The issues for Microsoft do not seem to end in the near future. In recent news, hackers posed as Microsoft tech support representatives and tried to gain access to computers and the personal data in Iowa, United States. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller warned citizens to be alert and avoid providing any information to online tech support staff or telesales personnel.
Speaking to the media, Attorney General stressed upon the seriousness of the matter saying, “We are hearing from several Iowans every day reporting calls from people who claim they are Microsoft tech support employees, and also claim they are either trying to fix some sort of software problem, security problem, or are trying to sell a software license.”
Iowa citizens reported the fraudulent incident to the Consumer Protection Division highlighting that the online tech support staff suggested them to download a software program that supposedly would resolve common issues in the system. However, the said software was found malicious and helped hackers penetrate into their system.
Tom Miller warned Iowans saying, “This is a criminal’s key to unlocking your computer. This scam enables criminals to retrieve personal information such as passwords, financial information and a treasure trove of personal data.” He further added that the hackers could also use the program to damage the system entirely, or make it defenseless against virus attacks.
The complaints filed by some Iowans further point out that the fake customer support staff requested users to provide their credit card information as well. Attorney General Miller told the media that the telesales callers directed Iowans to malicious websites to enter their credit card details and other personal information.
Microsoft responded to the complaints and said in an advisory that neither the company’s support team, nor any of its partners make “unsolicited phone calls” to charge a user for system security, patches, or software fixes.
The tech giant also clarified on the official website that its technical support staff does not make any unwelcome telesales calls, and warns users to be vigilant towards the matter. The official Microsoft tech support center advises to change the admin passwords for the user account, email account, and financial accounts infrequently, if a user feels vulnerable to be attacked by hackers.
Microsoft officials also advise users to keep their system and software updated to ensure maximum security. Apart from that, using potent antivirus software with Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Firewall would also be quite helpful to prevent malware entries into the system.
Speaking to the media, Attorney General stressed upon the seriousness of the matter saying, “We are hearing from several Iowans every day reporting calls from people who claim they are Microsoft tech support employees, and also claim they are either trying to fix some sort of software problem, security problem, or are trying to sell a software license.”
Iowa citizens reported the fraudulent incident to the Consumer Protection Division highlighting that the online tech support staff suggested them to download a software program that supposedly would resolve common issues in the system. However, the said software was found malicious and helped hackers penetrate into their system.
Tom Miller warned Iowans saying, “This is a criminal’s key to unlocking your computer. This scam enables criminals to retrieve personal information such as passwords, financial information and a treasure trove of personal data.” He further added that the hackers could also use the program to damage the system entirely, or make it defenseless against virus attacks.
The complaints filed by some Iowans further point out that the fake customer support staff requested users to provide their credit card information as well. Attorney General Miller told the media that the telesales callers directed Iowans to malicious websites to enter their credit card details and other personal information.
Microsoft responded to the complaints and said in an advisory that neither the company’s support team, nor any of its partners make “unsolicited phone calls” to charge a user for system security, patches, or software fixes.
The tech giant also clarified on the official website that its technical support staff does not make any unwelcome telesales calls, and warns users to be vigilant towards the matter. The official Microsoft tech support center advises to change the admin passwords for the user account, email account, and financial accounts infrequently, if a user feels vulnerable to be attacked by hackers.
Microsoft officials also advise users to keep their system and software updated to ensure maximum security. Apart from that, using potent antivirus software with Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Firewall would also be quite helpful to prevent malware entries into the system.
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