back to article Microsoft dumps Gold partner accused of scamming customers

Microsoft has removed Gold partner status from India-based support firm Comantra amid claims that the firm had been defrauding Redmond's UK customers. The firm is alleged to have masqueraded as Microsoft when cold-calling customers and to have told these customers that it had found fictitious viruses on their PC systems which …

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  1. Youngone Silver badge

    I've had this

    These guys, or someone very like them have called me at home dozens of times. They often identify themselves as "from Windows" or "The Computer Security Department". I've sometimes gone along with them for a while to find out just what they are up to, and I once asked the young lady if her Mother knew what she was doing, but they just start to play dumb and then hang up.

    1. Bronek Kozicki

      they called me too

      ... and actually said they are from "Microsoft". When I spoke I know few guys working there (I was an MVP some years ago) they dropped the connection right away. Shame, could have pulled some more info on this scam.

  2. N2

    Gold certified?

    or Gold Partner? is that the same thing, anyway, perhaps they need to learn how to spell Microsoft while theyre re on detention...

    http://www.comantra.net/ComantraLandingpage/index.html

    "Comantra team includes Microsoft certified professionals and Comantra is also a Microsft Gold Partner."

    tut tut

  3. Lars Silver badge
    Pint

    Did I misplace my glasses

    Microsoft advised customers to seek guidance on steering clear of Microsoft.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Morale of the story ?

    I'm repeating myself (used this same topic in another alike thread) but still I think you can't stress this out enough:

    Never, EVER, make (semi-) important decisions over the phone. Company calls you to provide you a better deal for your energy, (cell)phone, internet, etc. ? Never say yes; instead ask them to send you the offer in writing (heck; even an e-mail will do; how hard is that?) and only then decide for yourself if this deal really is as good as being claimed.

    Same applies to this stuff. Never EVER give others who you don't trust access to your computer "because". Same issue applies here: ask them to send you the information in writing so that you can check for yourself if this is something you should be doing.

    Most of all with computer issues like these: Ask a friend who knows about computers FIRST !

    I know most of you will now go "Yawn, dude... we KNOW all this....".

    Sure, but do your friends and family also know? Do your neighbors know? Does that friendly old chap down the street (or 2 floors below) who's walking his dog know ?

    Those are the guys to look out for, those are the guys where you should bring up subjects like this (if applicable and when possible of course) and warn them about such issues.

  5. Richard Cranium

    I played along

    ...with the call from "windows support" having "demonstrated" that "Oh my god your machine is badly infected with a polymorphic virus" (on the basis that there were errors listed in the windows error log file).

    Next they sent me to logmein.com (which, shamefully, doesn't give any security warning that naive users would understand WHY NOT, I emailed LogMeIn asking, no reply) so a "technician" could investigate the problem.

  6. TeeCee Gold badge
    WTF?

    Eh? What?

    "...Comantra was striving to improve the quality of service and had applied for ISO certification."

    Hang on, aren't those two mutually exclusive?

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