I don’t know, and I’d like to.
I noticed a suspicious entry in my visitor logs from an IP in Calcutta looking at the last Scam post – ’Scamming the Scammers’. My suspicions were confirmed when the IP linked back to one of the websites quoted by the fraudsters (http://onlinepccare.com/) . See this entry: http://www.robtex.com/cnet/203.200.180.html.
So it looks like the criminals are reading this. HELLO, Criminals!
After looking around a bit more, I found a forum post (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22222049-Scam-Supportonclickcom-scareware-scam~start=140) that lists a few more to be wary of:
www.supportonclick.com
www.onlinepccare.com
www.techmyhelp.com
www.comantra.net
www.gogreenpc.net
www.techisonline.com
www.techonsupport.com
www.fixonclick123.com
www.virtualpcdoctor.com
www.loginforcare.com
www.systemrecure.com
An Australian website has taken also to recording info regarding this (http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1485775). A further link from here to an article containing a response from Microsoft Australia is also an interesting read: (http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/pay-up-or-your-pcs-toast-20100630-zm8i.html).
The Guardian, UK, carry an article linking OnlinePCCare.com to a company called Pecon Software based in – you’ve guess it – Calcutta (or Kolkata if you’d prefer). Their customer relationship manager, Vikas Gupta strenuously denies any involvement and states that he has an email from Mahesh Shah, head of Pecon Software, in which he is told that the company has terminated its contract with “around 30 employees in last two years
It is interesting to note that Pecon Software still have a link on their front page to the (now shut-down) supportonclick.com through an employee login link.
So I guess it’s important to know who is actually accepting money for this, i.e. to which company is the money on the credit card being paid to? Or, put it another way, what is the name of the company that appears on the credit card receipt?
Any info, post here.
Other Articles
This is one of an ongoing series of articles that I have written following this scam. You can find them under the following tag group:
http://www.jameswiseman.com/blog/tag/windows-support-telephone-scam/
no comment untill now