01/13/2016
I would like to take a moment to give all my family, friends, and valued customers some very important information regarding computer repair scams, many of which involve illegitimate companies (usually not in the United States) representing legitimate ones to get you to pay for services that are not needed. Please pass this on to your family, friends, and co-workers!
Over the last couple of years many of us have probably received a call from companies saying they are from "Microsoft" or "Windows". They often tell us that our computer has been compromised and that we should allow them to fix it for us at a ridiculous price. If we don't agree to pay, they immediately try to offer us a "special" discount.
Whatever you do, don't pay them or allow them to connect to your computer, because it is a scam. Companies like Microsoft will never call a residential customer to sell them services, such as virus removals, etc. As a matter of fact, Microsoft rarely ever deals directly with residential customers at all.
Some other scams are ones that use popups to try and deceive you into thinking your computer has been compromised. Do not, under any circumstances, call any of the phone numbers the popups tell you to, because they are scams as well.
If you receive one of these calls or any type of popups as I have described, I highly recommend calling someone local or discussing it with someone you know and trust. I am not sure what other local computer repair facilities policies are, but our advice is always free.
