Windows 10: scam with microsoft warning and international charges

received a pop up on a new computer saying an error occurred and to call the 800 number. I called and gave access to the person saying they were Microsoft tech support. They found that Russian hackers had accessed and used my credit card for a **** and in China for gambling. They told me my phone was compromised and I needed to use their dedicated line so they put me through to the credit card company. The call sounded very legit and the person at credit card company had all my information, He read my current charges, but then said I had $3000 in international charges that could not be stopped. Both the support tech and credit card customer service gave me their names and empl ID numbers. Of course they were foreigners with American names. Should have been my next clue but I wasn't thinking of that I was concerned about the credit card fraud. I was told by customer service at credit card There was a time window that I could go get gift cards to cover that amount but only encrypted ones from Target or Saphora. I thought this odd and asked why my account would not be frozen and a new card issued. I was told that since it was international and my phone must have been hacked since they had phone approval it could not be closed. It appeared so legit. I went to target and purchased 2 gift cards for the limit they would allow I gave the information to the Microsoft support tech. Then he told me to go to Macy's since time was of the essence. That is when I decided something was not right. I went to a friends house and used their landline to call the credit card company. I spoke to the reporting fraud department and asked them to look at my account. This rep. read off my charges just like the last guy. I asked him about international charges and if there were any for $3000 from Russia for a ****. He looked and said no. That is when I told him what was going on. He immediately closed my account which was interesting since the FAKE customer service rep. said it could not be closed. After that, I got 20 calls from the Microsoft tech. I decided not to answer. I was always skeptical and good at catching scams, but everyone can be had, especially when you have a lot going on. I was so focused on the dollar amount and identity theft, that I let the customer service rep and support tech trust them. Has anyone else encountered this?

How do I double check that they did not put something on my computer? I ran scans for maleware and virus, anything else?

:)

 

Scam warnings

I am getting continuous scam warnings that say they are from Microsoft saying Microsoft has found a problem with my computer and to call a number. How do I clear my computer permanently of this warning?

 

Scams using Microsoft

Microsoft has been warning folks about these scams for some time.

• Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently
• Is that call from Microsoft a scam?
• Don’t fall for phony phone tech support
• Avoiding technical support scams

 

Scam warnings

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You might want to get a good advertisement blocker...

And suggestion to read the following article which describes in detail various methods how to get out of such pop ups. The article also mentions methods how to prevent these kind of fake alerts.

• Beware of Phony Emails & Tech Support Scams