Issue 31.14
My readers are getting smarter at avoiding scams, but the scammers are getting trickier as well. The newest technique the bad guys are using to take your money and peace of mind is very confusing and scary unless you know a little about programming. First you receive a phone call from someone you don’t know purporting to be from Microsoft or from a certified Microsoft service provider. They usually don’t speak English well, but some do. They will tell you that they have discovered problems with your computer and will show you what is happening. They will have you follow directions similar to the ones below.
Open Event Viewer by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Event Viewer. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Click Custom Views and then Administrative Events.
You are then presented with an extensive list of errors, warnings and critical concerns that have occurred in the recent past. In my computer log, for example, there were 58 of these concerns listed in just the last two days. For the inexperienced in programming, this could be very scary and give credence to their claim that you must give them access to your computer or it will crash along with the economy of the free world and may cause the implosion of the sun and the end of life as we know it. And they can do all of this for the ridiculously low price of $300. (Okay, I exaggerated a bit – but not about what they will charge you).
The list of errors lies in programming. Most programs use lines of code called “if-then” statements and they often use a series of them to isolate what you are choosing in a program. For example, say you are presented with a menu with 5 choices. The program waits for a keystroke or a mouse click and then reads which you choose. This is over-simplified but will give you the idea. The five lines of code would read: If 1, then go to Word; If 2, then go to Excel; If 3, then go to PowerPoint; If 4, then go to Access; If 5, then go to Outlook.
If you press 1, then you simply go to the Word program and the process terminates. What happens if you press 5? The program looks for a 1, doesn’t find it and generates an error code such as “I didn’t see 1 even though the program told me to look for it.” In this scenario, it might generate 4 error codes in 4 milliseconds. Then it would go to the Outlook program. Nothing wrong with your computer, but you get error codes anyway. With modern programming, the reality is much more complicated than I show here, but the concept is the same. Most error codes are simply acknowledgements that something looked for was not found.
The reality is that the people calling you have no way of knowing if there is something wrong with your computer. They often call people that don’t even own a computer. It is also true that companies like Microsoft could care less if you are having trouble with your computer and won’t ever call you. They are hard to get in touch with on the phone even if you do have a problem and want their help. Why would they call you? Remember, if you didn’t ask for it, you don’t want it – and always back up anything on your computer that is important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 32 years, 25 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.