DON'T FA'LL FOR A TECH SUPPORT SCAM!!! by Sarah Raplee

 

DON'T LET WHAT HAPPENED TO US HAPPEN TO YOU!

Last week my husband Chuck's business computer froze right after he accepted a Facebook friend request supposedly from our college-bound grandson. A pop-up on the screen with the Microsoft logo said his Windows Defender detected a security breach and locked his computer to protect it from a hacker who was trying to steal his identity. The instructions told him to call a phone number to reach a Microsoft Technical Support employee who would help him stop the hacker and unlock his computer. (I was a witness to what happened.)

Like most of us, his reaction was extreme stress. He needs that computer to run his aviation electronics consulting business. He couldn't do anything with it, not even turn it off. Tension built and he called the number on the screen.

(Alarm bells were going off in my head, but Chuck was too stressed to hear my concerns.)

A professional-sounding woman answered and identified herself as a Microsoft Technical Support person. She gave him her first and last names and employee number. Then she painted a dire picture of how his information may have been compromised, his identity stolen including banking information, his identity used for accessing child pornography sites or establishing credit accounts in his name, etc. Naturally, his stress level stayed off the charts.

She asked if his computer was on a network, how many other devices were on the network, whether he did banking online or paid bills or shopped online. She asked for his phone number in case she got disconnected.

(I googled "Microsoft Defender Scam" hoping for information to confirm or disprove my concerns.)

(Through the whole conversation, she was very polite and apologized for how long it all was taking.) She told Chuck she needed access to his computer to run scans to see what the hacker might have done such as planting malware or spyware.  She told him to do exactly what she instructed as she walked him through the process. She unlocked his computer so he could let her install an app to give her access. He began to follow her directions.

(My search results indicated this is what is known as a Technical Support Scam, and NOT to call the number on the screen. Steps were given to unfreeze your computer. 

My heart sank. She was having him do all sorts of "scans", etc. What information was she stealing? Had she already installed spyware on his computer?)

I caught Chuck's attention and told him what Microsoft's Help site had to say about the scam. He had his phone on speaker, so she heard me and became very  irate and belligerent. Chuck hung up. Then he uninstalled the app she'd had him install. 

Luckily, we purchased Best Buy's Geek Squad protection for our computers. We called them and they spent close to an hour running scans and updates to make sure the computer was free of malware and spyware and had all the latest, most secure versions of programs, apps, operating system, etc.

Then we changed all our banking-. billpay- and shopping-related passwords, email and social media passwords, and Microsoft and Google passwords. What a nightmare!

We are watching our accounts carefully to make sure there is no suspicious activity on them and keeping an eye on our credit reports. We're looking into identity theft protection insurance.

GUIDANCE FROM MICROSOFT AND APPLE

To avoid falling for a Technical Support Scam:

Microsoft

Microsoft will never proactively reach out to you to provide unsolicited PC or technical support. If you receive a phone call claiming to be from Microsoft, or see a pop-up window on your PC with a fake warning message and a phone number to call and get your “issue” fixed, it’s better to be safe and not click any links or provide any personal information.

Never call the number provided in the error message. Real Microsoft error messages never include a phone number to call.

If you feel like you’ve been the target of a technical support scam, you can help Microsoft stop cybercriminals by reporting it.

Learn more about avoiding technical support scams

APPLE

Phishing refers to fraudulent attempts to get personal information from you, usually by email. But scammers use any means they can to trick you into sharing information or giving them money, including: 

• Fraudulent emails and other messages that look like they're from legitimate companies, including Apple
• Misleading pop-ups and ads that say your device has a security problem 
• Scam phone calls or voicemails that impersonate Apple Support
• Fake promotions that offer free products and prizes
• Unwanted Calendar invitations and subscriptions

If you're suspicious about an unexpected message, call, or request for personal information or money, it's safer to presume it's a scam and contact that company directly if you need to. If you're concerned about a security issue with your Apple device, you can get help from Apple.

I hope this post helps you to stay safe from scammers. As you can tell, they use psychological tricks to stress you to the point you may not make the best decisions in the moment unless you are prepared to recognize the warning signs of a scam.

Wishing you all the best, 

Sarah