It may come as a surprise that cybercriminals aren’t just sending fake emails anymore. Recently, we’ve found they might also call your personal or work phone and say they are an employee at Microsoft. They will claim they are offering to help you with a computer issue or sell you a software license. Once you give them access to your computer, they can do the following:
- Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.
- Convince you to visit legitimate websites (like www.ammyy.com) to download software that will allow them to take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable.
- Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.
- Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.
Microsoft does not make unsolicited phone calls (cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.
Tech Support Scams: Here’s what you should know
Cybercriminals will use any information they can find to earn your trust such as your name and your operating system. Once they’ve earned your trust, they might ask for your username and password or for you to download a free software that gives them remote access to your computer so they can “fix” it.
Here are some of the organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:
- Windows Helpdesk
- Windows Service Center
- Microsoft Tech Support
- Microsoft Support
- Windows Technical Department Support Group
- Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)
Report phone scams
Learn about how to report phone fraud in the United States. Outside the US, contact your local authorities.
See how to protect yourself from telephone support scams, what to do if you already gave your information to a tech support person, and other useful information at Microsoft’s Safety & Security Center.
Information in this article from: Microsoft
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