0213007901

I have just received a call from a Shane Smit at 24/7 PC Help, giving the Cape Town number 021 300 2322. He said my computer was riddled with viruses and that they need my security details to fix it, otherwise my machine will shut down. I phoned my local iStore and they said it was a scam. Obviously hackers trying their luck!

I am in the employ of a retirement village in Cape Town.  At least ten residents have been contacted in the past week.  Unfortunately, one resident was caught and lost a vast sum of money as she gave her banking details.  What type of people prey on the elderly !  This is a disgrace

Same phone call, same scam - from a lady called Angel - they want you to log on to: www.logmein123.com - sounded bit fishy - wouldn't budge to phone back tomorrow

Very professional. They got my name wrong. And then, when I said, they can call me back after I check their company out, they told me to GO TO HELL....

We received persistent calls today from a woman who called herself steve who seem to know we were having problems /slowness with our PC. Directed me toa microsft site which showed quite a few problems with warnings and redlights. She eventually got me so worked up that I handed control of the pC over to her so a technician could sort the gremlins out. Fortunately the internet coinnection died and forced to close down for the day but not before they said they would phone tomorrow to sort. Question is how did they know we had been having having problems with my wife`s PC ?

Well, I got a call just now and this person with a very heavy Indian accent tells me he is Xavier and is the official MicroSoft Operating System support person. Where on earth did they get my phone no? And the whole tone of the call was extremely aggressive. They were officially appointed to help as MS operating systems owners and the only people who can apparently help prevent a serious infection with malicious software that comes down with the electicity supply. When that did not work the story changed to 'it comes down your internet connection'.

A while back I got a call from a `Nathan Watson` with Cape Town number 021300790
saying they are from  Microsoft and can offer me a `Windows Software Protection Warrenty` to clean up my computer from being slow with `error ` messages. I declined his offer when he wanted to place an`Advanced System Care `program on my computer. I said I will call him if I needed more assistance. He got ratty at me for declining. Later a Victoria called from the same number and offered me the same `Protection Warrenty` for R1200 for a year . At this stage I was fairly sure it was some scam , but played along , pleading foverty : so she offered a `temporary cleanup` for R350.! When I refused to procede she also got ratty and said it will be my own fault should my computer crash !

From Microsoft's own web site:

"Microsoft does not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer

In this scam cybercriminals call you and claim to be from Microsoft Tech Support. They offer to help solve your computer problems. Once the crooks have gained your trust, they attempt to steal from you and damage your computer with malicious software including viruses and spyware.

Although law enforcement can trace phone numbers, perpetrators often use pay phones, disposable cellular phones, or stolen cellular phone numbers. It's better to avoid being conned rather than try to repair the damage afterwards.

Treat all unsolicited phone calls with skepticism. Do not provide any personal information.

If you receive an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Tech Support, hang up. We do not make these kinds of calls."

How do I stop them from phoning me and how do I block them on my computer???