04/30/2013
Today one of my customers called me about a phone call she just recieved. The person who called her identified himself as a representative of Dell, Inc. He told my customer that her computer was about to experience a major crash. He explained to her that her software was messed up and that she needed to let him access her computer remotely to show her just where it was messing up. She did this, and what he showed her appeared to be exactly as he described. He then told her she needed to buy a special program from him that would "fix" this potential crash. She did not agree , and she told him she did not have time to do this right now. As you can imagine, he got angry and tried to verbally force her into buying the software.
For those who have never heard of this type of scam, know that it is just that, a scam. First of all, no computer company is legally monitoring your computer in such a way as to know how your software is performing from a remote location. The only thing they are permitted to do, and only if you agree, is to collect certain information about how you use your computer so they can tailor advertising specifically to you and to do research used to make the next generation of computers more user friendly. They are not actually watching you that closely. Trust me, they do not actually care enough about you to do this.
The scammers get information about you from either consumer lists they purchase from companies you have dealt with, or they use their hacking skills to obtain this information. DO NOT let them into your computer remotely. The only time you want to do this is if you call your computer manufacturers support services directly with a problem they need to fix. They will never call you first.
Also, never give out your information to these scammers over the phone or in an email. Never go to any website they tell you to visit. Never install any programs they tell you to install, and NEVER buy what they are selling. These programs they claim are designed to help your computer, keep it safe, and fix the problems are actually spyware programs designed to steal your private information. It collects data about your internet usage, collects your passwords and login information, steals important files and photos from your computer, and allows the scammers access to your computer without you ever knowing it.
If you get a call like this, then try these simple steps to test if it is a scammer.
1. Ask for their name and location.
2. Ask for a return phone number to use "in case you get disconnected."
3. Ask if this is a call center, corporate location, or individual person working from home.
4. Ask for a mailing address of the call center or the company headquarters.
5. Try to get as much identifying information from the "representative" as you can.
6. If the rep starts to get angry and yell at you, tell them you have been recording this phone call from the beginning. In Maine it is legal for one party of the call to record it even if the other person is unaware. As long as one person knows the call is being recorded is all that is necessary. (PS, this works for angry debt collectors as well)
After step 6, they usually hang up and do not bother you again. If they do, just repeat step 6 again or just hang up. The reason for the other questions is to collect as much info as you can about the scammers. Thsi way you can send the info to your computer companies customer support so they are aware of this specific scammer. They really do take this seriously. It is their good name that is being sullied and they tend to not like that. They will prosecute the scammers if they can track them down.
I hope this helps if you receive calls like this. I know many of you already know these things, but there are also quite a few who do not, so I thought I would help out a bit.
