Microsoft doesn't (!) call

Wetteraukreis: In the last few weeks, the police have noticed an increasing number of calls from fraudsters who pretend to be Microsoft employees and try to gain access to citizens' computers. A Bad Nauheimer trusted the fraudsters and now has the damage.

“Serious computer problems”

The perpetrators contact those affected by telephone, often in English. They report serious computer problems, put pressure on those they call and vehemently demand that they go to their computer. The aim of the fraudsters is to gain third-party access to the computer, install spying programs and ultimately get money. In these cases, victims are usually middle-aged people, often highly qualified professionals.

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A current case

A Bad Nauheimer also fell for the clever fraudsters in the last few days. Alleged Microsoft employees contacted him several times, telling him that his PC had security problems and that hackers had logged into his system. Fearing for his data, the Bad Nauheim resident was persuaded to turn on his PC and gave the alleged Microsoft employees remote access to his computer. Now the perpetrators had him on the hook.

Perpetrators specifically asked for passwords and demanded money

They asked more and more questions, had passwords sent to them and justified this with the necessary steps to restore security on the PC. The Bad Nauheim resident also eventually passed on the data from his cell phone. The fraudsters now had almost everything they needed. Finally they asked for money. They had gift card codes sent to them, a total of 1,500 euros for the work carried out and for the alleged reinstall of security software. In return, they promised lifelong protection for the computer.

The fraudsters put targeted pressure on him

The Bad Nauheimer had no idea that he had fallen for fraudsters. The perpetrators appeared too convincing, they put him under too much pressure with repeated calls over several days and made him fear for his data. Now he noticed several debits on his account. The fraudsters were able to access his account using the passwords given out. The perpetrators were once again able to steal 1,500 euros.

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Police tips

The police give the following tips to all computer users: Microsoft does not make such calls; in such cases it is always fraudsters.

The best protection if callers pretend to be employees of this company: end the call immediately, do not install unknown programs on the PC and never transmit sensitive data to strangers.

If you have fallen for the scammers' scam, it is advisable to immediately disconnect your computer from the Internet. The malware would otherwise give the perpetrators the opportunity to observe all actions on their PC and spy on personal data. If necessary, have your credit card/account blocked and report it to the police.

Source: PP/Police Headquarters Central Hesse
Article image: Shutterstock / By Tero Vesalainen

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