Scam to Avoid

This morning my computer froze with a notification that a virus had attempted illegal access to several websites.  A voice message intoned that my computer had been locked up to prevent spreading the virus.  It warned me not to shut down or restart, as this could lead to loss of data or identity theft, but to call Windows security immediately at 1-866.......

Not trusting this number, I borrowed Veronica's computer and discovered:

1. Microsoft's number is not 1-866.....
2. Microsoft "to serve you better" do not answer the phone but refer you to a website (very useful when your computer is locked up!)
3. Microsoft notices never give a phone number to call.
4. There are several scams of this type.  If you call the number listed, they will either request access to your computer to "fix it" (i.e., steal all your data) or demand money to "fix it".

The way I fixed this was to force a shutdown, wait 30 seconds, restart and immediately update my antivirus program. So far so good.

Be warned!

Graeme Shelford