Tech Trend 247

Raise your hand: who hasn't fallen victim to cyberscams or at least come pretty close.

Among the most lucrative con games are technical support scams that scare people into buying expensive software to fix non-existent problems. 

But a French security researcher now claims to have avenged us all. 

In a blog post, Ivan Kwiatkowski recounts how he played along with the tricksters and duped them into downloading an attachment containing ransomware when they asked for his credit card details. 

It all started when Kwiatkowski's parents landed on a fake website claiming they had been infected. 

Instead of ignoring the scam, the researcher phoned the "Windows Help Desk" number in  a bid to waste their time and reveal their ploy. 

An assistant tried to trick him into buying a "tech protection subscription" for 300 euros (£260; $337). 

Kwiatkowski agreed to the purchase. But instead of sending his credit card details he forwarded a Locky ransomware disguised as a photograph of his banking information, which the assistant opened. 

"He says nothing for a short while, and then, ''I tried opening your photo; nothing happens.' I did my best not to burst out laughing," he wrote. 

Here's the full exchange: 

"I respond to email scam attempts most of the time, but this was the first time I responded to one over the telephone," Mr Kwiatkowski told the BBC."I'm curious about how criminals operate and what they're trying to accomplish.

"More often than not it ends up being fun and there's social utility in wasting their time. I believe that if more people respond and waste their time, their activities might not be profitable enough to continue."

Well done.