P2018-ND-060

On January 15, 2018, a pop-up notification appeared on the computer screen of a representative of the Organization, stating a virus was detected on the computer. The notification instructed the representative to call ?Microsoft? to remove it from the system. The representative called the number and spoke to an individual who identified himself as a ?Microsoft employee?. The individual offered a service to remove and protect against malicious software. The representative gave the individual her credit card information. The individual also had full access to the representative?s computer for about 30 minutes. The representative became suspicious and called her credit card company to request more information about the transaction. The credit card company confirmed it was a scam. The representative immediately turned off the computer and took the computer to a repair ship to have all the malware removed. Although the representative was aware of the hacker?s actions during the incident, she did not see files being accessed, copied, deleted or manipulated in any way. The Organization said there is a chance the hacker accessed the clients? files using other methods not visible to the representative.