Computer support scam

[Adrian Essex]

I've just had one of those fake support calls from "Tech Support Creed". They gave me the number 

02031294039 to call back which is documented here as being 

"This is a number provided by a company marketing themselves as computer engineers working for microsoft. It is a scam, a check with microsoft revealed this number has nothing to do with them and to ignore any instructions given to you by the caller who attempts to get you to give remote access to your computer".

They asked me to look my file associations. There is a mysterious association called .zfsendtotarget. This is associated with the compressed (zipped) folder form in Microsoft windows. This ‘Compressed Folder Send To Target File’ is a feature provided by Windows to compress files without using any third party compression software. It has a value which is the same on every computer (.ZFSendToTarget=CLSID{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062} )  so don't be taken in by them.

All they want is remote access to your computer.

[Marilyn Allen]

I got a call from that company on Monday and told them to give me their number to check their credentials. They gave me an 0208 number but no one answered. They claimed my computer was sending them error messages but I have a brand new machine so I knew immediately it was a scam! I would hate it if they tried it on a vulnerable person.  How can they be stopped?

[Adrian Essex]

The number they called on was 01233378555 so you can safely ignore any calls from that number.

I also had a series of calls from Solar Energy Savings - first someone rings to check your gullibility, then a second call gives you "free information", and a third call makes an appointment for an 'engineer' to call. The engineer uses all the standard high pressure techniques to get you to sign up, with tiny incremental improvements in the offer , etc. 

Apparently he is not telling the entire truth.

[Adrian Essex]

And this week I have had a series of calls from a boiler room called T M Harris. They offer me a 'guaranteed' 8% return on an investment in storage pods (apparently premises owners all over the country are putting all their belongings into them), and warn of the 'fiscal cliff' coming on January 1st. And apparently there is huge profit to be had from rare earth metals because China is about to put all the prices up.

I have not invested.

[Parker]

Here is another comment about this number. Obviously its not trustworthy!

http://www.tellows.co.uk/num/02031294039