OKLAHOMA CITY - Dixie Nixon's been keeping track of all those scam numbers.
It doesn't matter she and her husband, Jerry, are on the Do Not Call list.
“This is a scam and I know it is,” Dixie said. “’Don’t call me again,’ and I hung up the phone.”
The scammers keep throwing around the name Microsoft.
Jerry said, “They would tell me they owe me money and I would say, ‘How much?’”
The couple knows better. They've been scammed before.
Dixie recalls the pop up that suddenly flashed up on her computer years ago.
She said, “All of the sudden my screen turns red and it says, ‘You've got a virus.’”
She paid them $200 to supposedly fix her PC.
The scam works like this.
Once the criminal is able gain remote access into your computer, they infect it with a virus, and then strong arm you into paying them to remove that virus.
The In Your Corner bottom line:
- Microsoft, or any company for that matter, will never initiate a tech support call with a pop up
- If your computer is running funny, take it to a local professional
Jerry and Dixie are both celebrating a big birthday, turning 80 this summer, and grateful for the wisdom they've picked up along the way.
“I would tell people if you don't recognize the number, don't answer the phone,” Dixie said. “If they won't leave a message, it's not that important then.”
More sound advice is pull your free credit report every couple of months.