14 DAY TRIAL // Even though Microsoft is struggling to teach people how to avoid phone scams, more consumers are actually falling victim to these malicious attempts all over the world.
Danielle Shanks from Ottawa says she has received a call from someone named “Charlie” who claimed he was working for Microsoft in Seattle, Washington.
Charlie told the woman that her computer had been hacked and offered to repair the PC remotely. He convinced her that the anti-virus software isn’t working as it should and asked for credit card information to purchase a new security app.
“So when I decided to hang up, I Googled the 1-800 number that he had given me…and that’s when I saw a whole list of stories,” she told CTV News.
The credit card had been charged $130 (€99), but the woman also had to pay $200 (€152) to get her computer cleaned of the malicious software that could be then used to steal new private details.