There is another scam that you may have heard of floating around the internet. It is not a joke and is not to be ignored if it happens to you.
You may be working on your computer and get a phone call. The caller may tell you they are from Microsoft, or some other tech entity, and see that you have a virus infecting your computer. This virus could cause you the loss of all of your important information. This scheme may not only come to you in the form of a phone call but also via email or a popup on a website.
They will say they can send you a link so they can run the "fix" on your computer and you will not have any problems. They may instead ask that you give them permission to log onto your computer to fix the problem. It is free of charge and guaranteed to work providing you and your files with needed security. They will sound so sincere that it is hard to believe later when the trap is sprung.
It is not true. Neither Microsoft nor any other big company watches your computer for viruses or problems of any sort. Hang up immediately! If not, you will be granting them permission to log into your computer from some other country (most likely) and install their "fix."
The fix will actually install a virus that will activate days or weeks later. It will infect your files and lock them down so that you cannot open them. Think of it, your financial data, tax returns, photographs, etc. all no longer useable. It could do more than this but that is the standard operation. You will be informed to call the original "Microsoft" company back to have this corrected. This time it is still not the reputable company you expect. It will not be free either. It will cost you several hundred dollars to gain back control of your own files. Be careful.
Next, one that really is not tech related but I feel I should mention. (CBS did as well, a month or so ago.) You get a call from an unknown number. You answer it and they say something to you that provides them with you saying, "Yes." You think you are not that silly. How about this? You answer your phone and someone says, "Can you hear me?" You reply, "Yes." Then they have you. They will use that as you agreeing to sign up for magazines, a loan, or a five-year supply of whatever.
When you shop at real stores by phone they will many times tell you they will record your approval of what they offer as a legally binding agreement. This is what the scammers do too; however, you have no idea what you said, “yes” to – until you get the bill.
Next week we will look at some scams which are not always committed by technology or in normal ways. However, they are always directed at only one specific part of the population.