Suppose you are working in the IT Support department of a computer store. A customer calls you and says I got a phone call from Microsoft technical support. The guy said my computer is sending error reports to Microsoft; my computer is infected with viruses. The guy then asked me for my name and credit card number; I gave them to him. I heard him typing something on his computer for a few seconds. The guy then said he has successfully killed the viruses. Did I fall for a scam?

There are several warning signs in this story that would have alerted a computer-savvy consumer that this is a scam. Please tell me what those warning signs are. I would like you to focus on the technical issues that makes this story implausible. Please focus on the tasks that a computer was engineered, designed, and built to do. For example, computers are engineered to manage e-mail; this is a task many computers can do. Computers are not engineered to do time travel; that is a task that a computer is not engineered to do. Computers are engineered to tell time; this is a task many computers can do. Computers are not engineered to warp the space-time continuum; this is a task that a computer is not engineered to do.

FIND g three technical falsehoods that are not possible for a computer to do I am looking for in-depth answers.

I am not interested in the social engineering tricks that the caller used. Any falsehood or exaggeration coming out of the callers mouth is an example of a social engineering trick. An example is a car salesperson telling a customer I am losing money on this deal. An example of something that is not technically possible is the car salesperson saying, This car flies through the air. Cars are not engineered to fly; this is a task that a car can not perform. Another example that is not technically possible is the car salesperson saying, This car can stop on a dime. Cars are not engineered to stop in such a short distance; this is a task that a car can not perform.

Please cite references. I want to know where you are getting your answers. References that are URLs should take me directly to the web page that contains the cited information.