I was just called by a gentleman with a strong East Indian accent who said that he was calling from Windows about a series of error messages they were receiving from my computer.
after 30 min on the phone,they wanted $299 for a 3 yr SOFTWARE SECURITY LICENSE.

Microsoft does not phone you about computer problems.  Anyone who phones you and claims to be doing so because of something your computer is or isn't doing is a scammer until proven otherwise.

At the age of 92 (I was one of General Dwight Eisenhower's adjutant general's chief clerks in Reims, France, 1944-1945), I was the lucky person to be called today at 14:30 by (315) 898-0308.  But the Nazis did not call Supreme Headquarters minutes after we kicked them out, and it wasn't necessary to be told not to answer if they had.  

What fun to be alive and be called by unknown nobodies!