Com-Central.net

My son just called me and said everytime he gets on the internet a box keeps popping up demanding that he call a phone number to fix the problem. Well he called them and the person on the other end claimed he works for MS and it will cost him $200 to fix the problem. He lives about 300 miles from me so I can not see what happening. I have taught him a lot about puters so I will be able to relay a fix if I find one. I should have asked him if it only happens with certain browers but I was eating when he called and only had food on my mind...lol. I have heard of hackers doing this to big companies but not regular people who can not afford this sh*t.

1) Do NOT do anything they tell you.
2) Do NOT pay them any money!!!

So, this is hi-jacking software (called 'ransomware').
Your new friends do NOT work for M$ and will probably ask to send someone to your house to look at the system.
That happened to a friend of mine who went along with it.
He is a 'vulnerable' man and allowed them to be alone with his computer, which I have since trashed and replaced for him.

I fell victim to the similar thing a couple of years ago;
A box popped up while I was in the process of doing something else.
I clicked what I was doing without looking and looked up just in time to see that I'd actually accepted something else and the box was just disappearing.

Hopefully your son will have been cleverer than me and have a back-up or an anti-virus disc he can do a back up from and then clean out this "virus".

If he uses Norton (as I do) he should be able to clean out from the installation disc.

Using Windows he should also be able to go into Safe Mode, from where he can do a "System Restore" to an earlier time.
I don't think this will fix his problem as these usually hide in System Restore memory, but it might be enough to get an anti-virus check working.

TIP:-

If you clean this crap out but it keeps coming back, try the following:-

Only do this if you have no other option.

Turn off system restore.
That will erase all the system restore points stored in your system memory.
If the virus is hiding in there, a scan now will remove the last of it.
Remember to turn it back on AFTER you've re-scanned.

This will allow it to create new restore points but will permanently remove the previous ones.

If none of this works, I may have another solution, send me a PM.
I'll try and remember to look back in for you (soz but I've a lot going on at the mo and haven't been in here for a while so only just seen your post).

I too have had these calls many a time.First thing they ask one is if one is sitting at ones' puter. I got fed up with them and threatened them that they had called an International organisation and we had recorded the callers number and will report it to the nessesary authorities.
BTW. they have all Indian accent and my computer room beggins to smell of curry

The calls ceased.