It's a scam every bit as much as a Romance or 419 scam...
YOU ANSWER YOUR PHONE AND IT'S SOMEONE SAYING THEY ARE FROM MICROSOFT AND THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR COMPUTER...
I AM IN THE UK AND IT HAPPENS REGULARLY HERE TO US AS WELL...
SO.. IF A ANYONE HAS THESE SCAM NUISANCE CALLS... WE'LL POST ANY DETAILS HERE..
THE ONE TODAY REPORTED WAS FROM
760 - 424- 4239.
Microsoft phone scam: what to do if you are called
1. Put the phone down. Get rid of the caller and move on with your life. It is not a legitimate call.
2. During your conversation, don't provide any personal information. This is a good rule for any unsolicited call. And certainly never hand over your credit card or bank details. Just don't do it.
3. If you've got this far, we can only reiterate point number 1: get off the phone. But whatever you do don't allow a stranger to guide you to a certain webpage, or instruct you to change a setting on your PC or download software.
4. If possible get the caller's details. You should certainly report any instance of this scam to
Action Fraud.
5. Finally, change any passwords and usernames that could plausibly have been compromised, and run a scan with up-to-date
security software. Then ensure that your
firewall and
antivirus are up to date and protecting your PC.
Oh, and there is a number 6: tell everyone about it. This scam preys on people's insecurity about lack of tech knowledge. It is very easy to be a victim, and the best defence is sharing knowledge. It is much easier to put the phone down if you are forewarned.
Microsoft phone scam: what to do if you have been a victim
First of all don't beat yourself up. This could happen to anyone (and does). You need to change all the personal data that you can change. As much as you might like to you can't change your date of birth, and changing your name and address seems extreme. But you can change all your passwords and usernames, starting with your main email account and any bank- and credit card logins. Also, contact your bank to ask them to be on the lookout for anything dodgy.
Again, use up-to-date security software to scan and cleanse your PC, and if the scammer did get you to do something to your PC using System Restore to roll back the settings is always a good idea. And tell the police. If you have lost money, it's possible your credit card company or contents insurance will cover the loss.
