I am mich happy with the result. They are legitimate and trustable.

Don't let them onto your computer! I instead went to Microsoft Support (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us). The support tech I chatted with said that SupportBuddy.net is one of many scammer sites posing as Microsoft vendors to take people's money and financial information.

If you got sent to SystemNotificationAlerts.com you do have a virus. Pick a well known virus removal company (Microsoft, McAfee, Norton, Trend, etc...) to clean you up.

Im writing the review of this company so that others who read may learn to take a breath first, then read the computer screen, then decide what action to pursue.

And, I dont know if what this company did was legal; I certainly didnt think so. But why did they decide to advertise this way [by breaking into my computer] rather than taking out an ad?

COMPUTER CRASH
July 26,2016 I was working a freelance citation assignment, searching online newspaper sites mostly in the Middle East. After only a few hours into the assignment, I received a message on my computer screen.

What I later learned is that when youre on sites in Europe/Asia, the sites are not as secure as ones in the U.S.

WHAT DID THE MESSAGE SAY?
This is key: It had the name of my internet provider on it, and the Microsoft number to call because my IP address had been blocked. It told me not to touch my computer or log out.

I called the Microsoft number, which was legitimate, and found out that I did not have a Network Access Protection Plan. I had one when I first purchased my computer, but I wasnt told about it, or I had forgotten, and, it has since expired.

NAP will run about $125 for 3 years, $175 for 5 years, and $250 for a lifetime.

FYI: Microsoft has to buy certain network securities because Microsoft does not itself provide these securities. So Microsoft referred me to a 3rd party NAP [Company A] from whom I purchased a contract, which I cancelled by the end of the day because the technician had made a serious installation mistake. I called Microsoft back and asked for another 3rd party NAP recommendation.

HERES WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING
After installing a NAP, the second 3rd party [Company B] that I ended up going with told me not, under any circumstances, to respond to another message that showed up on my computer screen. Company B placed their telephone number on the bottom tool bar because when these messages appear on your screen, they can block the entire screen, and, you dont think you can access any of the files on your desktop, as I thought I couldnt.

So what happens? The next day, another message pops up on my screen. AND I PANICKED. When in this state, I dialed the number on the screen.

The number belonged to supportbuddy.

HERES WHAT I ENCOUNTERED AT SUPPORTBUDDY
Staff with very thick accents. Staff that tried to convince me that I needed their service. The costs they cited were a one-time fix of my computer + additional costs for network access protection. The one-time fix was well over $100; the NAP protection would be additional.

I was in tears; I was exhausted. Already with the earlier computer crash, I had lost a day of work trying to problem solve, research NAP companies, and then working with the technician I was glued to my computer for the many hours it took to problem solve and install the NAP. I learned a lot that day, not the least of which was patience.

Two days later, I was screaming on the telephone to supportbuddy until I realized this was a scam. What supportbuddy was showing me had already been fixed by Company B. But most importantly, and this is the slimy thing:

Supportbuddy asked for permission to access my computer. I gave it to them; what a fool, and never again will I do that. Then they showed me a screen which I know Company B had already fixed!

So supportbuddy had uploaded a screen onto my computer that showed errors and danger symbols for a number of files on my computer. The screen was bogus. It had paid off to stay glued to my computer screen while Company Bs technician was problem solving and installing the NAP because I recognized the screen that supportbuddy was now telling me was the problem.

When I realized what was happening, and remembering that this screen had been shown to me by Company B, I said to supportbuddy that they were a scam, and asked them to disconnect from my computer. Scam is my way to say to a company: Im on to what youre doing. It may be legal what youre doing, and it may not be, but youre not going to do it to me.

Now supportbuddy may not be a scam company, but the way they did this, coming in through the back door, creating unnecessary panic that, to me, is unscrupulous, and the equivalent of internet terrorism.

WHEN THE DUST HAD SETTLED and heres where it gets really interesting
I entered supportbuddys number onto the block list on my telephone. Guess what? I already had entered them in 2015.

That number BTW is *******221. I remembered the first time supportbuddy called. It was to tell me they were Microsoft, that something was wrong with my computer, and that I had to call them back immediately. Again, the voice that left the message was heavily accented. When I called the number and asked where they were located, I was told Beverly Hills CA. [I lived in Los Angeles for 30 years, and I knew Microsoft didnt have an office there.]

Now I have enough experience with Microsoft to know that I would never receive a call from Microsoft; it was then that I added them to the block list on my telephone.

NOTE: First they were located in Beverly Hills CA, and as of July 2016, theyre located in Bakersfield CA.

IS THIS LEGAL?
Why cant this company advertise like other companies do?
And where can I file a complaint about this online terrorism?

MOST IMPORTANTLY
Think of the number of people this company and, I will assume, other companies prey upon people who arent technically savvy, or dont understand whats going on.

As it turns out, it would have been alright for me to close the screen when I saw it telling me not to close the screen but instead to call *******221, which is not a Microsoft number. How do I know? I keep a Word document of all the Microsoft numbers [technical, Windows technical support, accounting et al], which I did look at, but again, I was exhausted, I was falling terribly behind on a deadline, and my judgment was not clear all fertile ground for panic to set in.

DEBRIEF
If this happens to you, and youre not sure what to do:
- take a deep breath, and maybe two
- call your internet provider first and tell them what the message says
- ask your internet provider if you do indeed have a problem on your computer
- OR call the company that you have NAP with and ask the same question

The NAP company will run a scan to see if your computer has been infected or if there are any problems. Once this program is installed, you can run it yourself.

Its a dangerous world out there in the ether. Stay safe, and protect yourself and your computer.

In our day and age where we all seem to be in a hurried state of agitation and urgency from the time we spend with our technologies, seeing these messages on your screen while youre working at the speed of light this is exactly what these companies are preying upon, knowing that you most likely will call.

FOOTNOTE
I also reported the number to the Do Not Call Registry. While technically the DNC may not apply, I told the DNC what had happened. There should be a place to file complaints about companies who come in through the back door, via your computer. If anyone knows of such an organization, please share this.

Well you did a good job scamming me on Saturday. I want my 179.99 and 79.99 back.