Phone Scams
Today alone I’ve been called three times by the same foreign sounding man implying he represents Microsoft and my computer has been infected. Because I’m a valued customer, he has called to help me with my problem. Each time I’ve played along and asked for his number in order to call him back. At that point, we always seem to lose the connection, but each time he has called me back.
This is a classic scam. These criminals will try to coax you into going to your computer so they can help you “fix the problem.” Do not, repeat, do not give them any information such as your email address or anything else that might help them get into your computer.
The FBI recommends you be aware by looking for the following:
- “You must act ‘now’ or the offer won’t be good.”
- “You’ve won a ‘free’ gift, vacation, or prize.” But you have to pay for “postage and handling” or other charges.
- “You must send money, give a credit card or bank account number, or have a check picked up by courier.” You may hear this before you have had a chance to consider the offer carefully.
- “You don’t need to check out the company with anyone.” The callers say you do not need to speak to anyone including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau, or consumer protection agency.
- “You don’t need any written information about their company or their references.”
- “You can’t afford to miss this ‘high-profit, no-risk’ offer.”
To minimize the number of calls you get, make sure you register with the “Do Not Call Registry.” If you want to register or verify your past registration, here is the link:
National Do Not Call Registry
To report any of these scams, contact the Federal Trade Commission:
Federal Trade Commission
Now if we could just do something about these people who send emails trying to get you to read their blogs.
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