We are getting more and more folks calling us and asking about so-called Microsoft employees calling them and stating that their computer has problems. In a handful of 
cases, the victims allowed the crooks to actually access their computer to determine the problems. Essentially, the fraudsters will run a registry scan that will say there are hundreds of problems causing the computer to be slow.
Most of the items that are shown as wrong will be the same on every computer that they scan since they are a total fraud themselves. In fact in most cases, before these guys entered your computer, there probably was no major issues.
If you have ever received one of these calls, the best thing to do is just hang up on them. If they are telling you that they detected there are problems with your PC it is a total hoax. It is a much different story if a company that you have worked with before calls you and says it is time to do a cleanup on your system. That type of call is simply a reminder since it is always advisable to do so at least once every 6 months or so.
If you received one of these calls and you let the bogus technician in your system, he will attempt to sell you a very expensive plan that will cost several hundred dollars. In addition, it is possible that he has retrieved information from your computer or planted a third party program on your system to track keystrokes or to gain access to your system. At this point it is best to call a professional to scour your system and be sure it is clean. Once the system is cleaned, it would be a great idea to change all your passwords as well.
As if the computer repair scam was enough, there is a new scam in town and many are falling for it. There are now online companies that claim to be able to help you with your taxes when in fact they are scam artists. One such company is called Digital Accountants. What these companies do is essentially instead of helping you with your taxes, they are going to tell you that your computer is going to crash within the next few days.
They will then offer a fix that can cost anywhere from 149.99 to over 200.00 dollars. The sad thing is, this is most likely not while you called in the first place. You actually called for tax help. You would be surprised how many fall for this trap. When all is said and done, you most likely will never actually get to talk to someone who will help you with your taxes.
These scammers have been trying to get innocent peoples money for years. It is not actually anything new. They will continue to do so as the years pass. The main defense is being prudent and to be sure you are calling someone you trust. Our company has been in business for 10 years and we have thousands of customers who trust us with their machines and data. We bend over backwards to be sure you are satisfied and things are working as expected.
The tactic that these scammers use is called the scare tactic. Essentially they are trying to scare you into spending money with them by telling you that your system will crash within hours. Once they get you on the phone, they will go to any means possible to get you to spend the money. The prices they charge for the scam will be much higher then you would pay at most legit online computer repair shops.
In short, never let somebody call you and explicitly tell you that your computer is running slow. Nobody can actually know that unless they are there in front of the system. In addition, if you need help with your taxes, call a legit company like H & R Block for the help. Lets all help to put these guys out of business by being careful about our online choices. Give your business to the honest companies that work hard to be sure you get the best value.
Article Posted By, Ross A Deprey
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