question about microsoft, windows 8 and dell: a friend told me today that she got a call yesterday

[niyad]

from microsoft, telling her that she needed special anti-virus protection on her new dell computer, something about the protection she has is only for the hardware, not the software, or some such. apparently, this brand new (less than a month old) computer had something like 300 viruses on it. She had to give a credit card number, and supposedly they set up a paypal account.

Now, being the cynical and suspicious little soul that I am, this sounds bizarre. granted, I do not have a new computer, nor windows 8, but--microsoft calling you, and insisting that you have to buy a special security program (to the tune of nearly $200). Am I wrong to be alarmed for her? does microsoft do this?

[Half-Century Man]

1. have her call the police.

She has been scammed.

[DemocratsForProgress]

2. Scam.

There was an operation (or more than one) running this sort of scam out of India last year.

[niyad]

4. she said the man had an indian accent

[Link Speed]

7. I know several people who have recieved the same call.

One of them fell for it and his computer was rendered worthless in a matter of a couple of minutes. This was just a few weeks ago.

He was told to call back the next day with a cc#, pay $199 and a tech would 'fix' his computer.

Right...

[LondonReign2]

29. I got the same call a few months back

The person's accent was so strong it was almost impossible to understand, and when I started asking pointed questions I could hera the person whispering to someone else on his end. The number also came up on caller ID as 1234567890. Enormous scam.

[Warpy]

28. Someone on another site has been stringing one along for over an hour

by playing a befuddled and slightly senile old lady. The play by play was a riot until the thief realized he was getting nowhere and hung up on her.

[evlbstrd]

3. Scam.

May I have her phone number? I'm a little short this month.

[matthews]

5. This is a racket. It has to be. Windows 8 is buggy but it's in the programming.

Although I understand that patches are making it better. It sucked when it first came out.

I think that you're right to be worried.

[GiaGiovanni]

6. I'll add the third admonition: call the cops and find out

if a scam has been going on. Had an elderly relative go through this a year ago.

[Blue Diadem]

8. That scam has been going on for several years. They just use different versions but say they are

Microsoft. Some are to get your credit card info, others are to take over control of your computer. I've received 2 in the last few months. Your friend needs to call the police and her CC company.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-telemarketing-scams

[Uben]

9. I get the same call about once a week.....

...usually from a guy with a heavy accent, but yesterday, it was from a woman with a heavy accent. They always say they are calling from Microsoft Windows somethin or other. I just hang up immediately. I'm on the no-call list, so I assume they are based out of the U.S.

[ohheckyeah]

10. Oh, gheesh...

she's been scammed.

[hobbit709]

11. SCAM and phishing attempt.

M$ doesn't call anyone to start with.

[Brickbat]

12. Send this to her, and then have her call her credit cards and the cops.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/msname.aspx

[NikolaC]

13. I've Had These Calls

They call a lot and I hang up on them. I did some research and they are a scam. She needs to contact the authorities, her bank and credit card company right away.

[Ilsa]

14. Scam. We get a call like that

2-3 times a month. Hubby does a great job fucking with them for 20-30 minutes. Then they realize he's not even at a computer, they aren't going to get access, and then say something nasty to him and hang up.

It's great fun on a hot Texas day!

[Recursion]

15. Never, ever, ever give out your credit card number if they called you.

Never.

[ellenfl]

16. ditto. same with your ssn. eom

[niyad]

19. as I said, I am cynical and suspicious. I don't even give my name, and that is if I even bother

to answer the phone. I don't answer any questions at all about anything.

[WinkyDink]

17. I am embarrassed to admit that I fell for this, for $$$$$$. BEWARE INDIANS!

At the risk of my being non-PC: THEY ARE ALL INDIANS!

One day they will be from "Microsoft," another from "HP," another from...you get the picture.

They still call me. I go along with them for a few minutes, then I call them INDIAN SCAMMERS, and they hang up.

So far I haven't noticed anything amiss in any of my accounts.

[HeiressofBickworth]

18. And it's not just about computers

I usually don't answer calls when I don't recognize the number, but I didn't have the TV on so the scroll identifying the caller wasn't running. So I answered. The caller (female) said she was calling from the Department of Motor Vehicles to alert me that I was paying too much for auto insurance.

I recognized the problem right away:
1. The DMV doesn't have information on how much I pay for auto insurance
2. The DMV doesn't make such phone calls
3. The only time the existence or non-existence of my auto insurance would be in question is if I was stopped for a traffic violation.

So I hung up on her.

I thought I'd heard of all the scams but this was a new one.

[Lee-Lee]

20. One great way to deal with these calls

If I am at the computer I Google the # real fast- if it is scammers or telemarketers the search results will show complaints that make it clear without even having to click a link.

If I am fast enough I answer "911, What is your emergency?"

They take your number out of their computer really fast.

[niyad]

21. my thanks to all of you who responded to what must have seemed a pretty obvious question.

and thanks to those who said to call the police--I had already told her to contact her card company and her bank and paypal, but had not thought to include the police.

she called her computer company, and it looks like they managed to clean it up from whatever had been done to it. she did call the police, and the officer who came was very nice, very professional, and very helpful (and, considering some of the officers on this force, I am grateful). the one disturbing thing is she called microsoft and was treated very badly. she says she got the number from the microsoft website, although I could not find one. The person was very rude, and tried to scam her out of another $250.

[TroglodyteScholar]

22. A very well known scam

She should not cooperate with these callers in any way.

[MineralMan]

23. Microsoft does not do that. Ever.

Your friend got scammed, and now the scammers have her credit card information. She should immediately call her credit card company and tell them about this fraud, cancel her card and get a new number.

Microsoft has a website. That is the only place to go if you have questions about Microsoft products. Never give credit card information to anyone who calls you.

[niyad]

24. she called her card company--that was the first thing I told her to do. she has to wait til monday

to contact her bank (the bank and credit card are totally separate, but the scammers insisted she create a paypal account)

she was having trouble with her computer, and kept getting some sort of message she thought was from microsoft, so was not surprised about the call.

[HappyMe]

25. It's a scam!

This was on the news here in NY a couple of weeks ago or so.

[notadmblnd]

26. She got ripped off.

Tell her to make a police report, then go to her bank with the report number and tell them what happened. The will take the charge off. tell her to close her paypal account.

[Warpy]

27. She's been scammed and needs to cancel that card NOW

or she's going to be paying for a lot of trips to Aruba she doesn't get to go on. She also needs to report this to the local police and go to the FBI website and report it there.

This is a pretty well known scam to most of us. Microsoft doesn't call customers and neither does Dell or any other manufacturer.

Credit card companies usually limit the damage, but she's given a few crooks what they need to steal her blind and put her in deep debt if she doesn't act now.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/money/consumer/data_doctor/data-doctors-fake-microsoft-call-scam-on-the-rise-again

[niyad]

30. she called her cc company yesterday as soon as I talked to her, and made a police report.

did not think fbi, but will tell her that as well. she is still reeling from the shock of realizing she was taken.