866-539-8674

yep, I got this call also. Told me they are "the monitoring team for all Windows computers in the US, UK and Austrailia, and that their server is blinking red because I have malicious code on my computer." I told him this sounds suspicious, and to tell me more about the company he is calling from. he said 866.539.8674 is their number and I can call to ask about him, his employee code is 1031. He then said the name of the company is "Windows Virus and Security Center"
Fortunately I know enough about technology and Windows to know that this was not legitimate, but thought I would post this info and possibly help tell others of this scam, and /or help get these people off line.

I received 2 calls from (201)338-6210. A fellow who said he was, Rusel in Satanya, CA, with the Windows Tech Dept.
He said I had an error showing problems with Windows the last couple weeks on my computer.  Would I log in and get my customer ID from the Windows button on my computer? He would help me. Keep it from damaging the security parts on my computer and help me check the reports.
I asked for a phone number to call and verify he was legitimate.  He gave me 1-866-539-8674.  I then googled this number and got your website.  Halleluyah!  Thanks for the info on it being a SCAM.  I called and reported it to the FCC also just now.

I had a call at around 10 PM when I was asleep.  He wanted to help me with my computer.  I told him it was in another room and had not been on for about 6 hours.  He told me to turn it on and he would wait for it to come on.  Then he told me that I had red lights on some entries, and I asked what ones.  So he put me in "logmein" and had a number of such entries but none of the listings were familiar to me.  So he said he could take care of removing the red marked items.  Cost would be $190 for the first year, but I told him I was not in a position to pay out any money on a 12 year old computer, and that I was 91 years old.  So he cut the price to $80, and wanted to it on my credit card.  I told him,  I do not buy anything unless I have money enough in the bank, so after several more requests from him, he gave up and gave me a number 18665398674 and a special personal password number of 566 712, and never give out that number to anyone.  I said fine and I appreciate your time, and hung up.  He apparently originally called me on my number listed on my web siteMicrosoft which has all of my telephone numbers and addresses listed as I have done for 75 years starting in magazines and newspaper advertisements.  I sell historic photos.  Sincerely, Malcolm McCarter  

justin watson 'helped' me
i was surprised how much info they had on me.

Received a call from 520-877-3528 today. As previous posters reported, someone with heavily accented English, most likely from India, informed me that they have received error reports about my computer and that I've been hacked. He repeated a scripted line telling me, "We are very concerned that you're windows computer has been hacked and that the hackers are doing dangerous things as we speak to your computer." I asked several times for his name and his company name. He deferred but after I persisted, he replied that his name is George Witten, Employee ID 1065, Department "Windows Tech Department," and company name "Windows-Based Support Center." He also told me his contact number is (866) 539-8674, which led me to this site. He persisted in telling me to turn on my computer so he can direct me to see "with my own eyes" the trouble/issues my computer is having. I asked him to tell me first the errors that he is seeing so I can validate for myself. At that point, he abruptly said that he was transferring me to the technical support supervisor to further help me. I hung up after that and immediately received two calls, one after another, from this same number.

I just received a call from the 520-877-3528 and it was the same people pretending to be Windows Technician Department. They told me that my computer had been infected through the internet gate and they were going to help me close the gate. I explain to the man that I have a technical assistant provider that I pay monthly to provide services to my computer and that I would pass the information in to them so that they can fix my computer problem and he insisted that they can only clean my computer up but it would solve the problem so then I pretended to be a computer dummy and told him he need to speak to my son and he insisted again on get it done now, So I ask him to give me a number where I can reach him and I googled it while he was on the phone and I found out it was a scam. And I told him I know this is a scam and if he calls my house again I will report him to the police. I was initially suspicious I knew it was a scam.

I just got a call from them.  I hung up and they called me again.  This time the call came from 520-877-3528.
He said he was Alex Stanley.

I received a call from Microsoft Windows tech support yesterday. Same story, someone was hacking into my computer. Since I was having issues I fell for it. Next day I stopped payment and got help from Toshiba tech to undo damage. Also discontinued credit card. Hope all is going to be ok. What a world we live in??????????????????

This is another instance where I was called by 866-539-8674. I suspect I was called at least twice; by male and female "representatives". Both stated they were from MicroSoft Windows technical support, both had heavy Indian accents. "Michael" agreed to leave the number above. Both wanted me to get online as quickly as possible, in order to get at my IP address to download anti-virus software. I only obtained this info after repeatedly asking questions. They're targeting inexperienced computer users who will oblige them due to their apparent authority, then sealing the deal quickly by having you get online as soon as possible. If they claim to be MS technical support, you should know MS TS only RETURNS calls, and only after a valid user initiates a service call. MS TS never initiates calls.

Mark Williams
866-539-8674
a/k/a Windows Care, Inc.,Microsoft, Window Best Help

A company using various aliases, such as Windows Care, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Window Best Help, etc. and using fictitious names such as Mark Williams, Peter Kent, Brent Morris, Mark Brent, etc. and speaking in an East Indian dialect from apparently a boiler room call center claims they have been monitoring my computer through a Computer Licensing Security ID installed on all Microsoft computers (CLSID) and asserts that hackers have infected it.
They attempt to take control of my computer and others by tricking the person called to connect to a suspicious website. Their aim is to install password logging software, and steal financial data. Instead, they sell gullible seniors $379 bogus computer security packages which promises to monitor the subscriber's computers 24-hours a day.

Their phone number appears as 866-539-8674.

Here is a record of the dates and times they have called me in the last 30-days:

07 March 2014 3:46 p.m.
09 March 2014 10:30 p.m.
10 March 2014 8:30 a.m.
14 March 2014 5:22 p.m.
16 March 2014 7:35 a.m.
19 March 2014 4:05 p.m.
22 March 2014 6:30 a.m.
27 March 2014 7:05 p.m.
31 March 2014 8:10 p.m.
02 April 2014 4:45 p.m.
05 April 2014 9:22 p.m.
07 April 2014 3:05 p.m.

This year alone, I suspect that they have called me well over 50 times.

Even though I have repeatedly asked to be taken off their calling list and have my number registered on the Federal DO NOT CALL data base I still continue to receive these fraudulent and harassing calls. They prey on the fears of vulnerable senior citizens and try to create an sense of urgency in their high pressure boiler room tactics. Lately, I've been immediately disconnecting from their calls, but that still doesn't end the harassment.

I would urge your agency to take the strongest possible actions to close down this fraudulent operation, including but not limited to criminal prosecution, confiscation of assets, and blocking their access from all U.S. and California telephone exchanges.

There have been numerous complaints filed online, see for example https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-539-8674/3 , but many gullible people are taken in by this scam every day. If they weren't so successful, they wouldn't continue their fraudulent operations.

Kindly also note that I am an accredited journalist as well as a concerned citizen, and am counting on your agency to take prompt and appropriate actions to put an end to this illegal operation.

Sincerely yours,

San Diego Resident

they probably got you bank account number lol!!!!!!!!

I too have been receiving calls from this #  Yesterday the message left on my answering machine from 1-888-997-1637 and again today  I was home on my lunch hour and fortunately did not have time to spend with the man on the phone.  He had a very heavy accent could have been middle eastern or even asian.  Very pushy and made the call seem very urgent.  He offered to help me fix my computer and get rid of the virus that My computer has been hacked!  When I returned to work I was talking with my boss and told him about the call he had me do a reverse phone # search on both #'s 1-866-539-8674 and the # above we could not find any information it said Windows Best Help Telemarketer  It is a scam!  How can they continue to do this  I will hang up when they call I hope they do not continue to cal me I am going to report this to the FCC
The caller Identified him self as Henry James his employee id is 1046.

I have gotten several calls from these people and when I hang up on them, they call me right back!  I was aware of them because my father fell for it and allowed them access to his computer and locked him out of his own computer.  He could only access it by using a code they gave him which of course alerted them every time his computer was turned on.
He gave them his credit card after the first session to pay for the help and they proceeded to repeatedly put through the charge and have charged him over $7000!!!  He finally had to cancel the card because they continued to charge him over and over again.

This company has been harassing my father.  He made the the mistake of allowing them to access his PC.  His computer is fine, now, thanks to a wonderful computer wizard.  

Dad is now changing his CC number, because they are charging his card for the phone calls!  

I usually hang up but i listened all the way through to asking questions of the supervisor. They were pretty convincing but I am not about to buy something from a call out of the blue. So I got the number to call them back - - and it was this one. I said I would call and that was that.

We do need a spamware on this computer, but I will buy one that I go get for myself.

Thanks for the notice that they will continue to call. I took their number to get them off the phone.
wondering where to go to get them to stop calling!

we have received several phone calls from this #  all hours of the day, probably 15 in the last 4 days.  People claiming to know our computer has been sending out malicious possible infected information.  Claims of local hackers.  I have asked them kindly and rudely not to call us anymore, this is the most aggressive  company I have experienced in my life.  they say they are from WIndows Best Health.  Seems like a scam.  Makes me nervous.  they gave me this number to call back and the same types of redderik ensued.  The number comes up as Twin Cities, MN on caller ID.  

It is a scam.  Block the number if you can.  No legitimate, law abiding computer repair company will call you - unless you have called them first. More on this scam here:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:

Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.

Take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable.

Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.

Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.

Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.

Telephone tech support scams: What you need to know

Cybercriminals often use publicly available phone directories so they might know your name and other personal information when they call you. They might even guess what operating system you're using.

Once they've gained your trust, they might ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a website to install software that will let them access your computer to fix it. Once you do this, your computer and your personal information is vulnerable.

Do not trust unsolicited calls. Do not provide any personal information.

Here are some of the organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:

Windows Helpdesk

Windows Service Center

Microsoft Tech Support

Microsoft Support

Windows Technical Department Support Group

Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)

Report phone scams

Learn about how to report phone fraud in the United States. Outside of the US, contact your local authorities.

How to protect yourself from telephone tech support scams

If someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support calls you:

Do not purchase any software or services.

Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the "service." If there is, hang up.

Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.

Take the caller's information down and immediately report it to your local authorities.

Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.

What to do if you already gave information to a tech support person

If you think that you might have downloaded malware from a phone tech support scam website or allowed a cybercriminal to access your computer, take these steps:

Change your computer's password, change the password on your main email account, and change the password for any financial accounts, especially your bank and credit card.

Scan your computer with the Microsoft Safety Scanner to find out if you have malware installed on your computer.

Install Microsoft Security Essentials. (Microsoft Security Essentials is a free program. If someone calls you to install this product and then charge you for it, this is also a scam.)

Note: In Windows 8, Windows Defender replaces Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows Defender runs in the background and notifies you when you need to take specific action. However, you can use it anytime to scan for malware if your computer isn’t working properly or you clicked a suspicious link online or in an email message.

Learn more about Windows Defender

Will Microsoft ever call me?

There are some cases where Microsoft will work with your Internet service provider and call you to fix a malware-infected computer—such as during the recent cleanup effort begun in our botnet takedown actions. These calls will be made by someone with whom you can verify you already are a customer. You will never receive a legitimate call from Microsoft or our partners to charge you for computer fixes.

More information

For more information about how to recognize a phishing scam, see Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently.

If you need help with a virus or other security problem, visit the Microsoft Virus and Security Solution Center.

To help protect against viruses and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials.

Windows 8 includes antivirus protection that’s turned on by default.

While I didn't get a call from this number, this is the number that the scammers gave me when I said I wanted to call back directly to Microsoft Windows Technical Support.  This was a scam call to gain access to my computer to fix "errors."  Their number that showed up on my caller ID was 8070

These stupid foreign scammers must think we are all idiots.  Latest number they are calling from is 360-633-9382 from Silverdale, WA. Same dumb line about being from Windows support.  I managed to screw with this guy for over 20 minutes and left him on speaker phone while I did some work and actually went to the bathroom.  Convinced him to get a Supervisor "David Revel" on the phone so I could waste several minutes of his time.  If we all jerk these jerks around maybe they will go away?