SCAM WARNING!
Dear People:
I got a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, stating that my Windows machine had downloaded malicious software and had been switched to an alternate “universal router”. In proof of there Microsoft credentials, they asked me to type “assoc” in a command window and they said they could read out my “unique identifier” on the third line from the bottom:
.zfsendtotarget=CLSID\{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}
This line, however, simply gives the a file association item - and the value is common across all Windows systems. The caller claimed that knowing what this number was, indicated that he knew what my system was. When I asked for the IP address or MAC address associated with my system, he did not know what I was talking about (the MAC address is going to be associated with my network card, and is unique). This is a SCAM. Links to the scam notices follow:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/scam-using-zfsendtotargetclsid-888dca60-fc0a-11cf/f446dc12-541a-4dc9-8324-eebf251c4c4f?msgId=bbb0afe4-075a-4473-a8cb-73bb666d88c9
and
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/mar/01/microsoft-virus-scam-continues
Don’t get caught. This scam is still actively being carried out.
Sincerely,
Niall Shapero
I got a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, stating that my Windows machine had downloaded malicious software and had been switched to an alternate “universal router”. In proof of there Microsoft credentials, they asked me to type “assoc” in a command window and they said they could read out my “unique identifier” on the third line from the bottom:
.zfsendtotarget=CLSID\{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}
This line, however, simply gives the a file association item - and the value is common across all Windows systems. The caller claimed that knowing what this number was, indicated that he knew what my system was. When I asked for the IP address or MAC address associated with my system, he did not know what I was talking about (the MAC address is going to be associated with my network card, and is unique). This is a SCAM. Links to the scam notices follow:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/scam-using-zfsendtotargetclsid-888dca60-fc0a-11cf/f446dc12-541a-4dc9-8324-eebf251c4c4f?msgId=bbb0afe4-075a-4473-a8cb-73bb666d88c9
and
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/mar/01/microsoft-virus-scam-continues
Don’t get caught. This scam is still actively being carried out.
Sincerely,
Niall Shapero