EAGAN, Minn. - The scammers say they're from Microsoft tech support and claim your computer will crash if you don't let them fix it. It's a convincing ploy that has already snagged victims around the globe.
Now it's showing up in Minnesota and it all starts with a phone call.
"They said that they were calling from Microsoft help and support," Stanley Jenkins told KARE 11.
The supposed Microsoft tech guy went on to tell Jenkins there's a problem with his laptop computer. Jenkins was asked to open a file and, sure enough, warnings and errors popped up on the computer screen.
"He gave me an ID number," said Jenkins.
Now skeptical of what was happening, Jenkins asked the guy on the other end a bunch of questions. "Can I talk to your manager?" "Where are you located?" "Do you have a phone number?"
Each answer seemed to pan out.
"Their persistence with my objections made it seem legit," he said.
The so-called tech guy may have answered every question, but computer experts say the odds of somebody from Microsoft calling you are pretty slim.
"The chances of Microsoft calling you up out of the blue are slim-to-none," said Micro Center's Ed Zaret.
That said the scam, while new to Minnesota, has taken plenty of other people on a ride in Australia, Ireland and Canada. People from all over the world have posted YouTube videos of how it happens.
Once the errors on the screen pop up, they ask for access to your computer and tell you to go to a third party website so they can fix it. Then the scammers charge you for the fake fix along with a security upgrade ranging anywhere from $80-$1,500.
"Anything having to do with Microsoft you're going to be at microsoft.com slash something," said Zaret. "It's not going to be some other site than microsoft.com."
As for Jenkins, his skepticism paid off and he wasn't scammed.
"When I called the number they gave me, it was a fake number," he said.
Now he just wants to make sure others are aware of it.
For more information about the Microsoft scam microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/msname.aspx.
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