Scam or not?

[riserved]

I've had a dozen calls this morning from several people telling me that my laptop is being hacked and I've ignored the messages that Microsoft have sent me. This may be true, as I'm a complete technophobe and can't even find my account. They have given me the License no. of my laptop so I can check because apparently they are the only people to have it apart from me. They say they are going to block my computer because the hackers are using it to download child porn. I don't trust any of this and have refused to engage with them. Please can anyone let me know if this a known scam.

Sounds like total rubbish to me.

It’s bullshit
Definitely an attempt to gain access to your computer

Sounds lime a scam to me. If you sound hesitant they will retry in case you bite.

Tell them you haven't got a computer, that's what I used to do, it was usually met with a puzzled silence followed by them hanging up. Don't seem to get the scam calls any more since I got rid of my land line.

Absolute scam. They do not have access to your computer even if they do have little tidbits of info on it to pretend that they do. The license number is probably completely false and only accessible through the "Microsoft" labelled site they direct you to to check. That would be a false page engineered to look like a genuine one. Ignore them. They've spotted someone on a random information/telephone number grab who doesn't know about technology and have your number in their system as a possible mark to con. They will all try to phone you because they won't want to give up so quickly.

I love these people calling me. I drag it out, pretending that I'm rich and extremely gullible. I see how long I can keep them hooked. Many end up swearing and shouting at me at the end when they realise. I see it as a service to humanity. While they're on the phone to me they're not conning a little old man out of his savings. And I also get to make a criminal furious and spoil their afternoon.

Seeing as they are able to tell you exactly what nefarious deeds are being carried out, tell them that you look forward to them appearing as witnesses for your defence when you end up in court!

I prefer the “ODFO” response when I get calls like this.

Next time they call, tell them you have phoned the police, and an officer is coming round to collect your laptop so their child protection officers can trace the hackers.

Thanks everyone, I get loads of scam calls, never engage, but these people were ringing again immediately after I put the phone down each time and I started to get a bit anxious. Anyway my computer hasn't been blocked yet so......

They want you to engage, so as to have remote access to your computer.

Block all the numbers they've called from and then set your phone to block unknown callers.

You haven't done anything on your computer that they asked or given them any information have you?