A Security Scam by Sally Shabaker
Note: Microsoft has nothing to do with this rip-off.
How it works: The scammer calls you, and asks for you by name. He says he is a computer security expert from Microsoft (or another legitimate tech company). The “security expert” is plausible and polite, but intrusive. The one that called me had a distinctly East Indian accent. He said my computer had been infected with malware, and that he could help me solve the problem. At first, I was suspicious, but when he asked me to give him remote access to my laptop, I was certain something was wrong. If I had agreed, the scammer would have used the access to harness my personal data. I hung up the phone immediately. Even so, he called back three times before giving up on me.