News - Getting phished - Getting phished

I received a telephone call the other day while doing some personal accounting on my computer. The caller announced that my computer was sending “many error messages to Microsoft…” Though I had seen Microsoft error messages before, I hadn’t seen any lately or for quite a while. Microsoft always asks my permission to forward each error report to them, and I can click “yes” or “no.” The caller gave his name, or some name, from “V2 Services,” and said that he worked with Microsoft. “Both of your computers are sending many errors to Microsoft,” he continued. “Can you get to your computer? I will guide you through some steps to correct the errors.”

First of all, note that he called me on the telephone, a “land line.” How could he know if I had a computer turned on at all? How could he know if I have any more than one computer? He could give me, and he did, many rationalizations and myths about detecting my operation of a computer remotely, though not on premise here with me, certainly not even within a hundred feet. For example, “All your computers are connected to the same router, and they don’t all need to be turned on for the spyware to be damaging them. Your computer may soon crash!” Since I was too busy, he gave me a telephone number to call him back—another scheme for me to rack up a huge phone bill! These myths are based on the old “half-truth” fallacy and scare tactics that could frighten any ordinary person who uses a computer for applications like word processing but who is not technically knowledgeable.

If you “go into your computer” under such unsolicited guidance as he offers, you might be just taking him on a free “phishing” tour of your own computer. “Phishing” is the Internet form of “fishing.” He wants personal information from your computer such as your credit card or social security numbers. Who knows, he might even plant one of his “V2’s” into your computer (a virus) and it may go off after he hangs up his offshore telephone and cause you more data loss and damage? Just say “no thanks.” Better yet, just hang up.