I got one of these calls today and after I contacted Microsoft about someone impersonating their customer service and read up about these kind of scams, I thought I'd pass along what I learned.
Some man called me this morning claiming to be from the Microsoft Windows Help Desk. He knew my name and my street address. He said that someone had attacked or hacked my computer and that he was calling to help me fix it.
I knew it was a scam from his unprofessionalism, the fact that he sounded to be calling from inside a warehouse, and the fact that Microsoft wouldn't know about problems on my computer, let alone call me about them. Another red flag was that the man was calling from a "private number" which didn't show up on my caller ID.
Apparently, these scams get you to pay for their customer service, or "security software" (malware in disguise) or they get you to go to a legit sounding website which THEN takes over your computer.
If anyone calls you claiming to be from a major corporation like Microsoft, your bank, or credit card company, asking for personal information -- DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM! I know this is common sense, but apparently there are people out there who are more trusting than me. Get as much information as possible about them, the person's "name", which company they are supposedly calling from, a contact phone number (and/or website address), and report them to authorities immediately. Contact the company (using a phone number you got separately from said phone call) and let them know that someone is trying to scam their customers.
I'm personally on the Do Not Call list and don't give out information to anyone who calls me unsolicited. You should have heard what I said to the person calling on behalf of my local congresswoman recently WHEN HE CALLED AFTER 9PM! Needless to say, he won't be calling back.
I'm really steamed about this, because they called at the same time as someone responding to one of my resumes and because of that, I missed the other phone call.
Microsoft gave me a link listing reporting agencies in the USA, Canada, and the UK:
Avoid Phone Scams article
