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Don’t fall victim to this “Microsoft” phone scam

Posted at 10:34 PM, Aug 29, 2014
and last updated 2014-08-29 23:46:01-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - When Caroline Fox recently received two suspicious phone calls from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, she knew something wasn't right.

"He was telling me that my computer was at risk and that he needed to connect remotely to my computer," said Fox.

Fox said the call sounded very urgent and when she questioned the man on the other end, he started getting upset.

"It was kind of a gut feeling where I was like this is not normal, if someone's job required them to be helping people they shouldn't be getting this agitated," she said.

Fox didn't fall for the scam, but she worries others might not be so lucky.

"Especially older generations that might not know when you let someone log into your computer remotely they can look at everything you have," said Fox.

CBS 6 contacted Microsoft about the scam.

A spokesperson said, "Consumers will never receive a call from Microsoft or our partners asking for a credit card number to charge for computer fixes."

If this happens to you, experts recommend to just hang up the phone, report the call, and tell the Federal Trad Commission or an anti-fraud organization.