According to experts from the National Center for Cyber Security, scammers posing as Microsoft technical support employees make tens of thousands of calls to Finland in just a week.
“The numbers could be as high as one hundred thousand a week, ”he said Ville Kontinen, a security expert at the center.
The unit estimates that most of these calls are specifically “Microsoft scams.”
“Even if 0.1 per cent were part of their catch, with large calls there are many casualties and huge losses,” Kontinen said.
We reported on Thursday that scammers who acted as Microsoft supporters fled the Helsinki man for 100,000 euros. The suspected crimes took place on August 17, and authorities investigated the incident as aggravated fraud and identity theft.
Listen: The scam invitation has been saved by a Vantaa techie
A Vantaa IT professional who wanted to remain anonymous recently received a similar call, allegedly from Microsoft headquarters in the United States. He quickly grabbed the scammer and recorded the conversation (excerpts below).
The story continues after the sound.
The tempter allegedly hacked the man’s computer and asked him to install software that would allow him to manage the receiver’s computer.
Techie decided to hit him along as he recorded the call. He agreed to install the software and even gave false passcodes to the evil-minded leader.
The call lasted 20 minutes before the scammer got frustrated and started cheering for abuse as he learned to record the call.
The police cybercrime unit advises citizens that information such as bank details or forms of identity should never be disclosed to anyone. Please note that authorities or legitimate businesses cannot reach customers to request such information by phone or email.
Source: The Nordic Page