roy@phri.UUCP (01/30/87)
I just got an interesting phone call. Somebody called up and
introduced himself as working for a new computer consulting firm. What
they do is come in and work with me to evaluate what kind of system I need
to buy and then put me in contact with various vendors who offer products
that match my needs.
He said it is free, and when I pressed him on this, we explained
that the service is paid for by a number of computer companies, like IBM,
etc. He said he has no interest in which company I end up doing business
with, or even if I contact other companies on my own outside of the list of
contacts he gives me. When I suggested that it sounded like he was a
salesman working for a group of companies, he said that's not what he was.
Has anybody ever heard of this before? Somehow, it sounds like a
scam to me, but I can't figure out what it might be. Could this really be
a cooperative advertising and sales effort on the part on several large
computer vendors?
--
Roy Smith, {allegra,cmcl2,philabs}!phri!roy
System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
"you can't spell deoxyribonucleic without unix!"kludge@gitpyr.UUCP (02/01/87)
In article <2584@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes: > > I just got an interesting phone call. Somebody called up and >introduced himself as working for a new computer consulting firm. What >they do is come in and work with me to evaluate what kind of system I need >to buy and then put me in contact with various vendors who offer products >that match my needs. Yes... And he'd like to come over and take a look at the equipment you already have to evaluate your needs. With a special glance at modems, password files, phone numbers, etc. While he's over there, he'd like you to evaluate this new piece of software; all you need to do is give him the root password, and he'd be glad to install it for you. Or, of course, you can install it yourself (which is just as good as giving him the root password, because it needs to be SETUIDed to root, and has this interesting side effect. Sounds like a scam to me. I've seen it before. -- Scott Dorsey Kaptain_Kludge ICS Programming Lab (Where old terminals go to die), Rich 110, Georgia Institute of Technology, Box 36681, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 ...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!kludge
jc@cdx39.UUCP (02/02/87)
> I just got an interesting phone call. Somebody called up and > introduced himself as working for a new computer consulting firm. What > they do is come in and work with me to evaluate what kind of system I need > to buy and then put me in contact with various vendors who offer products > that match my needs. > > He said it is free, and when I pressed him on this, we explained > that the service is paid for by a number of computer companies, like IBM, > etc. ... > Has anybody ever heard of this before? Somehow, it sounds like a > scam to me, but I can't figure out what it might be. Could this really be > a cooperative advertising and sales effort on the part on several large > computer vendors? This sounds like a more-or-less traditional instance of a broker, just like what is done by a lot of "independent" insurance firms, for instance. It's certainly rare in the computer consulting biz, but why not? Your friendly local headhunters work in a very similar manner, as does the salesman at your local computer store. In all these cases, each broker probably has a list of clients, and won't often point you at anyone else, at least not without first calling them up and making a deal. Of course, it still could be a scam.... -- John M Chambers Phone: 617/364-2000x7304 Email: ...{adelie,bu-cs,harvax,inmet,mcsbos,mit-eddie,mot[bos]}!cdx39!{jc,news,root,usenet,uucp} Smail: Codex Corporation; Mailstop C1-30; 20 Cabot Blvd; Mansfield MA 02048-1193 Clever-Saying: Uucp me out of here, Scotty; there's no AI on this node!
kurt@fluke.UUCP (02/06/87)
I am interested to know if anybody has actually had an experience with a (random or non-random) person coming into their company just to break the security of their computers. Here as elsewhere, our machine security would undoubtedly fall on its face if assaulted directly, but this takes a lot more courage than dialing in with a modem. Does this actually happen?