Phony Dell Support Scam

I just got a call from some guy who claimed to be from Dell Support.    He had my first and last name, my phone number in the US (MJ) AND the service tag number identifying my computer.     He then went into the usual routine including the need to go into a certain program etc.    The unique thing here was that he had the service tag number.   No one in the past scam calls had that much information.    I ended that call and called Dell myself and they said they were aware of the scam and that apparently their data base had been hacked.    We've suspected this for months but never have I had a call from someone who had this much information.      So, anyone with a Dell be forewarned that you may be getting a similar call.

How do you rate a Dell call? All I ever get is the Microsoft scam.

I try to keep them on the line as long as possible to waste their time. By my stopwatch, I managed 15+ minutes the other day.

I run Linux and we had a long discussion about me not having a "start" button before he caught on. He asked me what my operating system was and I told him I had no idea, whatever came with the computer.

Please get a grip folks - official or authorized DELL TEC SUPPORT based in Mumbai is a scam in itself! Allowed them to take control of a new laptop and they managed to fry the hard drive. Thankfully puchased at Costco and I had a full refund in less than 3 minutes. Damned fools in Mumbai were calling me for a solid month and getting the full benefit of my vocabulary. Will never purchase another computer without checking country of origin for tech support!

jrm30655 wrote:How do you rate a Dell call?  All I ever get is the Microsoft scam.

I bought a Dell two years ago.    Within a month I was getting calls with the Microsoft scam so I suspected there was a leak at Dell but the scammers didn't seem to have any information about me or my computer at that time.     However, some time in the last year they got my first name and only recently, when I started quizzing them about specifics, did I realized that they had more information.     I don't know how much info' they have -- I should have quizzed them further, but I will if they call again.    These calls come in waves, and the callers don't seem to be communicating with any central source because later callers don't seem to know that I'd already rebuffed several earlier callers.    

So far the support from Dell has been pretty good.    They always seemed to know what they are doing and always solved the problem at hand.    My only problem with Dell is the security leaks.

I am a tech and specialize in virus removal NOB. I'm here to tell you that nothing is safe on the internet. Hackers will get in eventually no matter what security a company or the government has. It's not a good idea to put your stuff on "The Cloud" either. They WILL get your information at some point.

The Dell scam is definitely a hack of the Dell database. They have that information and are using it to trick people to gain access to their computers. You guys seem on the ball with it so educate your friends and spread the word. Most baby boomers are NOT computer savvy.

The best defense you have is to BACK UP YOUR STUFF. Windows comes with software that allows you to make a system image of your hard drive on an external drive. Use it. If you do not have a backup drive, buy one. Flash drives are too small. After you make the system image, disconnect the external drive when not in use. This prevents Ransomware Hackers from encrypting your external drive backup. I cannot overemphasize the importance of doing these kind of backups. We will all be hacked at some point, even me (twice).

RoyD

I just now got another call from the Dell Support scammers.     I asked a few more questions and found that they also have my model number, last name, email address, and how long my current service agreement is good for.    Apparently, they don't have a physical address and they don't have the Express Code.    I kept asking him how Dell could have any information about my computer since there is no connection between my computer and Dell.    He then said that someone had hacked into my computer and was sending out messages and the recipients had contacted Dell about it and he is calling to fix it.     That's the latest spiel.    He didn't explain how the "recipients" were able to identify my computer.    Instead, he was busy telling me that I should go into this particular program to prove what he was saying, and that he could fix it.   I repeatedly told him I was onto his scam because I've heard it many times but that didn't faze him.    I finally got rid of him when I told him I thought I'd kept him on the line long enough for the FBI to get a trace on him.   He hung up.