As you know, we try to stay on top of emerging threats in the computer security world. It seems like these threats get more and more creative with the times and this scam definitely fits that description.
Windows Activation Scams are a fairly new brand of Trojan that displays a simulated Windows activation screen when you login to Windows. On this screen you will get a message that says something about your product key being invalid. It will ask you to enter your product key again and call an 800 number (or they may even cold call you) for help (See the screen below). When you call the “help line” you will once again be told that your product key is invalid and that in order to unlock your Windows, you will need to pay them $99.99 (or sometimes more) for a new product key. The “tech” will then ask you to give them remote access to your computer and get rid of the message for you.
These messages generally look pretty legitimate but, don’t be fooled. Windows will almost never lock you out of their product. Especially if you are using a home version.
If something looks fishy, it probably is. If your customers are seeing these types of scams please have them contact us at SecurityCoverage. Our TotalTech team is ready and are able to remove this Trojan and help them get their computer back!
