Scam: sky tech support and Team Viewer remote view app.

[SimmeringSimm]

Hi, just alerting fellow Sky customers to a scam that is currently circulating.

I just received a call from a South Asian (possibly Indian) bloke claiming to be from "sky tech support". He claimed that I had a compromised Internet connection and that unauthorised users were registered on my home wifi network.

He then asked me to check the lights on my router, he said which ones were blinking and I said they were all solid green (he was trying to allude something was wrong with my connection).

The man then asked which type of phone I had (i did not disclose thatbi had a desktop due to a recent scam call) and he then told me to go to the play store and search for an app called "Team Viewer" and then told me to download "Team Viewer remote access" or something.

This would have allowed this scammer to have remote access to my phone and therefore my information, making this chap a Phishing Scammer.

Stay safe and keep on your toes.

[TimmyBGood]

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@SimmeringSimm wrote:

He claimed that I had a compromised Internet connection and that unauthorised users were registered on my home wifi network.

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Many, many such calls reported here: it's a major industry.  Worth noting that ISPs NEVER proactively phone subscribers about 'security issues': only the bad guys have the staffing to make outbound calls.

[Victoria168168]

The same scam happened to me today, an Indian man lied he was from Sky and wanted remote access to my laptop with remote viewer website to fix the slow internet speed. My speed is ok. 

[Mark-Br · Accepted solution]

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@Victoria168168 wrote:

The same scam happened to me today

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This community page offers links and advice which will help if you receive scam calls, emails or texts.

[LeeBl]

This has just happened to me today as well. Pretty rude as when i told them they were a scam the expeltives began.

[ClareLouise73]

Had EXACTLY the same call as other. Told my internet was intermittantly slow and that people from Liverpool and Chelsea had access to my internet.

Asked to go onto 'teamviewer' internet address and claimed if i didn't sort it out, if those accessing my internet were looking at inappropriate content i would be charged by the police.

I hung up.... had a similar call recently claiming to be Microsoft. [removed]

Moderator note: cursing.

[RCh]

Hi , just received this (4/5/2021) on my landline that's supposed to be ex-directory.

The number the call came from was 01237xxx078.

He said that there was unusual activity on my line, what devices to I have using the line, and to go to the AppStore. 

I am surprised that this has been going on since January and not been stopped yet!

[TimmyBGood]

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@RCh wrote:

I am surprised that this has been going on since January and not been stopped yet!

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Rather longer than that, but if law enforcement agencies in the countries where these calls originate* don't see them as a priority, it's difficult to see how they could be 'stopped': the technical solution requires global cooperation.

*I suspect Bideford isn't a hotbed of cybercrime ; )

[Chrisee]

@RCh lot longer than a year these scams were happening when I was involved in managing advice agencies some 5 years back. There are things the authorities could have done but closing down operations that just require an internet connection and a computer in any city worldwide is a tad more complex think Wack-a-mole. Getting to the companies who supply the payments platforms is probably the best approach. 

At least Ofcom have released something  about not trusting the caller id. Oddly the Telcos should get the real orginating number so they can charge for the call not the spoofed number caller id shows but then you hit data protection etc. 

[Sboy]

Literally just had a call now and wanted to continue the awareness. This time he asked that I download Quick Support, which is basically another name for Team Viewer. I'm aware that these are used for scams so I asked the Indian chap to verify how much I pay a month if he is actually from Sky, he said I'm currently paying £110 a month (which is incorrect), once I told him this he promptly hung up.

Always ask them to verify that they're from Sky if you're ever unsure, they should have your details of they are genuinely from Sky, basics like address and name, but don't ever tell them your actual details as they may collect this data and use it another time. 

[GD1]

@Sboy  All good advise, I would add the no ISP will call a customer to tell them they have Broadband issues, so I would be putting the phone down right away without even engaging with them.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Sboy wrote:

Always ask them to verify that they're from Sky if you're ever unsure, they should have your details of they are genuinely from Sky, basics like address and name, 

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Unfortunately the economics of the industry means, as @GD1 observes, domestic ISPs just don't make proactive outgoing support calls: only the bad guys are that well staffed.  It's increasingly unlikely that any unsolicited business call isn't either a dubious 'market survey', a sales pitch or an outright scam.

[Sboy]

Yes, that is even better advice  to just ignore and hang up straight away.

I suspected it was a scam when I received the call but decided to see where it went as I've been getting quite a few of these calls now and I'm hoping they'll stop if I can catch them out with their **bleep**.  Really feel for those being scammed by these scum, shocking to think this is thriving so much lately with the lockdown etc. 

[Joanne2Neil]

I've had this call today. Asked me to download team viewer support which I did.  Luckily though when it came up with a code I didn't provide this as it didn't sound right. Asked if he was from sky and he said he was, told him to give me his number and I would call him back but he didn't have an incoming number. Googled team viewer support when I was on the phone which found out it was a scam. So glad I didn't provide any details. Absolutely disgusting these people. 

[icew]

I've just had a call from an Asian person claiming to be from Sky.  I've had a few calls like this in the past where they tell me there is an issue with my line or my router after they received a notification. 

He was very persistent and even tried to give me my sky account number and was trying to get me the install team viewer. He kept saying that he was from a secured sky server team and he wanted me to download team viewer so that he could show me the fault in my router.  With my limited networking skills I'm sure you can get those kinds statistics from your actual router admin screen? 

He then tried to convince me that the issue was with the line however I've not seen any drop in speed on the devices connected.  So I challenged him on where the issue lies. And he said both.  He seemed to get more angry with me as the time went on, I can't say why but I didn't trust this call from an unknown mobile number.  But I'll be calling sky support separately to make sure.  Managed to kept him on the phone for 10 minutes saving whoever was at the end of his list for another day. 

Stay safe everyone