It's being called the biggest phone scam of 2013. It's not new, but it's growing across the Valley and the country.
Jim Eyster knows about it firsthand.
He had some problems with his laptop. So he was relieved to get a call from someone who said they were a computer technician.
He said "I'm from Microsoft, and we have noticed that you have had a lot of viruses, issues."
The caller said that Microsoft did a routine scan and found his laptop filled with viruses.
"I was gullible, and he could show me where the viruses were, and so I let him take control of the mouse," Eyster says.
A lot of you have let me know about getting the same call.
Garry emailed me saying his caller "claimed he received messages from our computer and it needs to be fixed because someone has planted a virus in it."
Barry from Queen Creek says the so-called technician "kept assuring that he wasn't trying to sell anything, just wanted to clean out the viruses courtesy of Microsoft."
None of this is true. It's a total scam. Microsoft will never call you unsolicited.
Jim's caller wanted $100 to fix his computer. He didn't pay, but says he understands why people would.
Officials say it's a foreign scam to collect credit card numbers.
But once these scammers have control of your computer, they can also install malware and get more information.
Readmore about Microsoft's advice on phone scams.
If you need help or need to warn others about a consumer problem or scam, let me know at joe@abc15.com or by going to my "Let Joe Know" Facebook page.
