There's a
new Windows 10 upgrade email scam going around that has the ability to take
over your computer if you fall for it. The scam, which was discovered
by Cisco's security team, sends users an email that
appears to come from Microsoft. It asks users to download a file to upgrade to
Windows 10 for free. But if you install the file, it actually puts something
called ransomware on your computer. The scam email looks like this:
Ransomware
is a type of program that takes over your computer until you agree to pay the
bad guy who made it. These bad guys usually ask for the digital currency
Bitcoin since it's untraceable.
This is
what it looks like if you download the file in the scam email. The program
locks up your computer and demands payment to return everything to normal:
Here's what you need to know
Microsoft is not upgrading computers to Windows 10 through email.
If you get an email like this, then it's a scam. Period. Delete the email
immediately.
Windows 7 and Windows 8 users can upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
As of June 29, Microsoft started sending notifications directly to the desktops
of these users.
It looks like this on Windows 7:
That is the only way you should upgrade to Windows 10. You should
only trust the desktop notification on your Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer.
Source: Tech Insider | 
