I received an E-mail from "Microsoft" and my computer screen locked and was red. I was to call the 877 number, well I called Microsoft instead and was told they will never call or send out messages like this.. They were very helpful and went thru my computer and fixed it. The week before I got one from "my bank." They took care of that also. I don't know what is going on.

My daughter's friend got a call from 'Microsoft' too. Gave her all kinds of instructions - do this, do that... she said ok, ok but did nothing. Finally he said 'turn your computer back on and tell me what you see'.

She deadpan says... "I see an a**hole trying to scam me." He says, "you're good" and hangs up.

This has nothing to do with Microsoft - or the IRS, or a Nigerian Bank or a EU lottery - THEY ARE NOT REAL. Anytime you get a call or an email from ANY business that is requesting info, hang up and go directly to your account or to their website. If they are trying to contact you, you will have a notification or message on your account page. If it is an email DO NOT OPEN IT, that gives them access. Just respond as 'phishing' (look at either your junk link or your respond link, you will see a phishing link). While playing with them might be fun, they don't care. When I get a 'real' phone solicitor and they won't take no, I simply set the phone down and let them talk away. Sooner or later they realize I'm not there and hang up. At least I have used up their time and maybe saved another person from a phone call.

The "Microsoft Window" scammers that call our house are from India.

I also have gotten those calls. One, when I was told I had porn on it, I told not to worry, I had already washed my windows program and my computer was now clean. A moment of silence and then a click. And then I blocked that number as well as, what seems like hundreds of others, on my cell phone.

A couple of months ago I got the "Microsoft" call. The caller told me my computer had been hacked. Just because I was bored and wanted to have a little fun, I told the caller that I was the HACKER and I didn't want him messing with my computer. I told him I hacked into large corporations, government agencies, individual accounts, etc. Also that I didn't want him doing anything to my computer to prevent me from continuing to hack. In his broken English he told me, "I report you." Just in case you are curious, I am not a hacker. I am just trying to annoy the stupid callers.

We get credit card calls weekly, either saying they can consolidate or suspicious use on them. We don't have any credit cards, never had them, never will.

Don't forget:

And the IRS is after you.
You have several warrants for your arrest.
Your credit cards need to be consolidated.
Your going to be arrested for failure to show up for jury duty.
Your grandkids are all in jail in some nondescript country.

And all this can be solved by giving them the number off of a gift card or a pre paid Visa card.

I have been getting them for so long I just hang up on them.