My caller said he was from "WINDOWS Support" not Microsoft. There is a difference. Microsoft is trademarked, copyrighted etc. windows is not and can't be. Anyone can say they work for windows, Microsoft is a different story.
He got all huffy when I called hin a "pakistani scammer". In retrospect his English was so good he is probably Filippino.
All you need to do is tell them you are from homeland security and tell them they are all being monitered by the fbi and washington dc. They will soon hang up on you.
this is what I was told to do with scammers
Telephone tech support scams: What you need to know
Cybercriminals often use publicly available phone directories, so they might know your name and other personal information when they call you. They might even guess what operating system you're using.
Once they've gained your trust, they might ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a legitimate website (such as www.ammyy.com) to install software that will let them access your computer to fix it. Once you do this, your computer and your personal information are vulnerable.
Do not trust unsolicited calls. Do not provide any personal information.
Here are some of the organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:
◾Windows Helpdesk
◾Windows Service Center
◾Microsoft Tech Support
◾Microsoft Support
◾Windows Technical Department Support Group
◾Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)
Report phone scams
◾Help Microsoft stop cybercriminals by reporting information about your phone scam.
◾In the United States, use the FTC Complaint Assistant form.
◾In Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can provide support.
◾In the United Kingdom, you can report fraud as well as unsolicited calls.
Whenever you receive a phone call or see a pop-up window on your PC and feel uncertain whether it is from someone at Microsoft, don’t take the risk. Reach out directly to one of our technical support experts dedicated to helping you at the Microsoft Answer Desk. Or you can simply call us at 1-800-426-9400 or one of our customer service phone numbers for people located around the world.
How to protect yourself from telephone tech support scams
If someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support calls you:
◾Do not purchase any software or services.
◾Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the "service." If there is, hang up.
◾Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
◾Take the caller's information down and immediately report it to your local authorities.
◾Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
What to do if you already gave information to a tech support person
If you think that you might have downloaded malware from a phone tech support scam website or allowed a cybercriminal to access your computer, take these steps:
◾Change your computer's password, change the password on your main email account, and change the password for any financial accounts, especially your bank and credit card.
◾Scan your computer with the Microsoft Safety Scanner to find out if you have malware installed on your computer.
◾Install Microsoft Security Essentials. (Microsoft Security Essentials is a free program. If someone calls you to install this product and then charge you for it, this is also a scam.)
Note: In Windows 8, Windows Defender replaces Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows Defender runs in the background and notifies you when you need to take specific action. However, you can use it anytime to scan for malware if your computer isn’t working properly or you clicked a suspicious link online or in an email message.
Learn more about Windows Defender
Will Microsoft ever call me?
There are some cases where Microsoft will work with your Internet service provider and call you to fix a malware-infected computer—such as during the recent cleanup effort begun in our botnet takedown actions. These calls will be made by someone with whom you can verify you already are a customer. You will never receive a legitimate call from Microsoft or our partners to charge you for computer fixes.
More information
For more information about how to recognize a phishing scam, see Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently.
If you need help with a virus or other security problem, visit the Microsoft Virus and Security Solution Center.
To help protect against viruses and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials.
Windows 8 includes antivirus protection that’s turned on by default.
he called and told me that my computer was hacked.. I do not use a computer and I have a I pad and that is what I use my son who is 5 uses one for games only... he went into telling me that I have been infected..
Microsoft told me to post this for all of u to see:
Telephone tech support scams: What you need to know
Cybercriminals often use publicly available phone directories, so they might know your name and other personal information when they call you. They might even guess what operating system you're using.
Once they've gained your trust, they might ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a legitimate website (such as www.ammyy.com) to install software that will let them access your computer to fix it. Once you do this, your computer and your personal information are vulnerable.
Do not trust unsolicited calls. Do not provide any personal information.
Here are some of the organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:
◾Windows Helpdesk
◾Windows Service Center
◾Microsoft Tech Support
◾Microsoft Support
◾Windows Technical Department Support Group
◾Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)
Report phone scams
◾Help Microsoft stop cybercriminals by reporting information about your phone scam.
◾In the United States, use the FTC Complaint Assistant form.
◾In Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can provide support.
◾In the United Kingdom, you can report fraud as well as unsolicited calls.
Whenever you receive a phone call or see a pop-up window on your PC and feel uncertain whether it is from someone at Microsoft, don’t take the risk. Reach out directly to one of our technical support experts dedicated to helping you at the Microsoft Answer Desk. Or you can simply call us at 1-800-426-9400 or one of our customer service phone numbers for people located around the world.
How to protect yourself from telephone tech support scams
If someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support calls you:
◾Do not purchase any software or services.
◾Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the "service." If there is, hang up.
◾Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
◾Take the caller's information down and immediately report it to your local authorities.
◾Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
What to do if you already gave information to a tech support person
If you think that you might have downloaded malware from a phone tech support scam website or allowed a cybercriminal to access your computer, take these steps:
◾Change your computer's password, change the password on your main email account, and change the password for any financial accounts, especially your bank and credit card.
◾Scan your computer with the Microsoft Safety Scanner to find out if you have malware installed on your computer.
◾Install Microsoft Security Essentials. (Microsoft Security Essentials is a free program. If someone calls you to install this product and then charge you for it, this is also a scam.)
Note: In Windows 8, Windows Defender replaces Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows Defender runs in the background and notifies you when you need to take specific action. However, you can use it anytime to scan for malware if your computer isn’t working properly or you clicked a suspicious link online or in an email message.
Learn more about Windows Defender
Will Microsoft ever call me?
There are some cases where Microsoft will work with your Internet service provider and call you to fix a malware-infected computer—such as during the recent cleanup effort begun in our botnet takedown actions. These calls will be made by someone with whom you can verify you already are a customer. You will never receive a legitimate call from Microsoft or our partners to charge you for computer fixes.
More information
For more information about how to recognize a phishing scam, see Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently.
If you need help with a virus or other security problem, visit the Microsoft Virus and Security Solution Center.
To help protect against viruses and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials.
Windows 8 includes antivirus protection that’s turned on by default.