Phone call from Microsoft Service Centre

Lemon_Tree

We've just received a phone call from someone saying they're are Microsoft service centre which has rung alarm bells with me, but maybe i'm just a cynic. They said that we had malicious software on our computer which they have discovered via our ip address, and via our service provider. When i said we didn't deal with people who rang us up cold they insisted that they would send a techy person around. When we said no they threatened that they would not renew a microsoft licence in my name ever again and would note that i refused their assistance. Amazingly enough they rang off smartish when i said i worked for the police.
do you thing they were genuine?
we have malware protection, and virus protection is there anything else we should have?
thanks for your opinions

Margey

Hello,

Microsoft do not deal in this kind of way. This is most likely a scam. I heard of this a while back. They ask you to install a piece of software on your computer, it then collects all your data and sends it over to the scammers. If you get a call like this again, the best thing to do would be just put the phone down straight away. Or tell them you are aware this is a scam and put the phone down. They will most likely tell you anything to get you to install the software or make a payment to you.

"If you are in the UK and the caller makes an offer to assist on payment of a fee, you should make contact with the National Fraud Authority. Details are on their website at:http://www.actionfraud.org.uk/

The NFA is committed to tracking down and eliminating these criminals but they need all the help that they can get to identify the scams, if they don't know about it they can't act.
If you can at least get a website URL, that would be helpful in a report."


Hope this helps

withabix

Margey wrote: »

This is most likely a scam.

No just 'most likely'.

Definite scam.

cgk1

Scam - Microsoft *never* phone the end user. Regardless of who these people say they work for, simply hang-up.

Olive_Oyl

This is definitely a scam and unfortunately many people seem to be falling for it . The scammers gain remote access to the PC and then take bank details etc . A local woman had over £900 of her Christmas savings stolen from her account only last week .

Swipe

Tell them you don't own a computer or as others have said, just hang up. You don't have to speak to anyone on the telephone or cold calling, genuine or not (unless it's the police).

Andrew1472

"Microsoft does not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer."

Those are Microsofts words taken from http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/msname.aspx

Jnelhams

Next time they call, say "Thank you for calling, in this survey you will be asked a short set of 8029 questions...all calls are charged at £3.27 per minute and you must have permission of the line owner."

"Question 1, please state your full name spelling it clearly and slowly..ensuring you do so before the tone...beep! "Question 1, please state your name spelling clearly and slowly..."

That should do the trick.

Swipe

allisonw wrote: »

Says who? .

You have no legal obligation to but I'd certainly want to if they came knocking at my door in case it was something important.

Lemon_Tree

i told them i thought it was a scam and they got so affronted etc telling me that not every company was a scam t'was quite funny but scary as well. We did actually hang up on them and they rang straight back!
thanks for your thoughts glad i wasn't too far off the mark.

Firetastic

Just thought I would tell everyone a funny story regarding these phone calls.

My Grandad is in his 80's and is rather hard of hearing. Anyway I was round last week and I could hear him on the phone saying "Windows We don't need new windows, we're fully double glazed"

I take the phone and surprise surprise it's one of these phonecalls saying they're from Windows.:rotfl:. I tell between me and you we know this is a scam and he hung up.