Iowans Falling for Major Tech Scam: What You Need to Know

Have you received a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft? If so, you're not alone. Many Iowans have. And, many Iowans have fallen for the scam these callers are trying to perpetrate. In fact, according to a Radio Iowa report, three in five of us have received one of those types of calls, and one in six have been scammed out of money as a result. Here's what you need to know to avoid being scammed.

Microsoft isn't calling to "fix" your PC

Posing as someone from Microsoft is a simple way to scam people. Most everyone in America either owns a Microsoft product or uses one for work. Or, perhaps if the scammers cannot get you that way, you know someone who uses a Microsoft product. If you receive a call from "Microsoft" telling you they'd like to debug issues with your PC, it's a scam. Why? A rep from Microsoft says the company will never proactively contact you and ask for financial or private information.

The report also says that Millennials and Gen Zers are targets for scams as well, despite being thought of as being more tech-savvy than older generations. One in ten Millennials and Gen Zers are falling for and losing money on scams like this one.

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If you do receive a call allegedly coming from Microsoft, the company asks that you report it to them via a website they've created to combat scammers posing as employees of the company.