Recenlty I received a phone call from someone claiming to be a technical rep. from Microsoft (Windows) and said I had to do something on my computer because it was infected somehow. I checked with Microsoft and they informed me that they NEVER phone customers for such purposes.

I have had three such calls in the last five weeks. The fact that their English was barely understandable made me suspicious at once and I did not believe a word of the story as hubby has our system locked down pretty tight. :bugeye:

There is a very small chance that this is real, but check this for yourself instead of with the dude on the phone:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/kill-switch-fbi-could-shut-of-internet-for-thousands-on-march-8-to-eradicate-virus/

Btw, I hate the blaze but this was the first place I found the article again.

It could be the virus people trying to get you to do something to still be infected so check it yourself. I don't think microsoft is calling people about it. Even if they were they certainly would not ask for any personal information. After all they called you.

This page from Microsoft Answers should put this question to rest:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-security/i-received-a-phone-call-from-someone-claiming-i/4489f388-d6de-416d-9158-0079764bb001

The following is the essence of the reply I received from Microsoft:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service.

I understand you have received a suspicious phone call from an individual claiming to be a Microsoft Technical Support professional and you would like to verify if it is legal or not. Let me do my best in getting the help that you need.

I appreciate you taking the time to report this issue to Microsoft. This is a known scam. Criminal organizations are using Microsoft's name to try to gain your trust. I can categorically confirm that neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls to help solve your computer problems. If you receive an unsolicited phone call that purports to be from Microsoft and requests that you send personal information, hang up the phone.

The following site provides information and additional guidance on how to avoid technical support phone scams: http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

If you have already fallen victim to a scam, and feel that your computer's security may already be compromised, Microsoft provides a free security scanner that you can use to help identify and remove malicious software. It can be downloaded from the following site: http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx



To provide ongoing protection from viruses and other security threats, we recommend you install Microsoft Security Essentials, which is available for free from the following website: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security_essentials/default.aspx



If you require assistance with any of the above tasks, or need help to identify whether your computer has been compromised, you can also call our Virus and Security free support line: 1-866-727-2338 <US and Canada only.



I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any additional questions please reply to this email and we will be happy to assist you.



Thank you,



Ivan

Microsoft Customer Service Representative.. Meet the new Windows Phone 7

It's fun to turn the tables on these scams, My partner likes play "just keep talking because the NSW police scamwatch taskforce are tracking your phone", or you could use the dinozo one of "you have just called a murder scene, we are on our way to detain you for questioning"

Did they call on a cell phone? I hardly ever get marketing or scam calls anymore :( They were so much fun.

nice too see your post

i had the same thing twice. 1 was female 2 was male.
how they got my phone number i have no idea but it was nice to get a call because i'm lonely and a computer makes me into poor company which is why.

Did they call on a cell phone? I hardly ever get marketing or scam calls anymore :( They were so much fun.

No - it is an old fashioned land line.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's interlinked with the DNS Changers attacks.

Basically a certain group of people upline have altered how you resolve Domain names, pushing them through transparent proxies, so they can attempt to packet snoop.

They can find out a lot of information about you, however some information they don't have access to and that's why they ring you up. They use "Social Engineering" to get more information from you and before you know it they won't just be accessing your bank account, they will be stilling your social security number and taking out loans and buying property in your name. It's the first step towards "identity theft".

If you get a call like that, then it likely suggests your computer or your ISP is compromised. What you can do is report it to the police, however I will tell you now, they will want to do data forensics on your computer, that means if you have anything (and I mean anything) questionable on there that you don't think is legal, they will "Ask you about it". If you don't dabble in shady things, then you can have them check through it (To be honest their forensics should do courses on aiding people to understand what's safe, whats not and what to do in such situations.)

That maybe the case in the US but it's not here, the ACCC and the NSW police electronic fraud squad (the squad is in the NSW police but they deal with this for the whole country) and ACMA (I think) want people to report these scams and don't ask for any access to your computer

had the exact same call... can't believe people end up losing over 700$ on this scam, it's more than cost of a new PC