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In today’s digital world, we are constantly connected to technology – whether it’s through our smartphones, computers or other electronic devices. Unfortunately, there are people who take advantage of this fact to scam the unsuspecting. One common scam that many fall victim to is the tech support scam. In this blog post, we want to explain how the scam works and how you can protect to protect yourself.
What Is Tech Support Scam?
Tech support scams come in various forms, but it basically comes in the form of scammers pretending to be employees of a tech support team and tricking unsuspecting users into paying for questionable services or programs or providing personal information. This is often done via unrequested phone calls, pop-up ads or fake emails claiming that your computer or other device has been affected by a virus or other threat.
How Does the Scam Work?
The scammers use various tactics to gain the trust of their victims. They might claim to be from a well-known technology company and offer to fix the supposed problem. They often display fake alerts or pop-ups urging users to call or click on a link.
Once on the phone, the scammers try to obtain personal information such as passwords or credit card details pretending that these are needed for the fixing. Alternatively, they try to get users to download remote access software that will allow them to solve alleged problems remotely. However, instead of solving the problem, they may actually install malware or unwanted programs on your computer.
How Can You Protect Yourself?
There are several things you can do to protect yourself from tech support scams:
- DON’T LET YOURSELF BE RUSHED!
Nothing is so important that it has to be done immediately. This is particularly the case when using a smartphone. - Be skeptical about spontaneous calls or messages claiming there are problems with your device. Serious companies will not contact you unexpectedly to solve technical problems and ask for data or even payments.
- Ignore pop-up ads or emails that require urgent action and are designed to get you to provide personal information or click on suspicious links. You always have the option of checking the sender of emails.
- Verify the identity of the caller or company by calling the company directly that the suspected scammer claims to be from. Use the official contact information from the website or other trusted sources.
- Install reliable antivirus software and keep your programs and operating systems updated to close security gaps and avoid malware.
- Be careful when sharing personal or financial information over the phone or internet
- If in doubt, contact someone you trust.
Tech support scams are a serious problem that affect thousands of people every year. By educating yourself about common scams and taking precautions, you can protect yourself from these fraudulent practices. Remember, it’s always safer to be suspicious and when in doubt, consult a trusted person instead of responding to random unsolicited requests.
Responsible for the content of this article is Morgane Overath.
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