number they are calling from ....probably somewhere in Asia.

I just ask them, "why would you want to repair an FBI computer?" They immediately hang up and don't call back for months, if ever.

 

[retread]

No restore points for some reason. No image files... etc. This is the same problem described by others and resolved by using Dzomlija "Startup Repair Infinite Loop Recovery". I followed this procedure and my problem is now solved. Many kudos to Dzomlija!!!

In the meantime, I see that many others have been approached by scammers similar to my report. It just so happened that they stumbled upon a struggling non-pro that really thought Microsoft would respond to their own report gathering of my issue. What a set-up! Now that I have read some of these other complaints, I don't feel so bad about being hood-winked up to a point. I don't think I would have given them a second thought if it weren't for the Microsoft dialog box in the midst of my issue telling me that Windows Repair could not fix my problem and asked if I wanted to report this fact to Microsoft. They should make it clear that no response will be forthcoming.

 

[gregrocker]

MS will only interact in that case with possible Problem solutions sent back to you which may or may not be queued under the Action Center in System Tray. For this reason it will prompt you occasionally to Check for Solutions, so it is worth it to send reports since they will sometimes generate solutions including links to drivers and patches.

Glad you got the actual problem sorted. If you want to go over your install thoroughly or just save them if needed later here are Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7.