May 12, 2012
As others have reported, I received a call from someone identifying themselves as, in this case, John Wilson, from a company called Windows Care. The caller had a discernable accent, perhaps Indian. That, alone wouldn't have made me suspicious because Indians who are legitimately employed as telephone tech support or customer service representatives are advised to adopt western names rather than use their real names which are sometimes difficult for westerners to pronounce or remember. The caller advised that my computer was infected and, when I inquired how he was able to discern, he said that when I bought my computer, it was registered with Windows Care. That was just one of the things that made me suspicious because I hadn't recalled any such situation even though my computer is about five years old. The other things that caused suspicion on my part were that he never referred to me by name and that he called on the phone line at this residence that is registered to my mother's name, a number that I never use or provide except in rare instances. I had just walked in the door and was on my way out again when the call came, so even though the caller asked me to turn on my computer, I indicated I didn't have the time and asked for a call back number. "John Wilson" wanted to know when I would return and, even though I could have provided the time when I expected to return home, I indicated that I didn't know and asked for a call back number which he gave as 213-221-3528. Ever suspicious of such calls, as is my usual practice, I googled the phone number which led me to the who calls me site.