At lunchtime today I received a phone call on our landline from a lady who said she was calling from the Windows Maintenance Department. I thought she was going to offer me a window washing service, but no such luck.
She claimed that my computer was generating error messages and that she was calling to assist me in sorting it out. I told her to get lost and put the phone down.
I told my son, the IT boff about the call and he confirmed it is a scam and nothing whatsoever to do with Microsoft. Goodness knows where gullible people will end up if they entertain a call like this, probably with spyware on their computer, identity theft or their bank accounts depleted.
The internet is not a safe place – be careful out there folks and if in doubt rather err on the side of caution than be sorry later.
walkingoneggshellsdotcom 
I worry all the time that one of these scammers will catch my Dad out. All sorts of ways to scam older people. Thanks for the warning x.
Older folk are especially vulnerable. I heard on the weekend about the friend of a friend who received a similar call to the one I did but the caller was far more insistent that the person go and sit in front of their computer immediately and claimed to be their ISP. Fortunately she also smelled a rat and cut the call.
scary!
it is scary indeed Gobetween
I’ve been receiving odd emails from, supposedly, microsoft. I just delete them but it appears someone is on a mission to find the gullible ones out there. Glad you’re not one of them.
We have to be so vigilant these days, the internet is a wonderful tool and I cannot imagine life without it anymore but it is also a crook’s playground.
I read something similar on someone’s blog a couple of days ago. Seems like this scam is going viral. Your “get lost” reaction is the way to go. You and I weren’t born yesterday, and are aware of these dangers, but unfortunately some people will fall for it. š¦
Sadly some will fall for it AD. Last week we heard about our shared gardener who works at our holiday home falling for the you’ve won a ton of money scam. The one where you first have to cough up admin fees, then this fee and that fee. His boss told him it was a scam but the lure of easy money was too strong – now he has to pay back the money he borrowed for the “fees” and has no windfall to show for his trouble.
How very sad, optie. These scammers should be horse-whipped.
Thanks for the warning! At least you, and I, can check such things with our IT sons.
Yes, I try to be careful and check things out but these internet crooks are clever and devious.