From here:

The so-called “Windows” ruse involves the bad guys, many of whom have researched their targets well, posing as Microsoft technicians calling to rescue you, and your computer, from a catastrophic virus that will kill your computer and compromise all your banking information and passwords.

The hook: after guiding the victim through some bogus Online hocus-pocus to save their computer from an imaginary virus the bogus technician will ask for a credit card payment ranging from the tens to thousands of dollars.

Scores of National Post readers, and readers at large, have been targeted by the bad guys. Some have been victimized, sadly, but many others have gone on the attack by playing dumb with the scammers — knowing it was a scam — and then pouncing on them with a good old Canadian comic punchline or a good old-fashioned scolding.

I’ve received a number of these calls; the latest was this afternoon.

Here is a way to give these twerps a poke in the eye. After wading through 20 minutes of looking at things like the Windows  event viewer, eventually you will be transferred to a “certified technician”. He will ask you to access a website – probably, www.logmein123.com. It is quite harmless and will bring up a screen like this:

Your Indian friend will give you a number to enter into the box and ask you to click on the “Connect to technician” box – this will run a program that will give him control of your computer.

1. Don’t click on the box; instead tell him a message appeared saying the code is expired.
2. Write down the code.
3. He will probably scurry off and get another code.
4. Repeat back to step 1 until he hangs up

You now should have a collection of PIN codes. They are distributed and maintained by a legitimate software manufacturer. On their website you will find a phone number: 1-866-478-1805. Call them, explain what happened and give them the PIN codes you have collected. They are well aware of the con artists making use of their software and they will deactivate the PIN codes so that they can no longer be used.

Celebrate in the certain knowledge that you have struck a blow against a bunch of witless bastards who make a living preying on defenceless computer users who have better things to do than waste their time becoming computer nerds.