AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam

Posted: September 19, 2013

Threat Metric

The Threat Meter is a malware assessment that SpywareRemove.com's research team is able to give every identifiable malware threat. Our Threat Meter includes several criteria based off of specific malware threats to value their severity, reach and volume. The Threat Meter is able to give you a numerical breakdown of each threat's initial Threat Level, Detection Count, Volume Count, Trend Path and Percentage Impact. The overall ranking of each threat in the Threat Meter is a basic breakdown of how all threats are ranked within our own extensive malware database. The scoring for each specific malware threat can be easily compared to other emerging threats to draw a contrast in its particular severity. The Threat Meter is a useful tool in the endeavor of seeking a solution to remove a threat or pursue additional analytical research for all types of computer users.

The following fields listed on the Threat Meter containing a specific value, are explained in detail below:

Threat Level: The threat level scale goes from 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest level of severity and 1 is the lowest level of severity. Each specific level is relative to the threat's consistent assessed behaviors collected from SpyHunter's risk assessment model.

Detection Count: The collective number of confirmed and suspected cases of a particular malware threat. The detection count is calculated from infected PCs retrieved from diagnostic and scan log reports generated by SpyHunter.

Volume Count: Similar to the detection count, the Volume Count is specifically based on the number of confirmed and suspected threats infecting systems on a daily basis. High volume counts usually represent a popular threat but may or may not have infected a large number of systems. High detection count threats could lay dormant and have a low volume count. Criteria for Volume Count is relative to a daily detection count.

Trend Path: The Trend Path, utilizing an up arrow, down arrow or equal symbol, represents the level of recent movement of a particular threat. Up arrows represent an increase, down arrows represent a decline and the equal symbol represent no change to a threat's recent movement.

% Impact (Last 7 Days): This demonstrates a 7-day period change in the frequency of a malware threat infecting PCs. The percentage impact correlates directly to the current Trend Path to determine a rise or decline in the percentage.

Ranking:	10,934
Threat Level:	2/10
Infected PCs:	1,068

First Seen:	September 19, 2013
Last Seen:	September 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected:	Windows

The AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam is an ongoing scam campaign that uses unsolicited phone calls to encourage victims to install Remote Access Tools (RATs) that may be used to control their computers. Although the AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam's methodology tries to deceive any victims into believing that these phone calls are from a legitimate branch of Microsoft technical support, Microsoft is unaffiliated with the Ammyy company, which also has a confirmed history of distributing threats and spamming forums. SpywareRemove.com malware researchers recommend using anti-malware software to uninstall any software related to the AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam and treat any information given to this fraudulent 'company' as compromised.

Why Malware Can Come from Your Phoneline Just as Easily as from the Internet

The AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam is firmly based on the fraudulent Ammyy company, which markets a Remote Access Tool named Ammyy Admin. Although RATs may, in theory, be used for beneficial purposes, they also often are exploited to create unlawful connections between computers and allow criminals to access your PC without your permission. What makes the Ammyy Admin particularly of interest to SpywareRemove.com malware experts isn't what Ammyy Admin does, but how Ammyy Admin is distributed: by cold calls.

The criminals involved in this company recently have taken to calling victims seemingly at random and informing them that their PCs have been infected with various threats. Fake employees also frequently claim to be sent from a branch of Microsoft – although it should be noted that Microsoft does not use unsolicited phone calls as a means of technical support! After dispensing their excuses for the call, you'll be instructed to install Ammyy Admin and may also be requested to give your personal information to the purveyors of the AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam. Such technical support scams also often attempt to request direct money transfers from their victims.

Hanging Up on an Antivirus Phone Scam

Because Ammyy Admin is roughly equivalent to a backdoor Trojan and can allow criminals to use your PC for unauthorized purposes, uninstalling Ammyy Admin should be considered a high priority security task. SpywareRemove.com malware analysts recommend using anti-malware tools for this purpose as a way of guaranteeing that all software affiliated with Ammyy is removed completely. Any meaningful delay in performing these actions may allow criminals opportunities to steal personal information or damage your PC.

Compared to spam, drive-by-downloads or other infection vectors, phone scams like AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scams are not extremely popular ways to deliver unsafe software. However, a successful case of an AMMYY Microsoft Phone Support Scam is no less damaging to you or your PC than any other kind of malicious software-based attack, and SpywareRemove.com malware experts must remind all readers that PC security vigilance doesn't always stop at your PC.

Technical Details

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:

rcgaxg.com

One Comment

Aliasgar Babat (@aliasgar_babat) says:

August 12, 2014 at 1:32 am

That’s the exact reason I prefer using alternatives to AmmyyAdmin like RHUB remote support servers. It provides unprecedented security for all our remote access needs.