back to article It's 2015 and miscreants are still trying to dupe you with fake BSoDs

Tech support scammers have mocked up a web page with an even more dire version of Microsoft’s infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) error page. The website, registered behind an anonymity service on 1 September, wants to convince surfers tricked into visiting it that their PC has been derailed in order to dupe prospective marks …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What is this "Javascript" you speak of?

    I've been using "scriptsafe" for a while now, it's amazing the stuff it blocks.

  2. nematoad
    Happy

    Missed!

    BSoD.

    Ah, ye olde world computing.

    Sorry guys, wrong target.

    I use Linux and Noscript.

    1. AndrueC Silver badge
      Meh

      Re: Missed!

      Sorry guys, wrong target.

      I use Linux and Noscript.

      You don't get them Windows these days either. I think the last one I saw was when I was debugging a device driver several years ago. Still - it's an alarmist screen so any vulnerable person could fall for it.

      1. Bill Stewart

        Haven't had a BSOD in WEEKS

        It's probably been 3-4 weeks since my last BSOD on Win7-64, which usually happens when Firefox is burning about 3GB of RAM and there's lots of flash going on. It's been longer than that since I had a legible BSOD, because these usually end up squished and warped in the top 1/3 or so of my screen, but I've had them this year as well.

        Hardware's a year-old HP 8-core laptop with 8GB of RAM.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: 8GB of RAM, presumably without ECC?

          There was a time when a computer with something like 8GB of RAM would have been expected to have ECC-protected RAM, because of the high risk of undetected data/code corruption causing havoc (a system crash, or permanent but undetected data corruption in files etc).

          Why doesn't this matter any more?

        2. GrumpenKraut

          Re: Haven't had a BSOD in WEEKS

          > ...lots of flash...

          Right there. As long as I had flash in my browser it would only last a few hours max before crashing. Got rid of it long ago. The O/S, however, should not spiral down in the process.

          Written on a box where "BSOD" is "kernel panic".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Unhappy

      Re: Missed!

      "BSoD.

      Ah, ye olde world computing.

      Sorry guys, wrong target.

      I use Linux and Noscript."

      I can testify by Linux box currently suffers a BSoD on every boot since upgrading.

      Granted it's Black Screen of Death, but hey ho.

      1. Teiwaz
        Facepalm

        Re: Missed!

        I got the impression nematoad was referring someone knowingly not running windows is not going to fall for a 'windows' fake error scam.

        'Missed' is pretty much what I think when I keep seeing plethora of MacOS ads when using a Khtml/webkit browser.

        1. nematoad
          Pint

          Re: Missed!

          "I got the impression nematoad was referring someone knowingly not running windows is not going to fall for a 'windows' fake error scam."

          Yep, got it in one.

          Have a pint on me!

  3. TonyJ

    Not just Windows

    My lad had such a screen on his XBOne. From what he said he had been web browsing.

    1. Anonymous C0ward
      Paris Hilton

      "web browsing"

      Nudge nudge, wink wink.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It sounds from the description that this runs in a browser so what happens when the browser isn't running full screen?

    1. FrogsAndChips Silver badge

      This is obviously targeted at people who think that a browser in itself is a computer (and Google is the Internet), so it won't make any difference to them.

    2. Manolo
      Paris Hilton

      Re: full screen

      I am no programmer, but I think Javascript will let you make the browser go full screen. Will make the BSOD look more convincing.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It sounds from the description that this runs in a browser so what happens when the browser isn't running full screen?

      This could be kludged using late 90's JavaScript in web browsers like Netscape Navigator Gold 3.0.

      Typically, they just created a pop-up window that was bigger than the screen it was being viewed on, thus making the window borders disappear. The prevalence of pop-up blockers makes things a bit more challenging, but not impossible.

  5. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. DJV Silver badge

    Retro

    Can't wait until I see a new one that says "Something wonderful has happened your Amiga is alive!!"

  7. BenBell
    Joke

    IF you experience one of these BSODS

    call my new freephone (toll free for my americal counterparts):

    UK: 999-012-34567

    USA: 911-012-34567

    (Please don't! I know someone who was once stupid enough to take this advice from me.!)

    1. John Robson Silver badge

      Re: IF you experience one of these BSODS

      @BenBell

      Please dont - those numbers would contact you to the emergency services in both locations!

      You might want to make it a little clearer...

      People's lives can genuinely be put at risk - it's VERY scary being on hold for the emergency operator...

    2. tfewster
      Thumb Up

      Re: IF you experience one of these BSODS

      Good joke, and it sort of serves to illustrate a serious point - numbers, especially premium rate numbers, should be attributable to someone traceable & responsible for their misuse. In particular, a premium rate number should NOT pay out immediately, and the telco should check there haven't been any complaints first, else the money should be held in case it (ALL) has to be repaid.

      1. Joey M0usepad Silver badge

        Re: IF you experience one of these BSODS

        A friend of mine was caught by one of those "modem redialler" scams years ago. presented with a huge bill from BT he refused to pay it , saying they shouldnt give criminals premium phone lines and then assist them picking up their loot.

        BT agreed and backed down.

    3. Teiwaz
      Go

      Re: IF you experience one of these BSODS

      That Much funnier with numbers for errm, an 'adult phone service'.

  8. Androdgenous CowHerd

    Got a "Tech Support" scammer the other day...

    He tried to get me to open the Windows Event Viewer so he could claim all those errors were virii. It failed because I told him there was no such application installed on my machine. Then he tried to get me to visit a website "to test for errors" & when I recognized the URL, I told him the results were "Kinda fuzzy. It says something about a kernel error? I'm not sure, the screen is all garbled." He went through a couple more "troubleshooting steps" trying to get me to install various Remote Desktop Clients, and I told him they all failed as invalid applications. He finally asked in exaspiration if I was sure my computer wasn't compromised at that moment, to which I assured him "I know it's not compromised. It's a Commodore 128D. It doesn't run Windows." He started screaming & cursing at me, so I laughed in his ear & told him I'd ask his mom about him when she came over later for delivering my nightly oral delights. He cursed at me in (Farsi?) for a bit then slammed down the phone.

    Man I love fucking with their heads. It's like they WANT to be abused!

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Old hat!

    http://www.digicrime.com/ was doing those sort of things nearly 20 years ago.

  10. Ramon Zarat

    Ratraded

    "'Victims are lured.." Not victims, retarded people too stupid to own a computer.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Castration with a rusty spoon

    Is too good for these scammers!

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