PCMDX Information Blog | Analysis of a Scam

Scams can happen to anyone, including IT companies like PCMDX.

Let’s look at a recent scam that someone tried on us and how we were able to determine it to be a scam.

On 8/17/16 at 2:59pm we received a text from 12025564828 that read:

“+12509000912 – Are you available to repair computers and please let me have your email so I can email you all details of my request.Contact Robert Gates on (737) 210-7809 & rg757711@gmail.com.” (quotations put in by us).

Seemed OK, and we receive e-mails requesting repair quotes often, so we replied with our e-mail address.

On 8/19/16 at 12:09pm we received the same e-mail with one addition:

On 8/18/16 we received this e-mail from Robert Gates:

Hello,

Thanks for your reply. I have some Hp PCs(Intel Pentium M) since we currently have a major breakdown on most of our systems and I thought it was best to have a general upgrade and maintenance. (I will be providing the software needed). Below are the things needed to be done one

on each laptops:

1 Format Hard Drive

2 Install Window 7 with Service Pack 1 (sp1)

3 Install Microsoft Office Package

4 AVG Virus Software (Free Lifetime Updates)

5 Adobe Acrobat Reader

6 Laptop Cleaning of the keyboard, screen and other case.

7 Diagnostics of the entire system after to check hard, CD Rom, floppy, etc.

The Laptops are in California and will be shipped over to you from there.I am contacting you because we are about to have a branch office there in your city

We will move the Computers to you and after fixing, they will be shipped to out branch office there this is why i’m searching local Computer expert to fix it there.

I have a reliable shipper whose service I’ ll employ to bring down the laptops. The shipper will bring down as well as pickup the laptops when you are done with fixing them. My shipper will be coming with the necessary Software for the installations of the Computers with both the Operating System,Microsoft Office and the Anti-virus for each computers . Also the windows CD’s are licensed and i have all the other software mentioned available.

So the question is can you really carry out this task from your place presently?Get back to me with your total cost for the services of 6 units of Hp PCs(Intel Pentium M). Please note that i have all the software with the licenses available with me for the job.I await your urgent response so that i can put the arrangement in order. Hope to read from you at your soonest convenience.

Best Regards,

The language seemed a little strange. Let’s break it down:

Hello,

Thanks for your reply. I have some Hp PCs(Intel Pentium M) since we currently have a major breakdown on most of our systems [this makes no sense] and I thought it was best to have a general upgrade and maintenance. (I will be providing the software needed). Below are the things needed to be done one

on each laptops [again, this makes no sense]:

1 Format Hard Drive

2 Install Window 7 with Service Pack 1 (sp1) [Should read “Windows”]

3 Install Microsoft Office Package

4 AVG Virus Software (Free Lifetime Updates)

5 Adobe Acrobat Reader

6 Laptop Cleaning of the keyboard, screen and other case. [Probably meant “outer” instead of “other”. Punctuation errors]

7 Diagnostics of the entire system after to check hard, CD Rom, floppy, etc. [This is done before 1-6, not after]

The Laptops are in California and will be shipped over to you from there.I am contacting you because we are about to have a branch office there in your city We will move the Computers to you and after fixing, they will be shipped to out branch office there this is why i’m searching local Computer expert to fix it there. [This is riddled with punctuation and grammar errors. Where is the city? ]

Best Regards,

Warning Number 1 when suspecting a scam is taking place: Grammar. Spelling. Punctuation.

These scams are perpetrated by people who’s native language is not English. Since English is their second or third language, or perhaps their Google Translate version of English, there will be mistakes.

A legitimate company will NOT make this many errors.

Warning Number 2: Vagueness

Where in California is he based? Where is the city where his “new office” is opening? A Gmail address with letters and number? Too vague.

Next step to confirm a scam is to check the wording by Googling a sentence. These people use a template, often changing just a couple of items, so it’s possible to find a report of a scam that occured in the past.

We Googled: Get back to me with your total cost for the services of 6 units of Hp PCs

which returned this page:

https://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=24038&start=30

One post in this forum showed the following e-mail had been sent to the reporting person on 6/12/12:

Hello, i want to know if you still repair computer because i have issues which i need you to resolve.

Second email:

Thanks for reply I’ve got some Pentium-D dell laptops that needs to be fix. Below are the things needed to be done one on each laptops.

1. Format Hard Drive
2. Install Win XP with Service Pack 3
3. Microsoft Office Package
4. AVG Virus Software (Free Lifetime Updates) 5. Adobe Acrobat 6. Diagnostics of the entire system ( i. e. check hard, cdrom, floppy, etc.)

The Laptops are ten 10 in number and will be shipped over to you from there I have a reliable shipper whose service I’ ll employ to bring down the laptops. The shipper will bring down as well as pickup the laptops when you are done with fixing them.

Also the windows CD’ s are licensed and i have all the other software’s mentioned available. So the question is can you really carry out this task from your place presently? Get back to me with your total cost for the services of 10 units. Please note that i have all the software with the licenses available with me for the job.

Regards.

Hmm…coincidence? We think not.

The above link shows that in fact it is an ongoing fraud.

On 8/23/16 Mr. “Gates” attempted to find out the status. We replied with the link. Hopefully he’s moving on.

If you suspect something fraudulent, don’t give ANY information out. If you need a cybersecurity specialist, contact us today.