Great information. Greek Geek has a hub about this scam (it dates back a few years - the scam has been around for a while). But the crackdown sounds like a newer effort to tackle them. I was called by one of these jerks just a few days ago - I even recorded the conversation toward the very end of it, which means I got only a small portion of it.
You might want to post this on GG's hub about the topic. It's a helpful update.
Sounds exactly like the calls we've been getting. The first one was to my wife, who was very concerned and wanted me to buy the junk, but I've answered more myself.
It doesn't take long to figure out it's a scam; MS has no reason to call me, doesn't know my phone number, etc.
I feel badly for those who fall for the scam. I know they're simply trying to protect their computers. When the scammer called me, I immediately recognized it was a con job (but then, I research and write about those things). I asked him what his name was, and in a very thick Indian accent, he said, Jerry Smith. I told him he sure sounded like a 'Smith.'
BTW - although I still have one old Windows laptop in the house, which is rarely turned on, I'm completely on Mac systems now.
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