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May
23
I spoke with a customer on the weekend who was the recipient of a fake tech support phone call. The caller claimed her computer was going to crash if she didn’t take steps immediately to fix the problem. This is a scam that was common in the UK a year ago, but I hadn’t heard of it in the Toronto area until now. It’s pretty basic, the caller will try to get you to download a piece of software to “fix” non-existent problems. Once loaded the software will display dozens and possibly hundreds of problems with your computer. At this point the scammer will ask you for credit card/pay pal information to continue helping you fix the problems. Once you hand over your details, well, you know the drill after that. They have your credit card information and you are on the hook.
The calls sound very official and scarey. If you receive a call, the caller will know your name (it is frighteningly easy to scoop phone numbers and last names in the digital age), which adds an air of authenticity to the phone call. You will be regaled with doom and gloom stories if you don’t do what they tell you to do – your computer will crash/be useless/be vulnerable to hackers etc. I can’t stress enough how intimidating the caller is. He will be aggressive and try to scare the pants off you to panic you so you accept their “help”. The caller will make it seem like they can see your computer and may even imply you are downloading illegal stuff. My customer said the caller became very irritated with her when she didn’t understand what he was talking about. He became rather aggressive. The scammer didn’t realise my poor customer was simply confused by his demands and had no clue as to what he was telling her to do. She finally hung up on him, which was wise.
Don’t fall for this. No tech support company worth dealing with will cold call you and tell you, site unseen, your computer needs fixing. Always remember Microsoft will not call you about any issues, nor will any anti-virus company. Any company that claims to be a tech support company and does this, is a fraud. You don’t have to be polite to the person – don’t be pushed into bogus support. You have the right to simply hang up on the person. If you feel uncomfortable doing this then tell them you need to consult with your Tech Support person who takes care your computer. If they stay pushy, ask them for a phone number so your techie can call them back. It doesn’t matter if you have a tech support person or not, just the threat of calling someone knowledgeable should be enough get them to hang up on you immediately. If in doubt, hang up.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jul/19/police-crackdown-phone-scam-computer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres
http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/msname.aspx
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