Microsoft scams

You May contact Microsoft for a full refund within 48 Hrs of a monthly Subscription upgrade or within 72 Hrs after yearly payment. Partial refunds are available where required by law. Microsoft doesn't provide an easy-to-find phone number. Microsoft then has all of your account information readily available to offer assistance.

Scammers may also use other ways to reach you, such as email, text messages, or chat. These messages may resemble phishing emails; however, instead of pointing to phishing sites designed to steal credentials, the links lead to tech support scam websites.

This listing might help you recognize and avoid tech support scam phone calls. It's not a comprehensive list, just a sample of numbers that have been used by scammers in the past.

Tech support scams adapt and persist in , per new Microsoft research. Need more help? Join the discussion. Was this information helpful? Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help. Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions.

Easy to follow. No jargon. Pictures helped. Didn't match my screen. Incorrect instructions. Too technical. Some of these complaints involved hidden fees and billing disputes as well. Fake Government Officials If you received an email, letter or phone call from a government agency typically the IRS or FBI and it instructs you to wire, Western Union or MoneyGram money someplace, or follow a link and enter information - don't believe it!

The U. Identity Theft, Phishing and Pharming Scammers gain access to your confidential information, like socil security numbers, date of birth and then use it to apply for credit cards, loans and financial accounts.

Typically, the victim receives an email that appears to be from a credible, real bank or credit card company, with links to a website and a request to update account information. But the website and email are fakes, made to look like the real website. Phone scams This includes telemarketers violating the Do Not Call list , Robodialers, scammers calling up pretending to be from a bank or credit card compamny.

Scammers call anyway, of course, and they've even found a way to scam consumers by pretending to be a government official calling to sign you up or confirming your previous participation on the Dot Not call list! A good example of this is the "Your Microsoft license key has expired" scam call - which you can hear and read about on this page.

Or a scam that promises to repair your credit for a fee. Fake Prizes, Sweepstakes, Free Gifts , Lo ttery Scams You receive an email claiming you won a prize, lottery or gift, and you only have to pay a "small fee" to claim it or cover "handling costs". Unsolicited email or telephone calls tell people they are being entered or have already been entered into a prize draw.

Later, they receive a call congratulating them on winning a substantial prize in a national lottery. But before they can claim their prize, they are told they must send money to pay for administration fees and taxes. The prize, of course, does not exist. No genuine lottery asks for money to pay fees or notifies it's winners vian email. Internet merchandise scams You purchase something online, but it is either never delivered or it is not what they claimed it was, or is defective. Online shopping , and other shop from home, such as catalog, mail and phone shopping scams are on the rise.

Automobile-Related Complaints Car loans, car buying, car sales, auto repair, fake or useless extended warranties. Some of the complaints alleged consumers paid for repairs and that services provided were shoddy.

Microsoft does not send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to fix your computer.

Download software only from official vendor websites or the Microsoft Store. Use Microsoft Edge when browsing the internet. Furthermore, Microsoft Edge can stop pop-up dialogue loops used by these sites.

Enable Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Windows It detects and removes known support scam malware. Uninstall applications that scammers asked to be install. If access has been granted, consider resetting the device. Run a full scan with Microsoft Defender Antivirus to remove any malware.