Yesterday I was in my home office, working as usual, turned from the business computer to check email on mine and up popped a warning that my computer was infected with a virus that Windows Defender had detected and my computer was locked and I had to call Microsoft so their techs could walk me through unlocking it. Tried the usual stuff and even rebooted but it wouldn't work so I called the number listed (stupid huh?). Anyway, tech got on the line, gave me his name and MS ID number and private phone number and had me type in a bunch of stuff that he said the hackers were "listening" and had all my data. Then he said they had made a purchase from China at 4:30am that morning and had bought kiddie porn off porn hub and did I know that kiddie porn was illegal and I might be in trouble since it was on my card. He also said the hackers had access to my phone call and he transferred us to a "secure line".
Then he said we had to call the bank using a secure line and I talked to a lady at the bank and she said they had texted me at 4:30am because of the $10,000 charge and I had given approval. This went on and on and then she said I had to get a $10,000 gift card and that would cancel out the payment. She was very persuasive then I accused her of being in China so she put on the fraud supervisor who also pushed the same thing. I hung up. The tech, Kevin Anderson, MS1985 called me back and said I had to get the gift card as it was the only way to cancel the purchase. I am sure if I had gotten it they would have wanted the numbers on it so they could confirm it was right. Not happening. Anyway, he kept saying I had to leave for the store immediately because the money was going to be released to the hacker account in an hour.
Bottom line I said no, he yelled at me and said he wasn't going to fix my computer because I wasn't being compliant. He hung up. I called my bank, no charges from China and they cancelled my card and will issue a new one. He also said it was not my bank I was talking to through the secure line call. Really upset me that I had almost gotten fished in (except for the part about the gift card). Banker said they get those calls all the time and they would put a high surveillance monitor on my accounts.
I'm 72 years old and should never have fallen for that stuff. Got a rash of crap from Mrs. Klif about never calling a number that shows up on your computer but to look up the number first. Almost seriously burned. It could have cost me $10,000 if the little voice on my shoulder hadn't been yelling, idiot, idiot, idiot.
Be careful, they are getting better.
Then he said we had to call the bank using a secure line and I talked to a lady at the bank and she said they had texted me at 4:30am because of the $10,000 charge and I had given approval. This went on and on and then she said I had to get a $10,000 gift card and that would cancel out the payment. She was very persuasive then I accused her of being in China so she put on the fraud supervisor who also pushed the same thing. I hung up. The tech, Kevin Anderson, MS1985 called me back and said I had to get the gift card as it was the only way to cancel the purchase. I am sure if I had gotten it they would have wanted the numbers on it so they could confirm it was right. Not happening. Anyway, he kept saying I had to leave for the store immediately because the money was going to be released to the hacker account in an hour.
Bottom line I said no, he yelled at me and said he wasn't going to fix my computer because I wasn't being compliant. He hung up. I called my bank, no charges from China and they cancelled my card and will issue a new one. He also said it was not my bank I was talking to through the secure line call. Really upset me that I had almost gotten fished in (except for the part about the gift card). Banker said they get those calls all the time and they would put a high surveillance monitor on my accounts.
I'm 72 years old and should never have fallen for that stuff. Got a rash of crap from Mrs. Klif about never calling a number that shows up on your computer but to look up the number first. Almost seriously burned. It could have cost me $10,000 if the little voice on my shoulder hadn't been yelling, idiot, idiot, idiot.
Be careful, they are getting better.
