How to detect tech support scam attacks?
In this article, we will cover the main scams that you may encounter and make sure you are well informed in order to ensure your safety.
How does a tech support scam work?
The most frequent ways scammers operate are the following:
- They will email you informing you that they owe you money but need your financial information to send it over
- They will call you pretending to be a legitimate company to which you owe money
- They advertise as real tech support companies and sometimes even have a fake website
- They call pretending to be Microsoft and tell you your computer is infected
- They call pretending to be one of your relatives that need desperate help/money to get out of a bad situation
What are common internet security threats?
- Pop-ups that pretend to detect issues on your computer and ask you to call the fake support
- Ads of fake companies that pose as legitimate businesses in order to get you to call
- Emails pretending to be a legitimate company to which you owe money
- They call pretending to be Microsoft and tell you your computer is infected
- They call pretending to be one of your relatives that need desperate help/money to get out of a bad situation
Common Tech support refund scam
This article will help you better identify tech support scams and suspicious behavior that someone may use to target you.
If you paid for tech support services, and you later get a call about a refund, that call is a scam. Do not give the person any personal or financial information and do not let them connect to your computer.
The refund scam works like this:
- After a purchase, someone calls stating that there is a problem with the software or service you purchased, or the caller says the company is going out of business and is giving refunds.
- The scammer will ask to access your computer to show you these issues.
- If you give them that kind of access to your computer, then you are going to have a bigger problem that usually involves stolen credentials and usually bank information.
- Eventually, they will ask for your bank or credit card account number or ask for access to your bank account to make a deposit. At this time, they will transfer you to a ‘’manager.’’
- They will refund a higher amount than promised.
- Once they do this, they will tell you that there is no way to reverse the refund and that you need to go to a nearby store and buy either gift cards or merchandise for them or in some cases a huge money transfer to their bank account.
If you get a call like this, hang up, and report it to the federal trade commission. If you try to get them off the phone, they will use fear tactics to keep you on the call or get angry at you. Just hang up.
What to do & tips to spot suspicious behavior
- Do not answer telephone numbers you do not know. If you are unsure, hang up and call the number on our website.
- If you do answer the phone, ask for their phone number and compare it to the number on our website. Scammers will often give fake phone numbers or spoof(copy) real ones.
- Do not give your banking information.
- Our agents will never ask you to open your online banking portal while connected and if you start to say your credit card number out loud, the agent should stop you. Our agents are not allowed to take credit card information ever.
- Do not click on pop-up messages on a computer device that claims it is infected by a virus and at risk of irreversible damage. The only errors that should pop up would be from your anti-virus program which will usually only notify you that you are safe, and the virus has been quarantined.
- Do not click on links in messages indicating a computer problem.
- Never purchase expensive software online to fix an alleged virus.
- Do not trust random phone calls from people claiming to be tech support.
- Always call tech support on your own.
- Make sure your computer security software is up to date.
Is a website warning message a suspected fraud?
It depends what the website warning is but some can be fraudulent. Some warnings are in the form of pop-ups and block your computer stating you’ve been infected and to call a toll-free number right away.
They are very well made and you will not be able to close the window or use the computer. If this happens to you shut down your computer and reboot it, the pop-up usually disappears.
Can fake ads be a scam?
Yes, a fake ad can be a scam, however, they are not dangerous for your operating system themselves. They can’t gain access to your computer as long as you don’t click any links. The most common way ads are built is that they will ask you to call a toll-free number.
Scammers use legitimate tech company phone numbers so you believe they are real if you google the number. These phone calls are however then rerouted without your knowledge to a support scammer.
Supportnex will check your device to be sure it’s 100% protected from false advertisements.
What is the goal of a scammer?
Different scammers have different goals however these are the main ones:
- Identity theft
- Get your financial information in order to charge your accounts
- Sell your credit card information on the black market
Scammers may ask to access your computer by using fake pretenses to get you to trust them.
How to protect yourself from tech support scammers?
Never give access to your computer to anyone before looking them up online and checking reviews. Some scammers pretend to be legitimate companies, however when looking up reviews you will be able to see that they are fake companies with fake websites as you will see a post warning you about them.
Reviews will always give you a quick portrait of who is calling so take the time to search you will thank us later.
How to detect a scam
As you know, there are more scam companies than ever before and we will help you identify them. If a company calls you directly they are likely a fraudulent company.
Scammers will also attempt to send you bogus links via email and will most likely be flagged by your antivirus as fake software on your computer.
How to recognize them?
Any reputable company will not ask for your credit card information over the phone, ask you to fill out a form for a refund, message you to give you money, request you to install software to resolve a problem, demand you subscribe for assistance or try to trick you to access your data.
Supportnex updates your computer’s security software and deletes anything it identifies as a problem.
What to do if you gave them access to your computer?
If the scammers got a hold of your computer, shut it down right away and hang up the phone. Call your bank right away and contact us or go to a local tech support shop to ensure that they aren’t still connected to avoid being scammed.
What to look out for?
Signs of them being on your computer could be receiving pop-up messages or if your mouse appears to be moving on its own.
Common behavior for a scammer is that they will install unknown software’s as well which can record everything being typed on the keyboard and help them commit fraud, therefore if you believe they had access to your computer check the installed software’s and remove any new unknown software’s to prevent fraud.
What to do if the information has been given to a tech support scammer?
If you suspect that a support scams tech has compromised your personal information/credit card information call your bank right away and ask them to freeze all your accounts to avoid being scammed.
Even if nothing was paid this is still something to report as abuse and a serious security threat to them as they can get access to your bank account and sell your information to other scammer companies.
What are the consequences?
If you believe you were the victim of a scam, your personal information is probably at risk such as your credit card information, financial information and you might be at risk of identity theft.
If you believe you were the victim of a scam and want to make sure they are out of your computer for good, call us and we will remote access your computer and provide you with excellent support services.
What are common internet security threats?
- Pop-ups that pretend to detect issues on your computer and ask you to call the fake support
- Ads of fake companies that pose as legitimate businesses in order to get you to call
What anti-virus to get?
Ad-aware is a very good anti-virus to have that will always be looking for threats in the background as you use your computer. It also acts like anti-malware and anti-spyware. They use malicious URL detection to protect you online and provide you with an ad blocker.
This anti-virus also provides you with email protection & advanced antispam filters which protect your emails as well. It is really an all-in-one anti-virus that protects you from all angles. Here is the link for more information on this software: https://www.adaware.com/antivirus/features
How to get rid of a fake virus?
Fake viruses are like we said fake, therefore you’re not actually in any danger and it doesn’t pose an actual threat to your computer. Fake viruses usually go away on their own by simply rebooting your computer system. If that doesn’t work, a simple anti-virus or anti-malware should do the trick.
SupportNex provides you with email protection & advanced antispam filters which protect your emails.
Example of warning pop-ups
Pop up messages on the web claiming that you have a virus and invite you to install an anti-virus software most likely contain a virus that could harm your computer by installing malware, spyware, changing a setting, deleting important files, or installing a virus onto your windows or apple device.
Note that downloading a fake virus from a warning popup can result in a virus, Trojans, or keyloggers that record passwords and/or your personal data on your computer. These can cause costly damages to your computer device like a serious generalized infection and may lead to identity theft.
What not to do if you come across a fake virus
Please note that the content can seem very real, however never press a download button or run any software without being 100% certain of the safety of the sites you visit while browsing the internet.
For example, you may be on a very safe site that happens to have a fake ad on the side that can open an extra tab and reroute you to a scam site. Be very aware of what page you were on as it will pop up without your knowledge, therefore you can believe you’re still on the safe site that you were originally browsing.
What can happen if a user clicks a fake virus?
They are so well made that sometimes you don’t spot them and click thinking it’s a real security software or program.
If you do run or download a fake virus the following may occur:
- Some can remove important data off your computer
- They can cause your computer to be blocked and unusable asking for payment to unblock it
- The software can be installed and make some important documents become all code instead of words
- Now that they are on the computer they can spot everything that is on your windows or apple device
- Sometimes they are in the form of fake scanner programs that actually cause infection instead of stopping it
- Some pose as security software, however, they will not stop a threat or scan the device, they will change your device settings and record all keystrokes.
- Some install browser extensions to see what you’re browsing and provide you with more pop-ups and slow down your device
Is Supportnex a suspected fraud?
Supportnex is a reputable and legitimate company that provides tech support for their clients’ computers using remote access software. They can ensure that your operating system is in order and scam-free. You can contact them at their toll-free number that you can find on their website. You can ask them to scan your computer for malware, pop-ups and make sure your device isn’t infected.
Our customers feel very satisfied with the cleanup of their computers and the new anti-virus program installed.
They provide tech support to clients around the world who need their assistance. They do so by connecting to their computers virtually over the internet using a secure connection. Therefore, you can get support anywhere anytime, over the phone, or chat directly on their website.
You can visit their website by clicking this link: www.supportnex.com where you can see testimonials and good reviews from their happy customers over the years.