A WINSFORD resident targeted by computer hackers has warned people to be on guard against the scam.

Deborah Moon, who has recently bought a new computer, says she received a call from an outsourced call centre who claimed to be working for Microsoft.

They then took her through a series of steps on her computer, including bogus ID checks, which led to her unwittingly installing a virus.

After this process they asked for payment of £159, which Deborah refused to transfer unless they could prove they were with Microsoft.

At this point the line went dead, and Deborah immediately called Microsoft for help. Fortunately, they were able to clear the virus.

Deborah told the Guardian: “I received a call from a landline telling me there had been an alert to say that my security has been breached.

“They said they were from Microsoft, and that they would help to sort the problem.

“I was vulnerable, with a new computer, and I was told it was authentic. It looked legitimate.

“I have been IT trained but it looked so legitimate. Microsoft said they will never contact you via telephone. When they do contact you, they send an authenticity code.”