Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PENMAN COURT HITS TECH SCAM
The Microsoft tech support scam is a fraud that can target anyone with a computer.
Pop-up messages urge you to call a number to sort out a supposed problem, with the scammers claiming to be Microsoft experts.
The culprits typically hide behind call centres in India but now a company surprisingly close to home has been identified as one of them.
Barewire Limited is run by Toni Whittingham, 50, and Neil Purnell, 47, who live in the village of North Holmwood outside posh Dorking in Surrey in a detached house bought for £825,000 in 2018.
Microsoft says the couple’s company, Barewire Limited, employed a call centre in Delhi, its callers giving the “deceptive impression” that they worked for the tech giant to extract payment for ”sham technical support services”.
“In some cases, victims had reported that Barewire’s agent also installs malware or other malicious software onto the victim’s computer, such as software that produces pop-up messages which block access to the victim’s browser and directs the victim to call a phone number for Barewire,” said state papers filed in the High Court.
“It is to be inferred that such malware or other malicious software is intended to be used to exfiltrate personal data and/or cause problems that can then be used as a pretext for rendering and charging for further unnecessary support.” Microsoft reports receiving 631,677 complaints about tech support scams, including those run by Barewire, from May 2014 to October 2020.
Its investigation identified a call centre in Delhi called Czone Solutions, which admitted working for Barewire.
The Surrey company initially denied involvement, saying its name had been used by rivals to discredit it.
Now Microsoft has issued a statement saying: “Following court action against Barewire Ltd and its directors, the company has admitted liability for trade mark infringement and passing off arising from its involvement with third parties, is injuncted from any further infringement and shall pay a significant sum in damages and costs.
“Microsoft has also agreed to settle its claims against the company’s directors.”
Neither Ms Whittingham, Mr Purnell, nor Czone Solutions have replied to my invitation to comment.
■ The cyber crime unit of Delhi police has raided a series of suspected illegal call centres believed to be running tech support scams.
In one operation last week, 34 people were arrested at two call centres, while a second operation saw 37 arrests at three sites.
Police put the total money that had been defrauded at the equivalent of more than £2million.
‘‘ Workers in Delhi gave impression they worked for Microsoft