Brownhills email (1 Viewer)

[Reallyretired]

On the original topic. I had the same email about autotrails, however although I have never had an autotrail, I have been a customer of Brownhills, so they've probably just sent the same email to everyone on there list.

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

I own an Autotrail, they never sent me one

Peter

 

[MR. FUSION]

I recently sent an "error message" to Microsoft regarding screen freezing, we had only had the new landline and WiFi fitted 3 days beforehand.

20 minutes later I got a phone call from Microsoft, on the new landline, discussing the amount of malware etc they had discovered on my laptop.

They talked me through the procedure and it was all cleared, thank goodness.

When they had finished I aske the chap from Microsoft how he knew my barnd new landline number and he informed me that everytime you send some form of message you also send a whole range of other information which is working in the background on your computer.

Some firms can decypher this information and use it to contact you or work out what you are enquiring about.

That is why sometimes,you might receive e mails or adverts relating to your recent enquiry.

still sounds like a scam........

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[Jim]

Just a quick thank you to those of you who offered advice either on the forum or via PM's

Have contacted Microsoft and they do not think it was a scam. for a variety of reasons but mainly because the company left their telephone number, e mail address and web site. all of these are still active.

Also, the laptop has been scanned by Microsoft Safety Scanner, over 750,000 files scanned and no infected files discovered.

This, the suspected scam, happened about 10 days ago and nothing has been taken (or put in) my bank accounts, also my laptop is now working faster than it has done for ages.

Microsoft also informed me that when you submit a Microsoft error report, such as I did, a variety of sources can access it, it also includes lots of contact information. that is how this firm could contact me within 20 minutes of me submitting the error report and on a new landline which had only been installed 3 days beforehand by BT.

Again many thanks

Seriously, even in light of what you have been told. change all your passwords. Especially any to do with money. Bank, PayPal, eBay etc. IMO the chances that you were called by Microsoft are virtually zero.

 

[estcres]

On the original topic. I had the same email about autotrails, however although I have never had an autotrail, I have been a customer of Brownhills, so they've probably just sent the same email to everyone on there list.

I expect Brownhills sold their e mail listings not gave them away.

When you submit youre mail address firms will put it onto a mailing list which they can then sell on.

It is only a modern version of the old mailing lists for postal addresses, when I was in business I used to purchase postal addresses for £1 per 1000 addresses.

It's just one way that firms make money from their customers

With modern data colecting methods they can sort e mail enquiries into different catagories and sell those e mail addresses to specific suppliers who then receive targeted potential customers

 

[estcres]

Seriously, even in light of what you have been told. change all your passwords. Especially any to do with money. Bank, PayPal, eBay etc. IMO the chances that you were called by Microsoft are virtually zero.

All Done

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[rainbow chasers]

It is the 'new' form of advertising so to speak. To give you a rough idea...when you want to find a company or service, what do you do? Google it....no-one goes to the phone book, or yellow pages anymore...you google it.

For these directories, that is a problem - just look how tearing up a yellow pages was a challenge many years ago - nowadays parents give babies the YP to tear up as a distraction whilst having a nappy change.

To combat this, the directories buy banner advertising from Google and others in bulk. They then approach businesses - let's say Jim as an example - and sublet these spaces which are linked to key words. So Jim could have an MHF banner appear everytime you google certain keywords such as Motorhome, Campsite, Self build or whatever - his ad will appear.

The banner will appear anywhere google have access to - even if the website or forum is not related from your earlier search, they will 'follow' you, as a 'reminder' in case you decide to purchase or visit that site by using presumably your IP address.

Yesterday I sold a vehicle and purchased a warranty for the customer. Now on every forum or website I go on, my warranty companies' advert appears, as I have been on their website.

It is the new form of advertising - some may find it harrassing, some may not - but that is how it works!:thumb:

 

[MR. FUSION]

Just a quick thank you to those of you who offered advice either on the forum or via PM's

Have contacted Microsoft and they do not think it was a scam. for a variety of reasons but mainly because the company left their telephone number, e mail address and web site. all of these are still active.

Also, the laptop has been scanned by Microsoft Safety Scanner, over 750,000 files scanned and no infected files discovered.

This, the suspected scam, happened about 10 days ago and nothing has been taken (or put in) my bank accounts, also my laptop is now working faster than it has done for ages.

Microsoft also informed me that when you submit a Microsoft error report, such as I did, a variety of sources can access it, it also includes lots of contact information. that is how this firm could contact me within 20 minutes of me submitting the error report and on a new landline which had only been installed 3 days beforehand by BT.

Again many thanks

This from Microsofts error report privacy pages and states exactly the opposite of what you were told, Microsoft DO NOT collect phone numbers and WILL NOT contact you direct when you report an error in the first instance .

'Information such as your IP address, operating system version, browser version, and regional and language settings are also collected because you’re connecting to an online service (web service) to send error reports. However, this information is used only to generate aggregate statistics. It is not used to identify you or contact you.'

Reports might unintentionally contain personal information, but this information is not used to identify you or contact you. For example, a report that contains a snapshot of memory might include your name, part of a document you were working on, or data that you recently submitted to a website.


Unless you:

'After you send a report, you might be asked to complete a survey about the error you experienced. If you choose to provide your phone number or email address in response to the survey, your report will be personally identifiable. Microsoft might contact you to request additional information to help solve the problem you reported.'

No third party vendor should have contacted you unless you completed the Microsoft questionaire giving your phone number etc under microsofts privacy rules.


'For example, if a report indicates that a third-party product is involved, Microsoft might send that information to the vendor of the product. The vendor might provide the information to sub-vendors and partners; however, all parties must abide by the terms of this privacy statement.
To improve the products that run on Microsoft software, Microsoft might share aggregate information about errors and problems. Aggregate information is used for statistical analysis and does not contain specific information from individual reports, nor does it include any personal or confidential information that might have been collected from a report. '


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/microsoft-error-reporting-privacy-statement

So unless you did complete the questionaire giving your personal data including phone number there is a problem here.....personally I think it is highly unlikely a third party vendor would contact you so quickly and in this manner.

Can you say what 'procedure' they took you through. The common scammers trick is to go through lots of operating system files until you find a particular file (which is common to all PC's) and say this is the evidence you are infected with spyware. The get you to download several trojan type viruses. Including key loggers.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7NYs3Mz6pQ"]Microsoft warns computer owners of phone scam - YouTube[/ame]

 

[estcres]

This from Microsofts error report privacy pages and states exactly the opposite of what you were told, Microsoft DO NOT collect phone numbers and WILL NOT contact you direct when you report an error in the first instance .

'Information such as your IP address, operating system version, browser version, and regional and language settings are also collected because you’re connecting to an online service (web service) to send error reports. However, this information is used only to generate aggregate statistics. It is not used to identify you or contact you.'

Reports might unintentionally contain personal information, but this information is not used to identify you or contact you. For example, a report that contains a snapshot of memory might include your name, part of a document you were working on, or data that you recently submitted to a website.


Unless you:

'After you send a report, you might be asked to complete a survey about the error you experienced. If you choose to provide your phone number or email address in response to the survey, your report will be personally identifiable. Microsoft might contact you to request additional information to help solve the problem you reported.'

No third party vendor should have contacted you unless you completed the Microsoft questionaire giving your phone number etc under microsofts privacy rules.


'For example, if a report indicates that a third-party product is involved, Microsoft might send that information to the vendor of the product. The vendor might provide the information to sub-vendors and partners; however, all parties must abide by the terms of this privacy statement.
To improve the products that run on Microsoft software, Microsoft might share aggregate information about errors and problems. Aggregate information is used for statistical analysis and does not contain specific information from individual reports, nor does it include any personal or confidential information that might have been collected from a report. '


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/microsoft-error-reporting-privacy-statement

So unless you did complete the questionaire giving your personal data including phone number there is a problem here.....personally I think it is highly unlikely a third party vendor would contact you so quickly and in this manner.

Can you say what 'procedure' they took you through. The common scammers trick is to go through lots of operating system files until you find a particular file (which is common to all PC's) and say this is the evidence you are infected with spyware. The get you to download several trojan type viruses. Including key loggers.
Microsoft warns computer owners of phone scam - YouTube

All I can say is that I did not complete any questionnaire.

I sent of the error report, which is a standard Microsoft error report and 20 minutes later, a person saying he was an agent for Microsoft contacted me saying they had identified over 200 malwares etc on my system.

The phone line and number was only installed by BT on the 4th September and I was contacted on the 6th September, we had not even informed people of our new number so they must have got it from somewhere.

I was talking to a colleque on Tuesday who works for the MOD and he said that loads of information is sent with these error reports.

To be safe I have altered my Passwords and other security measures.

This is the website of the Company who said they were from Microsoft:

www.uktechexperts.com

I can't make this out as nothing has happened to my computer, bank accounts etc.

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[mitzimad]

Just a quick thank you to those of you who offered advice either on the forum or via PM's

Have contacted Microsoft and they do not think it was a scam. for a variety of reasons but mainly because the company left their telephone number, e mail address and web site. all of these are still active.

Also, the laptop has been scanned by Microsoft Safety Scanner, over 750,000 files scanned and no infected files discovered.

This, the suspected scam, happened about 10 days ago and nothing has been taken (or put in) my bank accounts, also my laptop is now working faster than it has done for ages.

Microsoft also informed me that when you submit a Microsoft error report, such as I did, a variety of sources can access it, it also includes lots of contact information. that is how this firm could contact me within 20 minutes of me submitting the error report and on a new landline which had only been installed 3 days beforehand by BT.

Again many thanks

where did you get the number for microsoft its likely this would be part of the scam if you got it from your computer

 

[MR. FUSION]

All I can say is that I did not complete any questionnaire.

I sent of the error report, which is a standard Microsoft error report and 20 minutes later, a person saying he was an agent for Microsoft contacted me saying they had identified over 200 malwares etc on my system.

The phone line and number was only installed by BT on the 4th September and I was contacted on the 6th September, we had not even informed people of our new number so they must have got it from somewhere.

I was talking to a colleque on Tuesday who works for the MOD and he said that loads of information is sent with these error reports.

To be safe I have altered my Passwords and other security measures.

This is the website of the Company who said they were from Microsoft:

www.uktechexperts.com

I can't make this out as nothing has happened to my computer, bank accounts etc.

'whois' says they dont really want you to know who they are, where they are and how to physically contact them.....does not sound like the kind of company I want poking around on my PC!

Registrant Country: United Kingdom
Admin Name: Live Care
Admin Organization:
Admin Street: aa
Admin City: London
Admin State/Province: London
Admin Postal Code: WD23 1GG
Admin Country: United Kingdom
Admin Phone: 00000000
Admin Fax:

 

[estcres]

'whois' says they dont really want you to know who they are, where they are and how to physically contact them.....does not sound like the kind of company I want poking around on my PC!

Registrant Country: United Kingdom
Admin Name: Live Care
Admin Organization:
Admin Street: aa
Admin City: London
Admin State/Province: London
Admin Postal Code: WD23 1GG
Admin Country: United Kingdom
Admin Phone: 00000000
Admin Fax:

All I can do is keep an eye on things.

I've changed passwords and security measures.

More interesting is how did they get my brand new telephone number so quickly after sending an error report?

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[rangi]

Mine are full of adverts for topless women wanting men over 50:thumb:

And don't forget TYNON!:thumb:

 

[MR. FUSION]

More interesting is how did they get my brand new telephone number so quickly after sending an error report?

coincidence ? A lot of these scammers use random phone number generating software, According to Microsoft it should not have been them, it is an interesting plot.......