Recently, I posted an article: Friday Funny: Fake Microsoft Scammer Tries to Scam Ex Microsoft Employee, where an ex-Microsoftie had some fun with a scammer using a virtual machine which could be damaged without any actual risks to his computer.

Today, I came across a scam site that could catch the unwary. So I decided to write this Public Service Announcement (PSA) article to help keep people safe.

So, I accessed an old favourite on my internet browser and the web site that the shortcut URL accessed was no longer active. Watching the address bar, I saw it go through a few redirections before it ended up at the following scam site (not hyperlinked on purpose).

• http:// mstech-online.site/en-warning.html

This site has the look and feel of a Microsoft site and even calls itself Microsoft Support.

Note: If you open the site you will probably need to use Task Manager to kill your browser session as the dialog will make it almost impossible to close nicely.

Once loaded, it then opens a dialog and plays a sound file.

So here is a reminder:

Microsoft will never call you or ask you to call them

This is a scam, designed to scare you into calling them. Once you call, they will scare you into giving them access to your machine via GoToMeeting or LogMeIn and will then either install a virus or apply a registry password to lock you out of your machine and exhort payment via credit card.

If you ever get a Virus or Malware notification from your browser that asks you to call a number or go to a website, it is a scam.

I have reported this site already, feel free to report it or any other technical support scam using the site below:

• https://support.microsoft.com/reportascam

Keep safe

David

This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.