Tech Support Scams on the Rise
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 10/12/2016 10:12 AM
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Tech support scams are on the rise in the U.K. Microsoft says it has received more than 175,000 complaints about these scams over an 18-month period.
The tech support scams are either a pop up on the potential victims computer or a cold call from someone saying they represent a major IT company like Microsoft.
Usually they say that either the victims system has malware or other technical issues with the victim’s machine. They often try to sell the victim a fake security program which is often malware or offer to "fix" the technical issue for a fee.
“Support scams are a very popular way to dupe English-speaking users who pose a big and economically viable target,” explained Eset IT security specialist, Mark James.
“That might be the reason why the United Kingdom is ranking among the most targeted countries when it comes to this specific threat.”
Microsoft estimates that these tech scams have cost more than three million victims over $1.5 billion.
Source: Info Security
The tech support scams are either a pop up on the potential victims computer or a cold call from someone saying they represent a major IT company like Microsoft.Usually they say that either the victims system has malware or other technical issues with the victim’s machine. They often try to sell the victim a fake security program which is often malware or offer to "fix" the technical issue for a fee.
“Support scams are a very popular way to dupe English-speaking users who pose a big and economically viable target,” explained Eset IT security specialist, Mark James.
“That might be the reason why the United Kingdom is ranking among the most targeted countries when it comes to this specific threat.”
Microsoft estimates that these tech scams have cost more than three million victims over $1.5 billion.
Source: Info Security
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