Tech Support Scams: What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself

tech support scams: what you need to know to protect yourself.

Cybercriminals don’t just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They may “reach out and touch you” by phone, either at home or in your office. And they can be very, very convincing.

The Technical Support Scam is an increasingly common type of telephone fraud where scammers cold-call victims, posing as legitimate Microsoft or Windows tech support service workers who have detected a problem with the person’s computer.

Relying on a combination of aggressive sales tactics, lies and half-truths, • Windows Helpdesk nor its partners make unsolicited these scammers are constantly on phone calls charging users for the prowl. Their goal is to convince • Windows Service Center computer security or software fixes. you, the victim, that your computer is • Microsoft Tech Support (Occasionally, Microsoft will work with infected, usually by having you look • Microsoft Support an Internet Service Provider (ISP) where at a Windows log that typically shows there is a known malware problem, scores of harmless or low-level errors. • Windows Technical Department Support Group and the provider will call you to fix your Their real intention: to get you to computer. These calls are only made by • Microsoft Research and turn over access to your computer, Development Team someone with whom you can verify you download malware or other spyware (Microsoft R & D Team) already are a customer. You will never onto your computer, sell you some sort receive a legitimate call from Microsoft Once they’ve gained your trust of security software, and/or charge you or one of its partners to charge you for (or made you nervous enough to for their online support providing a computer fixes.) “solution” for the nonexistent problem. suspend your natural skepticism), Perhaps, all of the above. they may ask for your user name and Steps to take if you are password, have you open a program cold-called by a scammer How it works on your computer, or ask you to go The smartest piece of advice: Just Cybercriminals often use publicly to a legitimate website (such as www. Hang Up. Microsoft also suggests you available phone directories, so they ammyy.com) to install software that do the following if someone claiming might know your name and other will give them access. Once you do to be from Tech Support calls you: information when they call you. They this, your computer and your personal • Do NOT purchase any software may even guess what operating system information are vulnerable. or services. you’re using. An important facet of It’s important to know that this type • Never give control of your this type of scam is that the caller of call is always a scam. According to computer to a third party unless you sounds legitimate. So they may present Microsoft, neither its representatives can confirm that it is a legitimate themselves as being from:

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representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer. • Take the caller’s information down and immediately report them to the Federal Trade Commission (an easy way to do it is by using the FTC Complaint Assistant form located at www.ftccomplaintassistant.com). If it’s a Microsoft-related scam, you can also reach out directly to one of their dedicated technical support experts at the Microsoft Answer Desk by calling 1.800.642.7676. • Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support. someone calls you wanting to you install another free software What if you already gave install this product and then charge such as video recording/streaming, information to a bogus you for it, this is also a scam. download-managers or PDF creators.) “tech support” caller? In either scenario, you’re given a Beyond Cold Calls – telephone number for assistance – If you think that you might have and the Microsoft Platform downloaded malware from a phone and, because these pop-up pages Recently, the FBI’s Internet Crime tech support scam website or allowed can be a nightmare to close down, Complaint Center (IC3) issued a public a cybercriminal to access your you might feel desperate enough to service announcement warning about computer, immediately: call the number. Which is where the a new twist to telephone support hijacking starts. (Incidentally, this • Change the password on your tech scams: fake pop-ups. In this type of pop-up piracy also targets main email account, as well as any scenario, the hacker gets you to call Mac owners.) financial accounts, especially your them. You might be on a website, bank and credit card. where you click on a link to a related But resist the temptation. Instead, • Scan your computer with the article that interests you. A pop-up follow the steps outlined above for Microsoft Safety Scanner to find window appears, telling you that your cold-call scammers. There are also out if you have malware installed computer has been hacked. Or you resources online with step-by-step on your computer. might just start seeing random pop-ups tips for removing this type of malware • Install Microsoft Security Essentials, whenever you open a window in from your computer. a free program (or, in Windows Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome. 8, Windows Defender). TIP: if (The malware is typically added when

This document is designed to provide informative material and is distributed with the understanding that it does not constitute legal or other professional advice. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy and interpretation are not guaranteed.

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