If Microsoft calls to help, just hang up

There has been a resurgence of a phishing scam that has been around for several years but it is worth your time to learn about it.  Phishing is an attempt to acquire your personal information such as passwords, bank account numbers and credit card details and of course cash. The digital miscreants masquerade as trustworthy agents of iconic companies dispatched to “help you” with a computer problem you don’t even know you have.  These folks sell New York bridges on their days off.

The recent iteration of this scam begins with an unsolicited phone call from someone posing as an employee or sub-contractor for Microsoft.  The story line is usually very similar. The caller relates that they were patrolling the internet seeking out the bad guys and they found that your computer has been infected. You are so lucky today because they found the problem and with their help you will be able to get it fixed.  

Here the scam can take two directions.  The first is very straight forward.  If you will pay them, they can send you a DVD that you insert in your computer and voila, the bugs will go away.  All they need from you is your credit card information.  As you might imagine, there are no bugs in your computer and there will be no DVD disk sent.  For sure there will be a debit to your credit card in the amount quoted or more.

The second iteration of this scam can be much more nefarious.  The caller tells you that your computer can be fixed remotely.  You are directed to log on to a web site and download a file, which when executed, allows your computer and all its contents to be accessed remotely.  Once in, the friendly, helpful, nice young man or women can choose from several options.  All of them are bad.

Since they now have complete control over your computer, any file can be viewed and copied.  The picture of your grandson along with the last 7 years of tax returns and your mother’s maiden name might all there for the picking.

Sometimes you are told that they found many bugs and for a small fee placed on your credit card, they can fix them.  Of course there are no bugs, but for sure there will be a hefty charge to your account.

Some who are bolder will place a malware program on your computer that turns it into a useless electronic paper weight.  You cannot run a program, access a file or surf the net until they give you a new passcode, the cost of which can be hundreds, or for a small business, thousands of dollars.

If you get one of these calls, just hang up.  It should be noted that if you do subscribe to online computer support from Dell, Time Warner or other reputable companies, a technician will often ask to remotely access your computer.  This is not an issue since you initiated the call.