Tech support scams are a profitable way for scammers to steal your money.  I have been warning you about these scams for years.  They come in a number of different varieties including pop up ads on your computer and telephone calls purportedly from Microsoft, Apple, Google or other tech companies.  In 2015 I told you that  the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) along with the Attorneys General of Pennsylvania and Connecticut  filed legal action against a company, Click4Support which the FTC alleged stole more than 17 million dollars from unwary consumers by pretending that they represented Microsoft, Apple and others offering unneeded tech support services. That case was settled and the FTC sent a first round of refund checks to victims of the scam a year ago.  However, the FTC is now sending a second round of refund checks to victims of the scam.  For more information about this refund program, click on the FTC Scam Refunds tab in the middle of the first page of http://www.scamicide.com.

Click4Support used online advertisements and popups that made them appear to be a part of Microsoft or Apple.  The ads would lure unsuspecting computer users to call Click4Support and then give Click4Support remote access to the victims’ computers for purposes of identifying viruses, malware and other problems, which were always found whether or not they actually existed.  Then Click4Support sold its services either on a one time basis or a long-term service plan at a cost that ranged from $69 to thousands.  In return, the victims actually got nothing of value and, in some instances, their computers were harmed.

TIPS

In the phone scams for tech support, it is important to remember that neither Microsoft nor Apple will ever call you about tech support so if someone represents that they are doing just that, it is a scam.  Hang up the phone.  Don’t trust popup ads for tech support service either.  If you have any concerns about your computer’s security contact a reputable computer security company using a telephone number that you have confirmed is legitimate.

Whenever you get a pop-up, email, or text message that appears to tell you that you have a security problem with your computer, you should never click on any links contained in the message or call the telephone number provided. If your screen becomes frozen, all you need to do is just turn off your computer and restart it. If you are concerned that you may be experiencing a real security problem you can contact tech support at Apple or Microsoft directly by phone or by email using the phone number and email addresses you find on their respective websites.

Providing remote access to anyone to your computer can lead to a myriad of problems including identity theft and the downloading of ransomware.  Neither Apple nor Microsoft or any of the other tech companies ever provide notices of security problems that contain telephone numbers for you to call to fix the problem.

For those of you receiving the Scam of the day through an email, I just want to remind you that if you want to see the ever increasing list of Coronavirus scams go to the first page of the http://www.scamicide.com website and click on the tab at the top of the page that indicates “Coronavirus Scams.”  Scamicide has been cited by the New York Times as one of three top sources for information about Coronavirus related scams.

If you are not a subscriber to Scamicide.com and would like to receive daily emails with the Scam of the day, all you need to do is sign up for free using this link. https://scamicide.com/scam-of-the-day/