Beware phone-phishing scam, Nassau DA warns

The caller may claim to be from Microsoft and offer to help solve problems with your computer, but, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said, the real goal is to trick you into "installing malicious software" -- to access your computer system from a remote location.

The scam is the latest being used by cybercriminals to go "phone phishing" for victims, Rice said in a statement released Friday. The district attorney is warning the public about the scam, advising: "Never give sensitive information over the phone to someone you don't know. When in doubt, just hang up."

Rice said that Microsoft "will not make unsolicited phone calls" offering to help you with your computer. She said the scam callers sometimes request credit card information in order to bill an unsuspecting victim for "phony services."

Officials are asking anyone who believes they may have been victim of a fraud to call the district attorney's Criminal Complaint Unit at 516-571-3505.