On top of that, consumers were encouraged to spend an additional $200 to $500 to replace their existing antivirus software, which they were told was outdated and useless. In one case, fake ‘technicians’ sitting in a call center in Florida would then allegedly ‘run a series of ‘diagnostics’ that inevitably discovered the existence of grave problems that must be immediately fixed at a cost of $200 to $300,’ according to the FTC. Read more: Beware of new ‘can you hear me’ phone scam When you call the number, you’re asked to give a fake tech support worker remote access to your computer by downloading a software. Typically, the notification then prompts the user to call a toll-free number (displayed in the ad) to make sure their device, and any sensitive information stored inside, are protected. To make users think these pop-up alerts are legitimate, hackers create them to look just like real updates you would get from Microsoft or Apple. The problem is that these scams come in all different shapes and sizes - including pop-up alerts, fake advertisements and even phone calls - making it difficult for consumers to be able to tell the difference between fake alerts and the real ones.Īccording to the FTC, the scammers often use ‘ deceptive online ads and misleading, high-pressure sales tactics to frighten consumers into spending hundreds of dollars for dubious computer ‘repairs’ and antivirus software.’ This is just one variation of how it can work. According to a recent report, the fake notification first warns you that your computer will lock up if the alert window is closed, and then it instructs you to call a specific phone number ‘immediately.’ The message from the crooks may also warn that your computer has ‘been infected with a suspicious activity’ and even claim that your information has already been stolen. In fact, there’s a new version of the scam making the rounds that involves a pop-up warning claiming to be from Microsoft. Read more: Warning: The IRS phone scam is back How the tech support scam works The FTC also warned that these types of scams continue to be a major threat to U.S. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with the Florida attorney general, announced an operation a few months ago that successfully shut down a major computer tech scam that cheated people out of millions of dollars by convincing them that their computer was compromised and they needed to pay for the fix.
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