Watch out for a new phone scam where the caller says he’s from Windows and tells you you have contracted a virus through Windows on your computer.

I was contacted in this way by phone today. When the man told me this had happened I was immediately suspicious. How would Windows know? Why would they ring me to tell me? Who are these people?

When I asked him what company he was calling from he wouldn’t say. When I asked him what my IP address was he wouldn’t say. I said that if they could tell what had happened to my computer they must know what the IP address is. When he wouldn’t give me any of this information I put the phone down on him. I suggest you do too.

I’ve just looked up ‘Windows phone scam’ on Google and found a number of posts about it. Here’s one with recordings of phonecalls (handy!), and here’s another one with a similar message.

As always, if you are suspicious of a call, ask them for a phone number to call them back. If they won’t give you one just hang up. If they do, check it online first to see if it’s a scam then be very wary even if you don’t find it there. You might be one of the first to be tried.