I have received many of these calls trying to tell me my computer is infected with a virus or trojan. There is no doubt this is a scam.

They want you to buy a program that does maintenance on your computer. Of course, once you install that program they have access to your computer.

On one occasion, I played along with them to find out if what they were telling me was proof of an infection. They pointed me to a folder of temp[orary] files and said they were a virus infection. Temp files are a normal part of the Windows operating system and in no way represent a threat.

I think it is unlikely that getting the call indicates your computer has been hacked. They have your name and phone number and since many people do have a Windows computer they assert they have information from you computer.

I think this is a bluff. I have several computers and have asked them to identify which one is corrupted and they could not do it.

You should be running an anti-virus program like free SVG or Avast (Google “free anti virus”). Also, be sure that the Windows firewall is enabled.

I run another free [virus protection] program called “Threatfire”. For a virus scan and delete, I use “Malwarebytes.” Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t trust. Don’t surf questionable websites.

Also, no, you have not won a million dollars from Nigeria, the U.N. or some bogus lottery.

William L. Cooper
Idyllwild

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