Okay, so you answer your phone, and the caller asks for you by name. He identifies himself as a computer security expert for Microsoft or another legitimate technology firm employee. Then he claims that your computer has been infected with a virus, but that he can help you resolve your problem. Here’s a valuable tip…HE IS YOUR PROBLEM!

If you want to stay safe, just remember one important thing…MICROSOFT AND ALL OTHER LEGITIMATE TECHNOLOGICAL FIRMS WILL NEVER CALL YOU UNSOLICITED. They would never even know if your computer was infected.

In reality, you are dealing with a shady opportunist who is most likely calling numbers from the phone book or some other list, hoping to find a victim and then feeding off of the unaware. This person might ask you for remote access to your computer so that he can retrieve your personal data; he may ask you to download a “tool to fix the problem” which IS actually malware; or he may ask for money in return for fixing the problem or offer lifetime “protection” from a situation that never existed in the first place!

Don’t fall prey to these corrupt individuals. Don’t follow any of their instructions. Don’t ever provide them with any information. Just hang up. 

After the call (and before, for that matter), it is a good idea to run a security scan, change any passwords and be sure that your antivirus software is up to date. Then, share this information with others. The more people that are forewarned, the less these creeps can take advantage of unsuspecting folks.