At least one University staff member has received a phone call at home from a caller pretending to be a technical support person at Microsoft Corp. The caller states their version of Windows is reporting a high number of errors and MS logs indicate their computer is running slow because it has a virus.

This is a scam. The caller will eventually ask you to open a ticket on a fake MS web page and MS remove the virus for you (your computer will also run faster). Upon submission, malware is downloaded to your machine and you have just given remote access to your computer.

It is important to be just as aware of scams at home as well as in the office; especially if you are working on University business at home and have confidential data on your home computer as well as your personal banking information!

There are a few variations of this phony phone tech scam - See further discussion at:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-security/please-read-dont-fall-for-phony-phone-tech-support/e5576f0a-827e-4fc0-a4b1-707add212065

If you believe you have been the victim of a phony phone tech scam, or have any questions, please contact the IT Support Center at 36666 for assistance.