How to spot a scam call pretending to be Microsoft, Telstra or the NBN

We clean up after these calls every month. The caller says they are from Microsoft, Telstra, the NBN, your bank or “Windows technical department”. They have a confident script, an accent that sounds like a call centre, and a reason you need to act right now. Here is how the calls go, and how to end them.

The one rule

No real company will ever ring you out of the blue and ask to connect to your computer. Not Microsoft, not Telstra, not the NBN, not your bank, not the tax office. If someone you did not call asks you to install a program, read out a code, or let them “take a look”, it is a scam. Every time. Hang up.

How the call usually goes

1. The hook. “We have detected a virus on your computer.” “Your internet will be disconnected in 24 hours.” “There has been suspicious activity on your account.”
2. The proof. They ask you to open Event Viewer or a command window and read out the errors there. Every Windows PC has pages of harmless warnings in those screens. They use them to convince you the machine is infected.
3. The access. They talk you through installing a remote-control program such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer or a “support tool”, and ask for the code it shows. That code gives them full control.
4. The money. Once in, they either install real malware and charge you to “fix” it, pressure you to pay a “support fee” by gift card or bank transfer, or go straight for your online banking while you watch.

Warning signs that settle it

• You did not call them.
• They want remote access or a code.
• They want payment by gift card, cryptocurrency or a transfer to a personal account.
• They discourage you from hanging up to check with someone.
• They know your name or address. Scammers buy lists. That proves nothing.

If you already let them in

Do not feel embarrassed; the scripts are designed by professionals. Do these in order:

1. Turn the computer off and unplug the internet so they lose access.
2. From a different device, ring your bank and tell them what happened. They can freeze cards and watch the account.
3. Change your email password first, then banking, then everything else, from a device the scammer never touched.
4. Have the computer checked and cleaned before using it for anything important. The remote-control program and anything they installed need to come off properly.

We handle scam clean-ups across Orange regularly: removing the access tools and malware, checking what was touched, hardening the machine and setting up a password manager so it cannot happen the same way twice. See cyber security.

Worth sharing: most of the clean-ups we do are for parents and grandparents. Send them this page, and tell them to ring you before they ring anyone back.

Need a hand? If you have had the call and are not sure what they did, do not use the machine for banking until it has been checked. Send an enquiry or ring 0423 870 531 and we will tell you straight away whether it is a two-minute fix.