# Company impersonating Microsoft? (Australian victim) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 15, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719 "2015-04-15T10:48:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/1 "2015-04-15T10:48:54Z")
Hi my friend told me she bought Microsoft Office over the phone with a recurring credit card payment. She received a suspicious looking tax invoice in the mail. It said Office 365 Home was AU$119 even though at Officeworks it is AU$77 for a box or card version for 1 user or AU $87 for 5 users. Though it has an ABN (Australian Business Number) and uses Australian currency the invoice has no Australian contact details. The only contact details are a Singapore address and a link to [https://billing.microsoft.com](https://billing.microsoft.com) I looked up the ABN: > **[Current details for ABN 59 547 297 213 | ABN Lookup](https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View/59547297213)** > > Provides access to the publicly available information provided by businesses when they register for an Australian Business Number (ABN). It is called “Microsoft Regional Sales Corporation” and it is an “Other Incorporated Entity” > **[ABN Lookup](https://abr.business.gov.au/Help/EntityTypeDescription/00017)** > > Provides access to the publicly available information provided by businesses when they register for an Australian Business Number (ABN). “…This category includes: …a branch of an overseas company not incorporated in Australia (often the name ends in corporation)” Here’s a censored version of the tax invoice: [![](https://i.imgur.com/aT08hp9.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/aT08hp9.jpg) For her details her full name was in lower case. The logo at the top and on the envelope is an old Microsoft logo The logo was changed in 2012: [https://karthiklog.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/ms-logos.jpg](https://karthiklog.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/ms-logos.jpg) I would have expected the logo used to be up to date. The Microsoft logo at the top of the invoice is very low-res - the copyright symbol isn’t really visible, etc. [![](https://i.imgur.com/eBBkvnm.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/eBBkvnm.jpg) Here’s the envelope: [![](https://i.imgur.com/fXgzTO6.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/fXgzTO6.jpg) The envelope has a contact phone number and fax but those contact details aren’t on the invoice. Also though it says the sender is from Singapore it appears to have been posted from Europe. I was wondering if anyone thinks this could really be Microsoft? Maybe I can get the credit card charge refunded. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/2 "2015-04-15T10:52:51Z")
Not the same, but I get regular scammers on the phone claiming to be from “Windows” or Microsoft. I guess because they are so well known, and many people are rather naive about this stuff, they will continue to be a target. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/3 "2015-04-15T10:57:50Z")
bob++: Actually a phonecall was involved. ---
**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/4 "2015-04-15T12:24:18Z")
Much of Microsoft Australia business fulfillment is out of Singapore - or at least SE Asia. However, All you need to worry about in Australia is whether you are paying an Australian Entity. Tax invoices from O/S don’t work. You need an Australian Tax invoice with an Australian ABN on it. If you don’t get one it is at least a Grey Market supply and possibly a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/5 "2015-04-15T12:30:08Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > Hi my friend told me she bought Microsoft Office over the phone with a recurring credit card payment. She received a suspicious looking tax > > invoice in the mail. It said Office 365 Home was AU$119 even though at Officeworks it is AU$77 for a box or card version for 1 user or AU > > $87 for 5 users. You mentioned a recurring charge. Is the $119 the total of twelve monthly payments? Because in the US, Office 365 Home is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. So the price might be legitimate, although I’d shop around. Usually, software bought directly from the publisher is at full list price but you can get discount at retailers. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/6 "2015-04-15T12:37:19Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > Much of Microsoft Australia business fulfillment is out of Singapore - or at least SE Asia. However, Why were there virtually NO contact details? (except for phone/fax on the envelope) Why was the logo out of date and very low res? Why is the tax invoice in the Times font? Why did it seem to be posted from Europe? (see envelope) > [@](#): > > All you need to worry about in Australia is whether you are paying an Australian Entity. Tax invoices from O/S don’t work. You need an Australian Tax invoice with an Australian ABN on it. If you don’t get one it is at least a Grey Market supply and possibly a scam. So are you saying that it isn’t a proper tax invoice? Why would Microsoft be unable to do one? ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/7 "2015-04-15T12:48:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > You mentioned a recurring charge. Is the $119 the total of twelve monthly payments? Because in the US, Office 365 Home is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. So the price might be legitimate, although I’d shop around. Usually, software bought directly from the publisher is at full list price but you can get discount at retailers. By “recurring” I mean that she would be automatically billed every year. Here it says that Office 365 Home for 5 people is AU$119 and for 1 person it is $89. [http://products.office.com/en-au/buy](http://products.office.com/en-au/buy) So they got the charge right - well it was for 5 users though the invoice didn’t mention it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/8 "2015-04-15T12:51:21Z")
BTW the envelope only contained the tax invoice [![](https://i.imgur.com/aT08hp9.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/aT08hp9.jpg) I thought it would include a serial number or instructions about activating Office. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/9 "2015-04-15T12:53:00Z")
> [@jezzaOZ](#): > > …All you need to worry about in Australia is whether you are paying an Australian Entity… I’m also worried that my friend spent AU$119 for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/10 "2015-04-15T13:52:27Z")
Why would anyone _buy_ software over the phone? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Milton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@Mr.Milton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Milton)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/11 "2015-04-15T14:06:39Z")
I’ve got calls from time to time from someone with an Indian accent purporting to be from Microsoft wanting details of my password and so on so they can “update” my software or else “install critical security fixes”. When I ask them to convince me that they are legit, they invariably fail to do so. It doesn’t help their case much when it sounds to me like it is the same individual making the calls each time. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/12 "2015-04-15T14:44:34Z")
> [@Mr.Milton](#): > > I’ve got calls from time to time from someone with an Indian accent purporting to be from Microsoft wanting details of my password and so on so they can “update” my software or else “install critical security fixes”. When I ask them to convince me that they are legit, they invariably fail to do so. > > It doesn’t help their case much when it sounds to me like it is the same individual making the calls each time. I got that call last night as a matter of fact. I usually keep them on the line for as long as possible pretending to do everything they say until they get to the point where they ask me to read something personal off of my computer. Then I go all dumb for a while and try to get them to start over. After about 30 minutes or so I tell them that my computer keeps popping up a message. When the guy asks what the message says I say, “It says that I just kept an idiot from a third world country on the line thinking that he’s going to scam me”. The conversation gets quite colorful at that point. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/13 "2015-04-15T15:31:19Z")
I had an online chat with a guy from Microsoft’s billing department but he couldn’t access the pics and he wouldn’t give me an email from someone who does have normal Internet access. He referred me to technical support but he thought it might be from Microsoft. He said I could contact billing or ring them up and they might give their email address for me to send the pics. Since she was charged $119 it looks like it is for 5 users. When I call Microsoft I’ll ask to have the subscriptions set up since it has already been paid for. Then I’ll know if the tax invoice really was from Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/14 "2015-04-15T16:46:42Z")
Does the software work when you log into your [Microsoft Account](https://login.live.com/) with your log-in details? If you can manage your installs - then yes, your software is legit. If it was bought directly from Microsoft or some 3rd party, that’s unclear and another story. If your worried, you can stop the renewal within the Microsoft Account and once it’s up for renewal, go to a shop and purchase a Office 365 activation card and use that code to renew the license. Office 365 5 User costs here in Ireland €99 (Au$ 137.85) - AU$119 is €85.45 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/15 "2015-04-15T17:51:42Z")
> [@Mr.Milton](#): > > I’ve got calls from time to time from someone with an Indian accent purporting to be from Microsoft wanting details of my password and so on so they can “update” my software or else “install critical security fixes”. When I ask them to convince me that they are legit, they invariably fail to do so. > > It doesn’t help their case much when it sounds to me like it is the same individual making the calls each time. Asking them to tell you what OS you are running makes them hang up fast. Asking if their mother knows that her son is a criminal gets lots of colorful language. And they have heavy Indian accents and call themselves Bob. When I say “Hi Sanjay” they hang up fast also. But this is a different scam. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/16 "2015-04-15T17:53:42Z")
> [@JohnClay](#): > > I had an online chat with a guy from Microsoft’s billing department but he couldn’t access the pics and he wouldn’t give me an email from someone who does have normal Internet access. He referred me to technical support but he thought it might be from Microsoft. He said I could contact billing or ring them up and they might give their email address for me to send the pics. Since she was charged $119 it looks like it is for 5 users. When I call Microsoft I’ll ask to have the subscriptions set up since it has already been paid for. Then I’ll know if the tax invoice really was from Microsoft. In the US at least credit card companies are good about telling you who the charge went to. I’ve called about charges that looked suspicious but which turned out to be okay. Has she been able to activate the software? That doesn’t mean it is legit, it could be bootlegged, but is at least something. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/17 "2015-04-15T21:28:23Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Asking them to tell you what OS you are running makes them hang up fast. > Asking if their mother knows that her son is a criminal gets lots of colorful language. > And they have heavy Indian accents and call themselves Bob. When I say “Hi Sanjay” they hang up fast also. > > But this is a different scam. When I get the call they say they are calling about “Windows.” I always act as though I am really glad to hear from them, as I need “help with windows” and then continue to ask questions about replacement windows for my house, such as energy efficiency, price, etc., ignoring their many attempts to correct me about why they are calling. Eventually they hang up in frustration. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/18 "2015-04-16T07:30:59Z")
I was 100% certain that it was a scam but it looks like it isn’t! I rang the Singapore phone number and here is some of it: [http://drdanick.com/legowolf3d/microsoft-singapore.mp3](http://drdanick.com/legowolf3d/microsoft-singapore.mp3) The recording said to visit [www.microsoft.com/singapore](http://www.microsoft.com/singapore) and it redirected me to their latest Singapore site. I found this: [http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msaus/en\_AU/DisplayTermsOfUseAndSalePage/](http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msaus/en_AU/DisplayTermsOfUseAndSalePage/) > [@](#): > > Welcome to the Microsoft Online Store at [www.microsoftstore.com](http://www.microsoftstore.com) (the “Microsoft Store” or “Website”). The Microsoft Store is a website operated by Microsoft Regional Sales Corp., a corporation organized under the laws of Nevada, USA, with a branch in Singapore, having its principal place of business at 438B Alexandra Road, #04-09/12, Block B, Alexandra Technopark, Singapore, 119968 The call centre is really slick and professional. It is very weird that the tax invoice wasn’t. Like I’ve mentioned before the tax invoice has absolutely no contact details (except for their physical address). Luckily the girl kept the envelope which had the phone number. BTW I talked to the girl’s mum and she said a “friend” organised it for her about 1.5 years ago and the mum isn’t going to let the company have any money and maybe try and take them to court. ---
**Author:** ![JohnClay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@JohnClay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnClay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/company-impersonating-microsoft-australian-victim/717719/19 "2015-04-17T09:14:57Z")
I told my dad about this thread and he told me about the latest news: > **[Tech giants Google, Apple and Microsoft squirm as global tax schemes scrutinised](https://www.afr.com/technology/tech-giants-google-apple-and-microsoft-squirm-as-global-tax-schemes-scrutinised-20150408-1mggc7)** > > Google, Apple and Microsoft have all confirmed to the Senate Committee on corporate tax avoidance that they are among the 12 technology companies being audited by The Australian Taxation Office as it seeks to raise an extra $1.1 billion in revenues... > [@](#): > > …Singapore is also the beneficiary of tax for Microsoft goods sold in Australia, such as software, services and its Xbox gaming consoles, Mr Sample revealed. He said only consulting services revenue was billed and accounted for in Australia and reported to the ATO, but non-consulting services and software product revenue was booked in Singapore. > > This meant in the 2014 financial year Microsoft booked $2 billion of Australian software products and services revenue in Singapore while only $100 million of consulting service revenue was booked in Australia. Mr Sample rejected the idea that this only occurred because of Singapore’s lower tax rates, and insisted it was due to a decision taken in 1991, which designated Singapore as its regional hub… They are trying to minimize costs and that explains the poor quality of the tax invoice.