Weird Virus Call?

diddldonna

I don't know how to explain this as its weird and got me worried.

My Dad who lives at another address got a call on his land line number saying did he know the 'My Last Name' Family. My Dad said yes and they said a virus had be detected from us and that it wont get picked up with virus detection software, They then went on about how to remove it, my dad said his computers fine and put the phone down. He then called me asking if i had given anyone their home number which i haven't as they never use the home line. They have only had that landline number one month and haven't given it anyone. My dad said the man on the phone sounded indian and when he did 1471 it came up withheld.

Its got me concerned as how did they get his home number? how did they link me to my dad when i have a different last name?

Has anyone heard of this happening?

AppleMatt

A common scam I'm afraid - good on your father for not falling for their nonsense.

They could have got the details in a miriad of ways - everyone is selling personal information these days.

One important thing to note is to expect one or two more attempts - possibly using different stories/tactics - in the near future. As long as your father shows he won't fall for it, they should not bother phoning again.

As soon as you show any interest, these !!!!!!s won't ever leave you alone.

diddldonna

Thanks for your reply, It just worries me that they mentioned my last name which isn't a common one unless he heard wrong. Also they haven't put the number on anything. The only people who have it are me and the phone company as we all have mobiles its only there for them to get the internet.

My mum is convinced someone is listening into conversations:eek: Is this even possible?

Timalay

diddldonna wrote: »

Its got me concerned as how did they get his home number?

I would hazard a guess and say they used some form of automatic dialling system, which just randomly dials numbers.

diddldonna wrote: »

My mum is convinced someone is listening into conversations:eek: Is this even possible?

Tell her not to worry, it's a fairly common scam.

brewerdave

This scam has been going for several years....LOTS of previous threads on here re "Microsoft helpline", or similar...they normally ask you to look at Windows Event viewer,which on any Windows system shows literally hundreds of errors/warnings......then use that to scare you into giving them remote access to your PC - once they have access they can plant real Trojans or viruses ...then charge you megabucks to remove!!!or even worse,they steal log in details for your online banking and clear out your account!
I just tell them I haven't got a Windoze PC ..they hang up immediately!!

prowla

It's a scam - they are just plain scum.

There are stories of people who have baited them and seen how long they can keep them on the phone and so-on.

macman

Your dad must be the only person in the UK who hasn't had these calls already ad nauseam.

spike7451

Timalay wrote: »

I would hazard a guess and say they used some form of automatic dialling system, which just randomly dials numbers.



Tell her not to worry, it's a fairly common scam.

Either that or they have software that identifies the owner of the line,the CLI number & the broadband supplier.BT have this software to identify tags on the line & the are a lot of diagnostic tools on the BT Wholesale database that are used by most ISP's.You have to be registered to use it but how hard would it be for these scammers to set up a shell company to get access to the systems.

pineapple

Timalay wrote: »

I would hazard a guess and say they used some form of automatic dialling system, which just randomly dials numbers.
Tell her not to worry, it's a fairly common scam.

I think the point is - they had the surname.
Since he only had the landline a month, it's unikely - but still possible - that some other account with their details got hacked or their details were passed on by someone the family has done business with.
Or - a contact had their mail hacked and the Dad's name and mail were obtained from the contact list. After my experiences when my yahoo mail got hacked - I stopped keeping a contact list. They are a god's gift for spammers and hackers.
Just recently I got a scam email with my user name from another forum in the subject line. It's a reputable site so I'm guessing it got hacked.
Also I suspect information circulates far more freely than we would like to believe. I don't believe it's a coincidence that I stopped getting telephone sales calls when I retired. Though any day now I expect someone to 'phone me about stair lifts or bath aids....

chanz4

hope they call me, will ask how the mac got it

brewerdave

pineapple wrote: »

Also I suspect information circulates far more freely than we would like to believe. I don't believe it's a coincidence that I stopped getting telephone sales calls when I retired. Though any day now I expect someone to 'phone me about stair lifts or bath aids....

...I've been officially retired for over 3 years - I sometimes get 6 calls a day, insulation grants,PPI, mortgage loans, surveys etc etc - so I think its luck that your sales calls have dried up.
My mother is 88 in sheltered accommodation -she still gets these calls!!:(