A scam is sweeping through the telephone waves around the world. It’s been around for a while, but has gained steam as of late.
Usually it goes like this:
You get a phone call from a person claiming that there is a virus infecting your computer and they need to fix your computer over the phone immediately! Often times they claim they are calling from Microsoft or another well known company.
Usually the person sounds anxious to fix your computer. They are attempting to scare you into believing your computer is vulnerable and has a virus on it.
Once the person gets you to trust them, they will ask you to perform a series of tasks on your computer and ultimately ask you to give them remote access to your computer. From there they can make changes to your computer settings that can leave your computer vulnerable and attempt to ‘sign you up’ for a computer maintenance or security program. They will ask for your credit card information so they can bill you or may simply download malicious software on your computer in order to steal sensitive information such as passwords and credit card information.
If you get this type of phone call, HANG UP!
Write down the telephone number they called from and the name they gave for documentation purposes. Do NOT let them have access to your computer.
If you were the victim of such a scam or if you believe your computer truly is compromised, you can bring your computer to a reputable physical company, for peace of mind and to double check your computer is in fact compromised.
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