Someone called claiming to be Microsoft: what to do now

The call usually starts with urgency: your computer is sending error reports, a virus has been detected, your Windows license has expired and needs “reactivating.” The person on the line says they’re from Microsoft, sometimes with a fake case number or a website that looks official. None of it is real — Microsoft does not make unsolicited calls about problems with your computer, ever. This is one of the most common scams targeting people in Manhattan, and it works because it’s designed to make you act before you think.

The rule that makes the whole scam collapse

Microsoft does not call you. Apple doesn’t either, and neither does your internet provider, in the vast majority of cases. Legitimate companies don’t cold-call customers to tell them their computer has a problem. If you didn’t initiate the contact — you didn’t call a support line and get a callback you were expecting — the call is not legitimate, regardless of how official it sounds or what number it appears to come from (caller ID can be faked easily).

What to do if you’re on the call right now

1. Hang up. You don’t owe a scammer an explanation or a polite goodbye. Just end the call.
2. Don’t call any number they gave you. If they said “call us back at this number to verify,” that number goes straight back to them, not to Microsoft.
3. Don’t install anything they asked you to install. The most common version of this scam talks you into installing remote-access software (AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or similar legitimate tools used for illegitimate purposes) so they can “show you the problem.” Once installed, they have full control of your computer.

If you already let them onto your computer

This is more urgent, and worth treating seriously rather than embarrassing:

1. Disconnect from the internet immediately — turn off Wi-Fi or unplug the ethernet cable. This cuts their access right away.
2. Uninstall the remote-access software they had you install.
3. Change your passwords from a different device — your email first, since it can reset everything else, then banking and anything with stored payment information.
4. Check for anything installed you didn’t authorize — new programs, browser extensions, or account changes.
5. If you gave them payment information or let them “process a refund,” contact your bank or card issuer directly and explain what happened. Banks deal with this scam constantly and can freeze or reverse charges faster the sooner you call.

If they asked for payment

A common escalation: they claim they accidentally refunded you too much and need you to send the difference back, often via gift cards or a wire transfer. No legitimate refund process works this way. Gift cards, in particular, are a near-universal scam signal — no real company or government agency asks to be paid in gift cards, ever.

How these calls usually get your number in the first place

Often it’s not targeted at you specifically — it’s a mass-dialed list, sometimes triggered by a pop-up you encountered on a website that displayed a fake “your computer is infected, call this number” warning. If you saw one of those before the call, closing the browser (not clicking anything on the pop-up) is the right response; the warning itself is fake regardless of how realistic it looks.

When it’s worth having someone check your machine

If you’re not fully sure what was installed or changed during the call, that’s worth a proper look rather than guessing. We can check what remote-access tools were used, confirm nothing was left behind, and help you lock down accounts properly — part of the security support we provide across Manhattan. If you haven’t set up a password manager and two-factor authentication yet, that’s also the single best protection against the account side of this kind of scam — we’ve laid out how to set both up in about 20 minutes.