Can we talk about that fake Microsoft support call that ate 4 hours of my Monday

I got a popup claiming my Windows license expired (which it didn't) and called the number on the screen like an idiot. After 2 hours on hold and another 2 hours letting them remote into my machine, I finally realized it was a scam when they asked for my credit card. That was 4 hours I'll never get back, and the worst part is they left a backdoor that took me another hour to clean out with Malwarebytes. Has anyone else dealt with those fake error screen popups that look way too real?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.brian2d agoMost Upvoted

williamhenderson's right about not calling those numbers, but Malwarebytes is actually solid for cleanup - that backdoor probably wasn't a backdoor, just a remote access tool they forgot to close.

mark_green2d agoTop Commenter

Honestly, that popup sounds exactly like the one I fell for last year. It had this urgent red warning with a fake Microsoft logo and a number to call. I wasted almost 3 hours on the phone with some guy who kept saying my computer was sending error codes to servers in Russia or something. He wanted me to pay $300 for a "security package" and that's when I knew it was a scam. Took me forever to get rid of the remote access tool they installed, felt like an idiot.

williamhenderson2d ago

See it differently, that kind of scare tactic is exactly why I'd never call or pay anyone from a popup.