Help please? Windows 10 phishing phone calls

[Dee67]

The other night my wife was home alone. She got a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft's licensing department that told her there are people using her computer to do illegal things.

Gave her instructions to go to command prompt, type something that brought up her windows license number and he told her what it was to the letter... not vice versa. He then gave her a command to see how many people were logged into her computer and using it to do harm.

THANKFULLY, some of my yapping over the years stuck with her and when he told her how she can get rid of it is run www.123whatevertherestoftheaddresswas.com she hung up - ran malwarebytes and whatever it is windows10 provides for virus (I'm still using dinosaur operating systems and know nothing about 10).

Just now, a guy with a thick Indian accent from a loud call center location calling, claiming to be from "Software License Security" and asked for her by name. She is 100% certain she never gave her name. So I'm wondering how her info was obtained AND what I can do to keep her system/info clean and safe.

Thanks in advance for any info/tips you can provide, I appreciate it!

 

[Raizinman]

The best way to handle this is to just say politely: No thanks and hang up.

There are lots of rude ways, but won't discuss it here.

 

[Dee67]

Thanks, but I don't mean the calls.

"I'm wondering how her info was obtained AND what I can do to keep her system/info clean and safe."

 

[corkyg]

The telephone has become a cesspool conduit these days. My current policy is to only reply to calls that Caller ID shows a name or business I know. I will not answer calls from 800 service numbers or cities/states.

I have many such numbers blocked, but they change numbers freely. When I see a call from an 800, a city, or state, I pick up, listen, and if I hear nothing I hang up.

Keep in mind that Microsoft will never makes such a call. The IRS will never call you and ask for info. You niece or cousin is not locked up in a foreign country and needs money. You will never inherit a fortune from some deceased person.

It pays to be phone smart. To be called, the hacker need not have any data. Your number can be random robo dialed, or it can be obtained from many sources. It might even be in a directory. TYo kee3p your system safer, you train/educate your wife. Get caller ID - it is essential.

 

[Dee67]

We now have anonymous calls and that particular number blocked. Have caller ID. The call, though annoying wasn't anything other than an education to our information being places we don't want it and we are more open to security issues than we thought.

Our issue is he had what she said he called her windows ID # (she said a long number, like the ones I used to have to use to activate windows from the cd) and he called asking for her by name. We're private people. We don't buy a lot of stuff online or off. Our personal info is with very few places (directly). Indirectly, who knows.

This Windows 10 thing is an unfamiliar animal to me. I can't just put the software solutions I have on my other machines on it and be done with it like I'd like. I've searched here and google on "Windows 10 security" and most of what I'm finding is another anti-virus can't be used with whatever 10 comes with.. and (mostly via google) that Windows 10 is "more secure" than my other operating systems because of blah blah blah reasons.

I don't have a false sense of security, ANY machine can be had. But I feel that my older machines are a reasonable balance of security and function for a home user.. I'd like to have her comfortable when I'm comfortable with something I can set her machine up with that is a similar, more than 1 method of security setup.

Thank you again

 

[corkyg]

I use Malwarebytes Premium with Win 10 along with its Defender. I have it set to treat PUPs as malware. It works for me. Sounds like you are doing the right things.

 

[Elixer]

The other night my wife was home alone. She got a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft's licensing department that told her there are people using her computer to do illegal things.

Gave her instructions to go to command prompt, type something that brought up her windows license number and he told her what it was to the letter... not vice versa. He then gave her a command to see how many people were logged into her computer and using it to do harm.

THANKFULLY, some of my yapping over the years stuck with her and when he told her how she can get rid of it is run www.123whatevertherestoftheaddresswas.com she hung up - ran malwarebytes and whatever it is windows10 provides for virus (I'm still using dinosaur operating systems and know nothing about 10).

Just now, a guy with a thick Indian accent from a loud call center location calling, claiming to be from "Software License Security" and asked for her by name. She is 100% certain she never gave her name. So I'm wondering how her info was obtained AND what I can do to keep her system/info clean and safe.

Thanks in advance for any info/tips you can provide, I appreciate it!

Well, there is no command that will show you the actual key, so, it wasn't that.
There are commands that can show you build information and the like, and that could possibly be what she saw. What was the exact command anyway?

As for how they get her name, there are a few ways, usually, from some other site that sold your information, they could also be using malware that was installed via flash ads or any number of things.

What I usually say in these cases is, if you want to be 100% sure there is no malware on your machine, then you must clean install the OS, then only install programs from a trusted source.

 

[LPCTech]

They are fishing, trying to get someone with little enough sense to let them connect with the computer. As long as they didnt, no problem. They could have gotten her info in a million different ways, they didnt even need to know about her windows they are fishing for anyone who has windows who will let them in, and most people have a windows PC. They only needed a list of names and numbers. The number they had her lookup was most likely not her license number. When anyone from "Microsoft support" calls you, hang up. Real MS support will NEVER ever call you ever.

 

[bruceb]

Actually there is such a command to retrieve your Windows 7 / 8 / 10 Key
A quick Google search turned it up. See link below:

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/find-windows-product-key

From the WinX Menu in Windows 10 / 8.1, open an elevated command prompt window, type the following command and hit Enter:
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Your Windows product key will be displayed.

Note: You need to first be in the C:\ directory, then go to C:\Windows\System32
for this command to work.

 

[Ketchup]

Windows 10 doesn't report the actual key. If you look up the number with any key finder, it will give everyone the same generic number.

So if it's Windows 10, him knowing that number isn't surprising at all.