I remember the day well. I was sitting at my computer and all of a sudden my screen froze up and was flashing.
Someone had “taken over” my computer, but offered to fix it immediately. I reluctantly paid money, but felt real stupid afterwards.
Here’s what happened to me. I was pretty spooked: On my computer, I suddenly saw a glaring a pop-up window on my screen. It looked like an apocalyptical error message from antivirus software with a message in the window warning me “about a security issue on your computer” (with a phone number to get help).
Such is the nature of tech scams. They get you into tech panic mode then swoop in to take your money for a “rescue.” It doesn’t have to happen.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, “tech support scammers often call and pretend to be a technician from a well-known company. They say they’ve found a problem with your computer. They typically ask you to give them `remote access’ to your computer and then pretend to run a diagnostic test. Then they try to make you pay to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.’
Want to know more? Listen to an FTC undercover call with a tech support scammer.
The simplest advice: If you get a phone call you or message you didn’t expect from someone who says there’s a problem with your computer, hang up.
Read the full article here
