[Microsoft Support Centre Telephone Scam]
There are a number of scams operating whereby a call is received purporting to be from a Microsoft Support Centre (or other supplier). The calls tend to originate from an Indian based call centre and the caller suggests they are calling to resolve some technical issues that they have identified with your computer and requests the user to follow steps to resolve the problem. These steps are designed to install malicious software/viruses which will enable personal information to be gathered from the computer, or to in some way illicit some form of unnecessary payment. If you receive such a call under no circumstances should you provide any personal information to the caller, neither should you follow any of the steps they ask you to, no matter how insistent they are. Microsoft and other such companies do not make unsolicited calls. There have also been occasions where employees in certain companies have effectively been targeted by callers purporting to be from the IS Department or equivalent and asking for personal information or passwords. Under no circumstances should such information be provided. If you receive such a call, please hang up immediately and do not provide any information. Please ensure you remain vigilant.
The attached link is a Guardian article from 2012 which outlines a report of a similar scam.
