Bogus Microsoft IT Workers Targeting Iowans in Scam

• Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller today advised Iowans not to give up personal identifying information if they get a call from someone claiming to represent Microsoft’s technical support department.

Miller said he’s hearing from several Iowans a day who said they received calls from people claiming to be a technical support employee for the software giant, according to a news release from the agency’s Consumer Protection Division.

The bogus employees also claim they’re trying to fix some soft of software or security problem, or they’re trying to sell a software license, Miller said in the release. The software they attempt to convince their intended victims to download may seem useful and harmless, Miller warned, but their actions are malicious.

“This is the criminal’s key to unlocking your computer,” he said. “This scam enables criminals to retrieve personal information such as passwords, financial information and a treasure trove of personal data.”

The software could damage the computer or leave it vulnerable to future attacks, Miller warned.

The people operating the scam also appear to be asking for credit card information or have asked their intended victims to phony web sites to enter  credit card and other personal information.

Microsoft posted an advisory on its web site disavowing its involvement.

“Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls to charge you for computer security or software fixes,” the company said.

If you believe a criminal has targeted you through computer malware:

• Change your passwords.  Change your email account password, as well as passwords to financial accounts.
• Use anti-virus software, including Microsoft Security Essentials, available for free, to scan your computer and fix any problems.  Make sure to use a firewall.  Update your operating system and software.
• Report the scam to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.