Weird phone call! "online pc doctor" - Only thread on these scam calls please

laros

I didn't get a chance to ring vodafone today but i do have a suspicion that either their or eircom's customer list was accessed , I was previously an eircom customer but never had broadband with them.

Lar

Solitaire

I wonder if they're targeting victims by ISP? I have wireless SDSL through Net1 rather than bog-standard ADSL and have never had a call from these jokers...

ED E

Eircom, we were in the first DSL testgroup and unfortunately havent been able to switch due to the inavailabilty of NTL

the_syco

xsiborg wrote: »

Laros I was getting that too, that number- 0061111111112, but i thought it was a prank call because every time i answered the phone it went silent

I got a call from "0061111" or something at 1am a few nights back, but ignored it, thinking it was a wrong number. 1 f**king am. Meh. If I knew it was them, I would have threatened to bomb the place :cool:

johnfás

I'm getting 5 calls a day from this number - 0061111111112.

I ring Eircom and they don't want anything to do with it - they just tell you to ring your local Garda station... as if that will make alot of difference.

Can Eircom not just block that number from calling into the Irish network?

jack presley

Has anyone checked their phone bill after one of these calls? I've had loads of missed calls from that 001947....... number of the past few weeks and they finally got through to me tonight but I'd heard about the scam so hung up once he asked me was I a Windows user.

I had a quick search on the net and one site claims that after you answer and it rings a few times before someone finally talks to you, that's called a 'call back' system which could in theory be charging your phone. Is that true? Anyone been stung with a long distance call on their bill?

Cherrycola

Just got 2 phone calls from these hoors! :mad::mad:

How are they getting our numbers? I was sure i was unlisted?! But he had my name as per my phone bill, which is not the name i use for 99% of correspondance.

Some Indian dude called Ben, who wouldnt tell me where or how he got my number, but wanted to know if my PC was running slow etc. So i told him i knew they were some scam trying to gain access to my pc, to which he replied they werent, and then proceeded to spout some crap that i didnt quite hear as i was too busy screaming down the phone at him to fcuk off!

Why wont Eircom do something about this? :mad::mad:

If i get some charge on my bill pertaining to this call they will be war! :mad:

jack presley

andy1249 wrote: »

These guys called us twice today , the second time my wife answered.

It was some Indian guy saying our computer had a problem etc.
Luckily shes an IBM manager and knows this type of scam.

She gave him what for and told him not to call again.

The number he called from was 0061111111112.

As i said in my post yesterday, I had loads of missed calls from the 00194766.... number and when they finally got through to me I told them to f*&k off and I thought that would be that but today I came home and saw that I had 2 missed calls from that 0061111111112 number so they're persistent anyway!.

The Muppet

A friend of mine had a few of these calls recently, she told me she only got the calls a few minutes after going online which suggests to me there was already something nasty running on her computer.

I've just done a clean install on the pc so It will be interesting to see if the calls continue.

Saaron

They keep calling my grandparent's house asking us to turn on our computer etc!
We just hang up straightaway!!

GRRR!

So annoying!

Cherrycola

I contacted Eircom about it today, and they cant do anything really. He did suggest calling the Malicious Calls Bureau and registering the complaint with them.
I also made my phone number ex-directory...which i was 99% sure it was when i joined Eircom!!:mad: But it was definitely marked to not receive direct marketing calls, but obviously these chancers are operating outside of Ireland/EU and dont have to abide by any regulations! :mad:
I would love to know how they are getting all these irish numbers, are they just using the Golden Pages?!

Amalgam

Called the house twice yesterday. (16 June) Twice in the same hour.

'Computer Care'.

00 19476632176

A number that is flagged as Spam\Scam by the FCC in the US. Seems to originate from India.

http://www.everycall.us/m/phone-number/1-947-663-2176/page,2/

Person seemingly didn't have the first name, as kept asking for the first initial/surname.

Menengroth™

Everyone on here who gets a call needs to post their ISP here and if they have ever bought from PC World or similar so we can try to determine where they are getting the information. Seems to only be Eircom & Vodafone customers?

laros wrote: »

he then got a bit annoyed and insisted that I had a broadband connection so i must have a computer...

sftwc01

It's not just Vodafone and Eircom customers. My parents were scammed a few weeks ago. Their broadband is with UPC.

But they have purchased recently from Curry's (same group as PC World). I think that's the link.

Amalgam

I don't think they're doing something retail specific. I think it's just a case of working through the phonebook.

Considering you have this now: http://www.eircomphonebook.ie/

There's all sorts of ways scammers could get the entire book.

---

I think the first name initial is a clue, as typically bank sources (CC cards) have the first name in full, same for retail channels.

I'd like to ask other boards.ie users, do they ask for initial\surname or first name (full)\surname.

Cherrycola

They asked for me by surname only, my ISP is Eircom, and we didnt buy anything from PC World or similar, all our PC's and laptop were bought abroad.

They are getting the numbers form the phonebook because thats the only place i use my married name, and thats the name they addressed me by.

Menengroth™

A few people in the thread have said they're ex-directory though?

Cherrycola

I thought i was, turns out i wasnt, and im sure i requested ex-directory when i ordered my eircom phone line.
And some people may be confused by unlisted and exdirectory, which i discovered after some research yesterday, see below.

http://www.eircom.ie/bveircom/pdf/terms_and_conditions_for_telephone_service.pdf

3. Third parties are allowed to use the National Directory Database (NDD) for direct marketing.
eircom can place an indicator next to your NDD entry advising third parties that you do not wish
your details to be used for this purpose. If you want an indicator placed beside your directory
entry, please tick this box (Ex-directory customers automatically have this indicator).
4. The information within the Phonebook, (which is compiled from the National Directory Database)
is also passed on to other companies who operate a telephone number information (Directory
Enquiry) service.
During your application for telephone service:
• If you chose to be ‘Listed’ it means that your details will appear in the Phonebook and will
also be available on Directory Enquiry Services
• If you chose to be ‘Unlisted’ it means that your details will not appear in the Phonebook but
will be available on Directory Enquiry Services
• If you chose to be ‘Ex-Directory’ it means that your details will not appear in the Phonebook
nor will it be available on Directory Enquiry Services. Your information will be flagged
automatically for ‘no marketing telephone calls’ in the NDD
Regardless of which Telephone Directory option you chose when applying for service, if you
have opted to have a ‘no marketing telephone calls’ indicator set against your telephone
number in the NDD (Paragraph 3 above) you should not receive marketing calls from
companies with whom you do not have a commercial or business relationship.

So it appears that even if you are ex-directory your details will still appear in the NDD, but will be automatically flagged for no marketing calls, but these crowd are operating from India, so obviously dont follow those regulations!

So i suppose the question to ask is how did they get hold of the NDD? Did Eircom pass it on to them? Did they sell it? Is it freely available to any company that requests it?

Amalgam

Ex-Directory is just a front end service for customers, it is probably surprisingly easy to get a complete phone book database through some sort of marketing\company means (£££)..

Menengroth™, I think you're looking for a hi-tech scam, when really it is probably much more low-tech and humdrum.

Cherrycola

http://www.dataprotection.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=279

Not much help on here either.

xsiborg

i think maybe its just a case of using a random number generator program, that may be why its not specific to any particular telecoms provider or retail outlet. for instance im with smart telecom, ex directory, unlisted, and i buy my laptops from various retail outlets depending on where i can get the best value for money, and when asked for a phone number for the warranty, etc, i always give them my business mobile number as i really only use the landline for broadband and faxes, but i can still take incoming calls, and on any purchase i always tick the box on the warranty leaflet that opts out of my contact details being passed on to third parties. i'm only surprised the media hasn't picked up on these nuisance calls.

Menengroth™

xsiborg wrote: »

i think maybe its just a case of using a random number generator program, that may be why its not specific to any particular telecoms provider or retail outlet. for instance im with smart telecom, ex directory, unlisted, and i buy my laptops from various retail outlets depending on where i can get the best value for money, and when asked for a phone number for the warranty, etc, i always give them my business mobile number as i really only use the landline for broadband and faxes, but i can still take incoming calls, and on any purchase i always tick the box on the warranty leaflet that opts out of my contact details being passed on to third parties. i'm only surprised the media hasn't picked up on these nuisance calls.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0525/1224271087384.html

Cherrycola

xsiborg wrote: »

i think maybe its just a case of using a random number generator program, that may be why its not specific to any particular telecoms provider or retail outlet. for instance im with smart telecom, ex directory, unlisted, and i buy my laptops from various retail outlets depending on where i can get the best value for money, and when asked for a phone number for the warranty, etc, i always give them my business mobile number as i really only use the landline for broadband and faxes, but i can still take incoming calls, and on any purchase i always tick the box on the warranty leaflet that opts out of my contact details being passed on to third parties. i'm only surprised the media hasn't picked up on these nuisance calls.

I think you could be right, thats its a random number generator, because no one has my landline number other than my mum and my husband, and i never use it as a contact number, always my mobile.

dacogawa

well they wont answer their 'live chat' to me anymore at http://onlinepccare.com/ & they are not returning my emails, going to go somewhere with a different router and see if I can get to talk to them again.

As I said before (page 10) they said they got my details from the where i got my pc and after telling them they could not have he admitted it was a cold call, now where did they get the numbers.

At least we know where they live & they seem to fall under this sifycorp.com which looks legit, it might be time to get on to them

Registration Service Provided By: SIFY
Contact: +091.4422540770
Website: http://www.sifycorp.com

Domain Name: ONLINEPCCARE.COM

Registrant:
Onlinepccare
M.K.Shah ()
835,Pblock new alipore
Kolkata
West bengal,700053
IN
Tel. +091.3340101614

Domain Name: SUPPORTONCLICK.COM

Registrant:
Pecon Software Ltd.
Pecon Software Ltd. ()
En-27, Salt lake Sector-V
Kolkata
West Bengal,700091
IN
Tel. +91.03340101601

Domain Name: SIFYCORP.COM

Registrant:
Sify Technologies Limited
Sify Technologies Limited ()
2nd floor,tidelpark,no.4,
Rajiv gandhi salai
Taramani
Chennai
Tamil Nadu,600113
IN
Tel. +091.4422540770

xsiborg

Menengroth™ wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0525/1224271087384.html

just to add to this, article posted on siliconrepublic.com five hours ago:

Consumers need to be wary of unsolicited PC-repair phone scam

17.06.2010


If someone calls you out of the blue offering to fix your computer, that isn’t good customer service – it’s a scam.
IT security companies are warning Irish consumers about receiving unsolicited calls telling them their computers have a virus and offering to repair them remotely for a price. In recent weeks many people have been contacting reputable IT security companies to check if the offer is genuine, or posting their experiences on the discussion site Boards.ie. “Unless you know the company you’re regularly dealing with well, such calls are bogus,” says Urban Schrott, communications manager with the antivirus firm ESET Ireland.

Robert McArdle, a virus analyst with Trend Micro, advises anyone who receives a call to treat the person as they would any other stranger.
“If someone came up to you in a café and asked you for your credit card details to fix your laptop, would you give it to them?” he says. “The second you hear the words ‘credit card’ on a call, get very suspicious very quickly.” Several posts on Boards.ie detail how callers claim to be from “Online PC Doctors”. A similar scam using the same company name has been reported in Australia. There is a legitimate IT services company called Online PC Doctor, which was forced to put a disclaimer on its website distancing itself from the hoax.

How the scam works

Usually, someone claiming to be from Online PC Doctors makes an unsolicited call to an Irish person. To make its offer seem more genuine, its website lists an Irish number which people can also call. To find out how the scam works, researchers at Symantec’s Security Response Team in Dublin set up a dummy PC, and security operations manager Orla Cox pretended to be a regular computer user. She called the number and discovered it is a voice over IP line originating in India.

The caller asked Cox to hang up and then he called back. “He said a virus on the internet was slowing down the machine, and then used a free tool called Log-MeIn which gives remote access to the PC,” she says. The caller told Cox to launch the PC’s Event Viewer application and asked whether it displayed warnings or error messages. Anyone with some computer knowledge would know these messages are standard but the caller claimed they proved the PC was infected.

He first offered to clean up the virus for a subscription fee of €129, but then began to push a two-year deal costing €249. Cox used a prepaid credit card voucher to ensure the number couldn’t be used for any other transaction if it was compromised. She also had to send an email authorising payment to Online PC Doctors to charge her credit card, and to include all of the card details in that message. The Symantec team recorded the entire incident, while monitoring whether the dummy PC would be affected.

“We recorded it all on video to show that what they’re saying is absolute rubbish. A virus wouldn’t manifest itself in this way, and there’s no need to pay somebody to clean up your machine when there is software available to do this,” says Cox. “They do things that, if you’re not computer savvy, look like they have made the machine run faster but in reality they don’t do anything.”

‘Social engineering’

The fake PC technician did not install rogue antivirus, keyloggers or Trojan Horse programmes while he had remote control of the PC, she adds. “It seems to be a very basic scam – it’s really just social engineering." However, some questions remain unanswered. For one, it’s unclear where the scammers are getting Irish numbers. “We know they are calling mobile numbers and they know the names of people at the other end,” says Cox. Symantec was also unable to establish whether the scammers used the credit card numbers just to get paid or if they are passing those details to other online criminals.

That is one of the potential dangers with such a scam, ESET’s Schrott warns. “Not only are you handing over control of your computer to total strangers who can copy any of your files from it, access your browsing history, get your stored passwords or banking and credit card details, you’re also handing your credit card numbers to them directly for any kind of possible abuse,” he adds.

By Gordon Smith

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/16613/digital-life/consumers-need-to-be-wary-of-unsolicited-pc-repair-phone-scam

telecoms companies should start to look at this seriously now, it's gone on for long enough, i've had one customer who told me that not only had she been contacted by this crowd, but also her sister had been contacted, pestered numerous times daily. its gotten to ridiculous levels! :mad:

Cherrycola

I agree, it seems to really have gone nationwide in the last few weeks too.!

There has to be something they can do to stop this! :mad:

jack presley

There hasn't been a day in the last 2-3 weeks that I've come home from work and not seen a missed call from this lot.

Once they got through and I told them to f*&k off I thought that would be the end of it but no, there's still at least one a day coming through (You'd at least think they'd realise I work during the day and call later on!)

Amalgam

My parents are being called daily now. Twice today again. The scammers are a bit dim, no active PC in the house.. and no broadband, not much help for their scam..

The spam listing I posted earlier shows it is a global scam, with people in the US being pestered.

http://www.everycall.us/m/phone-number/1-947-663-2176/

Main site: http://www.everycall.us/m/

That website works surprisingly well for Irish spammers too.

dacogawa

God these guys really get around, here's another thread http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/019476632176/4

I've emailed Sify Technologies Limited to ask them what their affiliation with this company is as they are down as a registrant & billing address associated with onlinepccare.com will let you all know what they say about it.

If only jeson would still talk to me

Has anyone else tried the 'live chat' in the last few days ?

jimoc

Step 1. Buy Vuvuzela
Step 2. Wait for a call.
Step 3. Deep Breath

After 4 of 5 of these they should all be so deaf they cant make the calls any more