A caller identifying himself as a Microsoft affiliated company said potentially dangerous warnings had been detected on my computer that could cause it to crash, and that my warranty had expired. I asked several times for him to identify himself and he repeatedly invoked the Microsoft name, so I thought he was legitimate. He had me turn on my computer, and then instructed me to "view" the potential problems by following his instructions to get into the computer. He took control of my browser saying he could clean out all of the infections. A stream of items came up with the word "Warning!" in yellow so it looked like my computer was in big trouble. He said it would cost $399.99 for "lifetime" service for any further problems. They insisted that I use American Express credit card (which should have been a tipoff). For about 45 minutes they worked on my computer and then advised that it was clear of infections and problems. But there was no further follow-up, no printout showing results, and when I called the number they had given me, there was no answer. A second company called Mercaway receives the payment, and when the receipt printed out, it showed Mercaway's location to be Paris, France.
I then called Microsoft Support and was advised they do not call customers regarding problems with their computers, and that the call from Happy Software was a scam and fraud. Microsoft then checked my computer and said there were still many infections and potential problems. I ended up paying MS $199 to clear out the problems. Three hours later my computer got a clean bill of health. I called American Express, advised them of the fraud, cancelled that card and got a new card. They advised they will dispute the charge once it is posted to my account.
I have never been victimized like this before. The caller was very sincere, makes you believe he is working to help you out, and is very persistent.in the end, you feel stupid and vulnerable, and rethinking the whole incident, you feel you should have known better, considering all the scam companies operating today. The main point here is that Microsoft NEVER calls customers about computer infections, etc, so if you get a call from a so-called MS technician about your computer problems, HANG UP. 7/8
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