Caller from this number claimed to be a lawyer and I was having charges brought against me for...wait for it...money laundering by transferring money illegally. What will they think of next???

These guys call me regularly, same MO as Lace. Did not give them any info. They could not identify "which" computer was being hacked. Husband says that if it were really Microsoft they would speak English better, have a better phone connection and we would probably not hear other people in the background. Has always seemed like a scam and I talked to them this time to frustrate them and get a better idea of what they wanted.

These people called me saying that some guy from Michigan named Robert was trying to hack my computer.. didn't matter WHICH computer but it was one of them. Then I was stupid and gave them my I.P. address and they said a crock of crap about how they were "transferring" me to their supervisor and all you heard was them talking and trying to get the others in the rooms attention to come talk to me. THEN i heard like a text or snapchat come through(whistling sound from a phone) and knew right then it was BS. Then started up on prices about how "no hackers will ever be able to hack into your computer ever again!" and I just said "I'll have to call you back" But as they were doing this they were on my computer and installed some task manager thing... is this bad? Should I delete this immediately?

This is absolutely not Microsoft. They called me as well. I figured it out pretty quickly that it was a scam to get my IP address so they could gain access to critical information on my PC. NEVER give info to someone that calls you out of the blue and you can't 100% positively identify them. First of all Microsoft does not call you for any reason unless you called them first. They do not care if your computer is infected with viruses.You probably have never given Microsoft your number anyways. Even if you did give it to them for some reason they would never call you unless you email or call them for technical support. Like most corporations Microsoft has one number that they use for national calls which is an "866"number. You will never receive a call by Microsoft from a local prefix like "760". These are just a things to think about when you get a call like this.

Always be suspicious when handing out information over the phone or online. Cyber theft is rampant and this will not be the last time you find yourself in this situation. I called the number back using a different phone and the same guys answered with "hello". Another dead giveaway. Like I said just to be safe don't give your info out unless you are sure.

Consider your IP address to be confidential and critical information. Anyone that has access to it will also have access to whatever info you have now or have had in the past on your computer. If you did happen to give them any information then consider your computer compromised. Credit cards, bank account information and the like are no longer safe. If you have more critical information like SS#'s for you or loved ones think about the possibility of identities to be sold on the black market. I don't mean to stress you out but it's reality.

Unfortunately this day and age the thieves are becoming educated and with a short phone call they can rob you blind with little to no risk at all and without ever leaving their homes. Your local sheriffs department have neither the tools or the training to catch people like this and the FBI doesn't care. It's up to us to remain one step ahead of the thieves. Just think of these random calls and emails and any other stranger on the streets. You wouldn't just give them your info because they asked for it would you?

I really hope you didn't give them your IP address or any other info. If so I am really sorry. But now you should shut your Computer down right away and don't turn it back on until you have a "real" technician help you to  resolve it. At least don't let it connect to the internet. Honestly if it were me I would completely wipe the hard drive and start new. Also don't forget to change account numbers, credit cards, things like that. If it's a large crime ring you may have time. They might be in the business of selling your info rather than using it themselves which might take time. Even then don't wast a minute. You could always red flag your credit too. It's not a bad idea.

Remember, the easiest thing to do is to always be suspicious in these situations and never give out your information to a strange caller. Better to be safe than sorry. The new age theft is taking over and all that you can do is protect yourself because the cops can't help you with stuff like this. It sucks but it's just the way it is. Welcome to the future. I really hope this helps and wish you the best of luck.

is this number a legitimate number? they told me they were Windows Operating System company. Is this true?