Alternatively, if you have nothing on at the time, fake an interest and then keep them occupied as long as you can. The best thing to do with these calls is to put the phone down. They are convincing, as they have a certain amount of your data, although they are using publicly available information and rely on the fact that (almost) everyone has a computer. They appear to target older or less technologically savvy householders. And then it's time to pay a fee: as much as £185 for a 'subscription' to the 'preventative service'.Ĭalls such as these prey on the fear that your computer will cease to function. The computer owner is directed to a website and told to download a program that hands over remote control of the computer, and the caller 'installs' various 'fixes' for the problem.

'Now let me guide you through the steps to fixing it.' Its contents are, to the average user, worrying as they look like a long list of errors, some labelled 'critical'. The puzzled householder is then directed to their computer, and asked to open a program called 'Windows Event Viewer'. They go on to warn that the computer will become unusable if the matter is not resolved. We've had a report from your internet service provider of serious virus problems from your computer.' The scam always starts the same way: the phone rings at someone's home, and the caller – usually with an Indian accent – asks for the householder, quoting their name and address before saying 'I'm calling from Microsoft. Many people are already aware of this racket, but the fact that we have received several letters such as yours in recent months suggests it is worth repeating a warning about these hoax calls. Is this a scam or genuine? SC, Didsbury Manchester I have recently been receiving calls, allegedly from Windows Microsoft security, informing me my computer is in danger of crashing due to a plague of viruses, and if I open my computer they will eradicate said viruses via the phone.

Call saying microsoft license expired