POP UP Scam: 

The “Windows Tech Support” 

I actually received two calls from the “Windows Tech Support” scammers.

The first, just after lunch, caught me at a bad time. Snowed under with work, I laconically burst out laughing, and didn’t stop until the caller hung up. Sadly, they didn’t get the hint.

Six hours later came another call. Perhaps the same lady, I don’t know as I didn’t take the first caller’s name. This one, despite her strong Indian accent, was called Rachel, one of the most English names you will find. Of course, this is part of the tactic, to present a “civilized” veneer of legitimacy for what is, surely at the back of most people’s mind, a surprising call.

Because the call itself is incredulous, it suggests, through the script that the cold calling scammers stick to very closely, that Microsoft can detect whether or not your compute has an “infection”. They’re clear on this too, the callers. This isn’t a call about viruses, as your computer’s anti-virus software can handle those. No, this is all about “infections”, some loose reference to malware.

Which, incidentally, is what they’re peddling.