17.24 – Calls From “Microsoft” or Other Providers

Telemarketing phone calls are bad enough, but unsolicited calls are also used to create cyber attacks. A common one is where the caller claims to be from Microsoft. The caller says their telemetry has disclosed that the target’s Windows system is infected, and they are reaching out to help. 

The call is obviously fake. There are billions of Windows users in the world. Even a company as vast as Microsoft is not monitoring individual machines, let alone calling people to remove malware. If the target stays on the line and follows the hacker’s instructions, they will be exposing themselves to all kinds of grief through malware and stolen information.

When a call like this is received, hang up. If there are continuing worries, independently contact the supposed calling company to find out if there is an issue. The same advice applies to a bank or credit card company or anyone else calling with so-called help. It might be a legitimate fraud alert on a credit card – those calls do happen. But do not automatically trust an unsolicited caller. Politely hang up and then use the phone number on the back of the credit card to independently call and confirm.