Regarding Microsoft, I wouldn't trust them with anything. It amazes me that many of their programs (parts of Windows OS) want to dial out when you run them. I block them in my firewall settings.
Good question!
Its a scam until and unless she claimed from Microsoft. I would have been genuine if its from Apple(sorry for being biased)
Hmmm, I'd prefer to trust Linux. Sadly, a few of the programs I need only run under Windows, so I don't have that option.
Dangerous nonsense, I'm afraid. Customer information is routinely swapped between companies. I'd be extremely surprised if Apple didn't also do this. It's really not hard for criminals to get hold of this data.
The reason that MS gets targetted is not particulaly to do with inherent security flaws or evilness - it's simply that more people use windows than any other OS, so that's what criminals go after.Whatever your OS, do not rest on your laurels. It is entirely possible for a similar scam to be set up to catch you. If Mac usage increases sufficiently, it will be worth the scammers while to target you. The same applies to malware.
re: teamviewer. A great piece of software. Considerably easier to set up than Tor or RDC, and secure.
I usually think of TeamViewer as I do Western Union: a useful tool when interacting with someone you know (e.g. helping a friend, family member, or co-worker with computer problems), but a terrible idea when dealing with unknown persons (as it grants them full access to your computer for as long as it's running).
Western Union is great (albeit expensive) way of quickly sending money to friends/family members/people you know, but is often used by scammers and criminals for nefarious purposes.
Both services are morally neutral, but the services can be used for both beneficial and harmful purposes.
No, the big companies do not have time to call people. If your computer had a virus they'd just ignore you. Most likely your computer had a virus, it was compromised and someone was trying to get more access or information. Do run an antivirus on that machine.