Be attentive when you get a phone call from an unknown number stating that your computer has some errors. Such fraud calls are globally known as PC-Support Scam, Fake Tech Support Call Scam or Event Viewer Scam.
“Scammers have been stealing millions of dollars from victims by making fake calls. For the last few years, we have been spreading awareness among our customers related to the technical support scams bothering companies worldwide. These frauds are not new in the technical support industry.”
Scammers pose themselves as well-known companies and take advantage of pop-up messages, fake websites, phishing emails and phone calls to trap you into thinking your PC has a serious issue that needs to be resolved immediately. The main purpose of these frauds is to steal individual information for criminal intentions.
Nowadays, the technical support frauds have become much sophisticated and tough to differentiate from. Scammers pretend to be an employee of a specific company and make unsolicited calls to customers warning them of technical problems with their branded computer. Ultimately, they trick the customer to pay an amount to settle the issue.
We are thankful to the customers who informed us that they were approached by scammers. The information has been very significant for us in investigating these tech support phone scams.
So, what is the final outcome? With you reporting about these phone call frauds has prompted positive improvements. The websites linked to the scammers have been penalized, fraudulent calls centers are shut down and suspected web addresses have been blocked from payment processing.
After all this, scammers continue to operate by merging new technologies with old tricks. When we see one effectively close down, another sprouts up at a disturbing rate.
The best protection from these phone scams is to hang up immediately if you suspect it as a dubious call. Here are some tips to assist you to avoid or be mislead by such calls:
Hang up on Robo-Calls
Hang up immediately, if an uninvited caller insists you to act quickly and provide personal details to troubleshoot the computer issue or behave vigorously. This may be an indication of a phone call fraud.
Even if you answer the phone call and hear an automated call, hang up the call instantly and report about it. These phone calls are illegal. Don’t press any key to communicate with the caller. This can lead to more calls.
Consider How you Pay
Debit/Credit cards have specified fraud protections built-in, but some payment methods do not support it. Transferring money via Western Union or MoneyGram can be unsafe as its almost impossible to recover the payment once processed. The same thing applies to reloadable cards and gift cards.
Therefore, never share your credit/debit card details over phone calls, they attempt to charge you to remove virus, malware or ransomware.
Don’t Pay Upfront for a Promise
Scammers may ask you to make the payment in advance to fix your computer problems. Never pay for the support services via gift cards or wiring funds. Legitimate tech support companies never ask you to make such payments.
Be Careful while Browsing Websites
Never browse ambiguous websites, visiting these websites can infect your computer with virus and other online threats. Also, never download or install any software that the fraudulent caller tries to address you to.
Don’t Give Access
Technology makes it simple for scammers to counterfeit caller ID information, so the name and number which appear are not always real. If someone asks you to provide remote access of your PC to fix an issue, hang up the call – no matter how convincing it sounds.
If you think that you were scammed, reach us immediately via contact form or call our nerds (toll-free) at 1-(866) 322-2322. The battle to defend customers against scams is ongoing, lets keep fighting to safeguard our data and money.