If someone calls you on the phone and says they are from Microsoft don't believe it. Ask yourself why would Microsoft be calling me out of all the people in the world. Also how did they know my phone number. Yes they are trying to scam you and they sure are not from Microsoft. There are so many of these fake scams out there it's becoming ridiculous.
These are just some of the people they try to convince you of who they are. They may tell you that they are from the help desk support. They may tell you that they are from the windows service center. Another one is that they are Microsoft Tech Support and they heard you had a problem with your computer. I also heard someone tell the person they are windows technical department support group or they are on the Microsoft research and development team. All of these are just some of the fake people or groups they try to portray.
If this happens to you then you need to know how to report this scam. You should contact the federal trade commission at consumer information for telemarketing scams. Here is a link to their website http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/ . If anyone calls you never purchase any software or service from them, because chances are it's a scam. Ask them if there is a fee involved and then hang up.
Another thing they may try to do is ask if they can take control of you computer to repair something. This is definitely a red flag. Once they get into your computer who knows what they may take, such as personal information. The thing to do is try and get as much information from them as possible and call the authorities right away. Also never give them credit card information or any other information, such as bank information.
If you think that they may have gotten into your computer and infected you, follow these steps. One change your computers password. Two scan your computer with programs such as free Malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/ , Spybot 2.1 http://www.safer-networking.org/private/details/, combofix (not for windows 8 or 8.1 yet) http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/ . You should also make sure your virus software on your computer is up to date and scan the system. The best way is to enter the safe mode with networking and run these one at a time rebooting when necessary. Never click on anything, I would suggest to hold the power button in for 10 to 15 seconds and it should shut down.
If you feel that your computer may still be infected, then I would look for a good reputable computer service center and take it in. Before you take it anywhere I would check for reviews on the service center just to protect yourself. You can also check by contacting the better business bureau.
As a final note and the most important always have a BACK SYSTEM of some sort in place. You can use a back up service to the cloud such as carbonite. Just be aware of their packages. The other way is to have an external hard drive for the back up and use the back up program in windows 7 or 8.
Thank You for reading and I hope this helps you. Any and all comments or additional information is welcomed. Remember to Stay Safe.
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