Scammers, like spammers, are everywhere. In every nook and corner of the globe, in fact. But they have become a real problem in the United Kingdom these past few years.
And unfortunately, scams that involve Microsoft are on the rise in the region, warns UK police.
These phone scams have people claiming to work for Microsoft, and in most cases, these scammers pretend to have found malware infections and other software errors on people’s computers. Long story short, they ask to connect to them remotely.
Some words of advice from community safety officer South Cumbria Terry Belshaw:
“These fraudsters can be very convincing to people who may not know a lot about computers. Don’t allow anyone you don’t trust access, remotely or otherwise, to your computer. The only way to remain completely safe is to not engage at all. My advice is to shut down, hang up, or close the door, to anyone you do not know. It isn’t rude – it is a sensible way to keep safe.”
Sensible way to keep safe, for sure!
Once granted access to computers, the scammers look for passwords and financial details of unsuspecting victims. And few even have the nerves to ask for compensation for fixing some issues.
It goes without saying that if you ever receive such a call, hang up on the scammers, and get in touch with the police to report these tricksters. Microsoft never ever calls users this way.
