SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

January 31, 2020

MICROSOFT WINDOWS UPDATE SCAM

Those of us who use Microsoft Windows are so used to getting messages about Windows updates that we probably don’t give them a second thought.

If you receive an email notification that reads, “Install Microsoft Windows update now!” or “Critical Microsoft Windows Update!” you might be inclined to take it seriously.

But that’s not the way Microsoft works. Microsoft does not send out such E-mail messages. Updates take place either in the background automatically, or you receive some kind of onscreen notification of an impending update.

The phony email may have an attachment with a single line urging you to install the latest critical update from Microsoft.  It’s a scam.

The attachment is actually a malware-bearing file that will likely lock up your PC and probably demand a ransom. It’s an attempt to trick users into following bogus links.

To guard against this scam — be ultra-wary about clicking or tapping links or attachments in such messages.

A call to Microsoft Support at 1-800-642-7676, or E-mail WEHELP@microsoft.com, might confirm it is a scam.

Attribution: scambusters.org