How To Avoid Microsoft Tech Support Scam

The Microsoft Tech Support Scam impacts millions of people every day. This scam occurs when someone contacts you pretending to be from Microsoft support and tries to get access to your computer or personal information. They may even try to charge you for their "services."

This article covers the following.

1. What is a Microsoft tech support scam?
2. How to identify and report it?
3. How to avoid such scams?

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How Does the Microsoft Tech Support Scam Work?

A Microsoft tech support scam works in the following ways:

1. A scammer contacts you claiming to be from Microsoft.
2. They will appraise you of the supposed technical issues your computer is having.
3. After gaining remote access to your computer, they will claim they found malware.
4. They will offer to fix your computer for you for a fee - service charges.
5. They may install malware or malicious software on your computer to ensure recurring fees.
6. Sometimes, they may trick you into providing your confidential information and use it for identity theft or fraud.

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How To Know If The Caller Is From Microsoft Or A Scammer

Here are a few ways to identify if the Microsoft tech support call you receive is legitimate or a scam

1. Unsolicited Mails or Calls

Don't respond to any unsolicited emails or calls from people claiming to be from Microsoft. Microsoft does not contact users directly about technical issues.

2. Support Ticket

Microsoft will not contact you if you have not opened a support ticket with them. So, be wary of callers who pose as Microsoft tech personnel and call you when you do not have an open support ticket.

3. Requesting Remote Access

If the caller pretends to be from Microsoft and requests remote access to your computer when you do not have a support ticket, this is a red flag. Disconnect the call immediately and report the caller.

4. Requesting Sensitive Information

If the caller requests sensitive information like bank details, do not share information. Disconnect the call and report the caller.

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How to Report Microsoft Tech Support Scam

If you think you have been the victim of a Microsoft Tech Support Scam, report it to your local police department and contact the Federal Trade Commission.

You can also contact Microsoft and complain, so the company can take action to protect unsuspecting people from such scams.

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How to Avoid Microsoft Tech Support Scam

If you want to stop receiving Microsoft tech support scam calls, you can be proactive and get a spam blocker to block calls on your landline. You can download several apps to block spam calls on Android and iPhones. Read on!

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The Best Way to Block Spam on your Landline

Most landline providers do not offer spam-blocking services, leaving you with no option but to block them manually on your phone. Manually blocking spam calls is ineffective because you can block numbers only after receiving the call.

The only effective way to block spam calls is to switch to a provider that blocks them automatically before they reach you.

Community Phone offers landline phone service with built-in spam call blocking that can stop unlawful and unwanted calls from reaching your landline. It allows you to keep your landline phone without tying it to the internet.

Get rid of unwanted calls, and protect yourself, your loved ones, or your business from scams with Community Phone's spam-calling blocking services. Its spam call blocker can automatically detect spam, fraud, or robocalls and stop them before your phone rings.

How does It work?

1. When you receive a call to your Community Phone number, your phone won't ring immediately. The caller will hear a recording that asks them to "press 1 to connect."
2. Robocalls work by sensing when the recipient picks up the phone and speaks. Once they hear a sound that isn't the sound of the phone ringing, the recording begins.
3. Since robocalls don't press buttons, the call will never reach your phone.
4. If an "unidentified caller" follows the instructions and your phone rings, you can let the call go to voicemail and respond to the voicemail if it's a legitimate caller.

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The Safelist

The Community Phone "Safelist" is a list of numbers you pre-approved to receive calls from. Your phone will ring only to let calls from the pre-approved numbers reach you. It will block all other numbers before your phone rings. You can update this list anytime to add or delete pre-approved numbers.

This feature is handy for seniors who are unsuspecting victims of phone scams. The Community Phone account holder can prevent anyone seniors don't know from reaching them, guaranteeing they'll avoid phone scams.

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Download Community Phone’s FREE Spam Blocking App

Community Phone now offers a free spam-blocking app for iOS devices, providing the best protection against unwanted calls. It blocks spam calls on your cell phone and landline before either phone rings, giving you peace of mind.

The Community Phone app has advanced features, such as notifications to alert you about the numbers it blocks. It has been carefully designed to ensure complete user satisfaction and convenience.

The Community Phone spam-blocking app is completely free to download from the Apple store, ensuring that everyone can protect their phones from annoying spam calls. Once installed, Community Phone works in the background to monitor incoming calls and blocks any suspicious activity.

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The Community Phone app is incredibly easy to use, allowing users to customize settings according to their preferences. You can choose what type of calls you want Community Phone to block. Landline users can also set up a whitelist for specific contacts in the app, so Community Phone's filters will not block them.

Thanks to its advanced algorithms and AI-backed technology, what sets Community Phone apart from other spam-blocking apps is its ability to block even unknown numbers. This ensures complete safety and security while using the Community Phone app. In addition, Community Phone has many other features, such as real-time monitoring, caller name recognition, call stats tracking, and more!

Overall, Community Phone’s FREE Spam Blocking App provides an effective solution against annoying spam calls without compromising performance or reliability. Its optimized features and intuitive interface make blocking unwanted calls a breeze!

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The Best Way To Block Spam On Your iPhone

There are 2 ways to block spam calls on your iPhone

1. The Community Phone Spam Call Blocking App

You can find Community Phone's spam blocker in the Apple Store. Download this free app on your iPhone to block spam calls and text messages. You can also add the spam number to the Community Phone blocklist to update their blocklist. This action can help protect you and other Community Phone members from unwanted calls from that number.

2. Manually Block the Spam Number from Your iPhone

You can block scam calls manually on your iPhone by following these steps:

1. Open the Phone App
2. Tap > Recent
3. Locate the number you want to block
4. Tap the info icon
5. Scroll to the bottom
6. Tap block this caller
7. Tap Confirm

The Best Way to Block Spam on Your Android Phone.

You can block scam calls manually on your Android Phone by following these steps:

1. Open the Phone App
2. Tap more
3. Access Call History
4. Tap the number/name you want to block
5. Tap Block/Report Spam

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Benefits of Choosing the Community Phone Spam Blocker

Here are some benefits of choosing the Community Phone spam-blocker services:

1. Built-in Spam Blocker

Traditional landlines do not have in-built spam blockers. If you have a traditional landline, you can manually block spam numbers until you reach a limit. However, you can block the number only after you receive the call, which could be risky in many cases as you may have engaged the scammer.

The Community Phone built-in spam blocker scans, flags, and blocks spam calls before your phone rings, protecting you from scams and fraud.

2. Great Advantage for Seniors

The Safelist can ensure seniors are not troubled by scammers calling from unknown or unidentified numbers. The person who controls the Community Phone user account can pre-approve numbers from which the senior would like to receive calls. The spam blocker service will only allow calls from pre-approved numbers and block all other calls.

3. Take Control of Your Protection

You can update the Safelist or the Allowed list at any time to add or delete numbers. This feature prevents you from engaging scammers and ensures peace and protection against scams and fraud.

4. Effective Where the "Do Not Call" List Fails

The Do Not Call list is not effective against scammers. To prevent scam calls and to protect yourself from fraud, sign up for the Community Phone spam-blocker services for your landline or download their app for iPhone now.

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FAQs

What is the best free scam call blocker for the iPhone?

Community Phone’s spam-blocking app on the Apple store is the best free scam call blocker for your iPhone. It blocks unwanted calls before your phone can ring, protecting you from scams and fraud.

Is there a scam claiming to be Microsoft?

There is a scam where the scammer claims to be calling from Microsoft tech support. If the caller starts talking to you about an issue with your computer without an open Microsoft support ticket, it is a warning sign. Disconnect the call immediately and report the caller, as Microsoft does not call anyone voluntarily unless there is an open support ticket.

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Conclusion

Microsoft Tech Support Scams are a growing problem and can be very costly for the victim. Use the steps outlined in this article to protect yourself from such scams, and report scammers to protect other unsuspecting people.

A permanent solution, however, would be to get the Community Phone spam blocker to block unwanted and unlawful calls before your phone rings. Talk to their specialist to get this affordable option today and protect yourself from scams that cost you financially and emotionally.