08-7200-1707

Contacted by "Julia Kidman" and "Harry Watson", so say from South Melbourne, Victoria, both working for E-Pro Solutions, acting on behalf of Microsoft Windows, that they had detected problems on our computer.
Landline contact is : 0872 001 707
Website: www.e-prosolutions.com , and
Email address: support@www.e-prosolutions.com

Requested to go into “start and r “ depressed together, and looked at application and system logs with errors and warnings in them. Asked to count the number of each, and got to about 30 warnings and about 5 or more errors or so,  in each, then stopped scrolling through.

Asked for peoples names, and provided with above names, which are English names, but the people were Indian (or Pakistani), by accent. Was to be put through to technicians, via the “Support Connection” window, and they were going to provide a password, which should not be given to anyone else!!

I hung up and checked the White pages, which does not have a name anything like "E-pro solutions".

These people through their website, www.e-prosolution.com, should be tracked down, or they are just using this website for their own purposes. Whatever the situation, do not touch with a barge pole.

Tony, Perth, Western Australia 19 April 2011

Very similar to above, I am in Pakenham Victoria. I believe they get our numbers out of the phone book and call people aiming to dupe them into stuff.
I checked my event viewer and told them I had no warnings, or errors, only information messages. They told me this was because my computer had malicious software in it which apparently I could be jailed for. Needless to say I did not trust them. Upon request they dodged my questions about their location an ABN.

I hope this message stops atleast 1 person from being sucked in.

Yup stay clear of these guys, question them about all sorts of things, not the real deal.

Definitely a scam - see scamwatch.gov.au

I also had call that was very officious mentioning Microsoft, etc, and the guy was adamant that they were legit (even gave me a phone number that I could call him back on [08 7200 1707] which I have since passed on to ScamWatch). I rang Telstra right after I got off the call who confirmed a scam.

This scam typically involves a scammer cold-calling you and requesting remote access to your computer. If you give the scammer access, they will claim to run a scan, discover a fake virus and then apply high pressure sales tactics to convince you to buy unnecessary anti-virus software or technical services to ‘fix’ your computer.

Warning signs
* You receive a scam call out of the blue claiming there is a problem with your computer.
* The caller claims to be from a large computer company/brand, bank, financial institution, or legitimate technical service provider.
* They will request remote access to your computer and if you say yes will run a ‘scan’ that shows up a fake virus.
* The scammer will pressure you into buying unnecessary software or a service to ‘fix’ the computer.
* The scammer may be very persistent and use abusive or inappropriate language.
* The scammers may sound professional and knowledgeable.
* If you fall victim to the scam you may receive a follow up call falsely claiming to be from an overseas government or law enforcement body pretending they can recover the money you initially lost to the scam – Beware this is another scam!

Protect yourself
* If you receive a phone call out of the blue about your computer system’s security status and requesting remote access - hang up – even if they mention a well-known company or product.
* NEVER give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
* If you have given remote access to your computer, or you fear that your computer has been hacked, seek out help or advice from a qualified and reputable computer technician.
* Do not give out your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
* Make sure your computer is protected with regularly updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a good firewall - but research first and only purchase the software from a source that you know and trust.
* If you have fallen victim to a scam or you receive a lot of unsolicited emails and phone calls consider changing your email address and phone numbers.
* If you are considering providing your details to a company, read their privacy policy/terms and conditions first. If you do not agree with how they will use your details, do not provide them.
* If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.

Report
You can report a scam to the ACCC via the report a scam page on SCAMwatch or by calling 1300 795 995.

More information:
* The ACMA's media release - The ACMA targets computer virus telemarketers - 24 March 2011
* ‘Scams beware’ on Microsoft Australia’s Government Affairs blog - GovTech or contact Microsoft Customer Service on 13 20 58.
* The ACMA’s consumer alert: Computer virus scam calls http://www.acma.gov.au/pcvirustelemarketingscam
* SCAMwatch radar July 2010: Telemarketing scam: your computer has a virus!

Called by Harry on Sat 30 April from E-prosolutions in South Australia.  They had detected an error and wanted me to check my computer.  They would wait while on logged on and would assist me to where the error was.
I told him that I would call him back after verifying who he and his company were on the following Tuesday when everyone was back at work, he was quite adamant that I should do it right away.
I haven't bothered, even more so now that I can see from your emails it is a scam.  The landline he gave was 08 7200 1708