Tech Support Scam

Published on: April 08th, 2015

We have recently been contacted by a number of our customers who’ve been scammed or were scam targets for phony tech support services.  In almost all cases, they were called by a company claiming to be Microsoft, or affiliated with Microsoft, and the usual pitch is they’ve noticed your computer has some serious issues, and they will resolve those issues for you.They will then assist the computer user in installing remote control software which will give them access to the PC and they will then proceed to show you the Windows Event Viewer which can be manipulated to show hundreds of seemingly serious problems with your computer which, in actuality, are usually harmless and common Windows errors that occur on a daily basis.  After they’ve frightened the user into believing the PC has serious problems including viruses and/or malware, they will then proceed in one of several directions that might include:
  1. Asking for payment in the neighborhood of $300 so they can repair your PC.
  2. Installing malware on the computer so they can secretly use it for dishonest and sometimes illegal purposes.
  3. Install keystroke loggers to capture passwords, banking, and credit card information.
  4. Install malware to deliver targeted pop-up ads or false error messages to convince you to buy their service or software.
To make matters worse, even after collecting payment, they usually do not repair anything, and, in fact, usually leave the computer in worse condition than when they started because of errors they’ve purposely caused or by the malware they’ve installed. Why do they do this?  According to an article on computerworld.com “The scammers are persistent because there is big money at stake. Microsoft estimated that the loss in the U.S. alone amounted to $1.5 billion annually, and that a third of those contacted by scammers fall for the ploy. ‘This significant conversion rate is a testament to the great lengths to which the companies offering fraudulent services go to appear legitimate and to confuse consumers about purported problems with their software and PCs,’ Microsoft said.” If you’ve been scammed or you suspect you’ve given information to a phony tech support person, we recommend you change your computer password, scan your PC for malware, and change critical passwords such as those for your email account and banking logon. For more specific recommendations or assistance, please contact Computer Troubleshooters – Mandeville at 985-624-2302.
NOTE: Since writing the above entry, I happened to take a call from one of these scammers while at a family member’s house.  Click HERE for a recording of that conversation:
Sincerely,
Mark Olivier Computer Troubleshooters

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