Tech Support Scams Are More Common than You Think
If you haven’t experienced a tech support scam, you should count yourself very lucky. According to Microsoft, tech support scams are more common than you think and chances are that someone you know has experienced such a scam. A global survey commissioned by Microsoft revealed that 2 out of 3 people have experienced a tech support scam in the last 12 months.
Here are some more findings from the survey, survey that was made public as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), an initiative created to empower everyone online to be safer, more secure and better able to protect their personal information.
Key Findings from Microsoft’s global survey on tech support scams
Via Microsoft on the Issue and StaySafeOnline.org.
Scammers use old and new tricks to cast a wider net
The classic tech support scam goes something like this, explains Courtney Gregoire, senior attorney in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit: the "fraudster calls a senior citizen at home claiming to have a relationship with a reputable company; misrepresents the existence of malware, computer viruses or other technical problems on a personal computer; and proceeds to sell the senior citizen unnecessary tech support for a fee."
While it isn’t surprising that senior citizens fall for this sort of scam, what is surprising is that millennials, aged 18 to 34, fall for this old school trick as well. The survey found that 50% of millennials continued with a potentially fraudulent interaction after first being contacted.
Does that mean millennials know less about security than seniors? No, it means the scammers aren’t using old school tactics alone. To cast a wider net and reach a broader number of people, they’re using other tactics, such as pop-ups, unsolicited email and scam websites. Courtney Gregoire explains:
"The data indicates that victims older than 65 are more likely to be reached by telephone (44% unsolicited call, 38% pop-up or online ad, 33% unsolicited email, and 26% redirected to website). In contrast, millennials aged 18 to 34 are more likely to have been redirected to a fraudulent website (50%) or duped by a pop-up advertisement (59%) as compared to receiving an unsolicited call (26%)."
The goal is always to scam you out of your money
No matter how the scam is initiated, the goal is always the same: to trick you out of your money. To reach that goal, the scammers must first persuade you to call for support. Then they’ll want to remotely access your computer. Then they’ll provide a fraudulent sales pitch and they’ll charge you for the support services they offered.
Allowing someone to remotely control your computer is a very, very bad idea. That someone could access your personal and financial information. They could alter your device’s settings, like turning off antivirus protection. And they could even plant unwanted or malicious software on your computer.
Tech support scams are very profitable.
"We know consumers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars from tech support scams, yet it’s often hard to quantify total financial loss because many victims are too embarrassed or scared to report their experience and may be unaware they were even scammed," explained Courtney Gregoire.
On the bright side, tech support scam victims did manage to recover at least some of their money. According to the survey, 92% of those who lost money in the US managed to recover part of their loses.
Tips to protects yourself against tech support scams
Microsoft will never contact you and ask for financial or credit card info. If you receive an unsolicited phone call or email from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, take down their information and hang up. Then report them to Microsoft and the appropriate authorities.
Be vigilant and skeptical of any person who seeks remote access to your device. Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
Do not purchase software or services from people who claim to represent a reputable software company. Do not purchase any software or services from an unsolicited call or email or from a bogus website or online advertisement.
Do not be fooled if the tech support scammer knows your name, address or even the operating system you’re using. They’ll obtain such information through public phone directories and they’ll often just "guess" your operating system by citing more popular ones.
Educate yourself so you’ll know how to avoid technical support scams. "Above all, the best thing you can do to help protect yourself is to educate yourself. Please check out Microsoft’s resources and build your awareness about some of these scams," says Courtney Gregoire.
In related news...
In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), data protection company Digital Guardian published an infographic that focuses on phishing attacks, explaining what these types of attacks are and how to spot them. Check it out here.
Here are some more findings from the survey, survey that was made public as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), an initiative created to empower everyone online to be safer, more secure and better able to protect their personal information.
Key Findings from Microsoft’s global survey on tech support scams
- 2 out of 3 people have experienced a tech support scam in the last 12 months.
- Nearly 1 in 10 have lost money to a tech support scam.
- 1 in 5 customers in the US and India have lost money to these scams.
- 1 in 5 consumers surveyed continued with a potentially fraudulent interaction after first being contacted by the scammers (they downloaded software, visited a scam website, gave the fraudsters remote access to their device or provided credit card information or other form of payment).
- 50% of those who continued with a fraudulent interaction were millennials, between 18 and 34 years old.
- 34% of those who continued were between 36 and 54, while 17% were older than 55.
- At 54%, Indian consumers have the greatest likelihood of continuing with a fraudulent interaction. That likelihood is 35% for Chinese customers and 34% for costumers in the US.
- 55% of customers in the US who continued with a scam, lost money.
- 92% of US customers recovered at least some of their money. The same goes for 67% of customers in India and 58% of customers in China.
Via Microsoft on the Issue and StaySafeOnline.org.
Scammers use old and new tricks to cast a wider net
The classic tech support scam goes something like this, explains Courtney Gregoire, senior attorney in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit: the "fraudster calls a senior citizen at home claiming to have a relationship with a reputable company; misrepresents the existence of malware, computer viruses or other technical problems on a personal computer; and proceeds to sell the senior citizen unnecessary tech support for a fee."
While it isn’t surprising that senior citizens fall for this sort of scam, what is surprising is that millennials, aged 18 to 34, fall for this old school trick as well. The survey found that 50% of millennials continued with a potentially fraudulent interaction after first being contacted.
Does that mean millennials know less about security than seniors? No, it means the scammers aren’t using old school tactics alone. To cast a wider net and reach a broader number of people, they’re using other tactics, such as pop-ups, unsolicited email and scam websites. Courtney Gregoire explains:
"The data indicates that victims older than 65 are more likely to be reached by telephone (44% unsolicited call, 38% pop-up or online ad, 33% unsolicited email, and 26% redirected to website). In contrast, millennials aged 18 to 34 are more likely to have been redirected to a fraudulent website (50%) or duped by a pop-up advertisement (59%) as compared to receiving an unsolicited call (26%)."
The goal is always to scam you out of your money
No matter how the scam is initiated, the goal is always the same: to trick you out of your money. To reach that goal, the scammers must first persuade you to call for support. Then they’ll want to remotely access your computer. Then they’ll provide a fraudulent sales pitch and they’ll charge you for the support services they offered.
Allowing someone to remotely control your computer is a very, very bad idea. That someone could access your personal and financial information. They could alter your device’s settings, like turning off antivirus protection. And they could even plant unwanted or malicious software on your computer.
Tech support scams are very profitable.
"We know consumers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars from tech support scams, yet it’s often hard to quantify total financial loss because many victims are too embarrassed or scared to report their experience and may be unaware they were even scammed," explained Courtney Gregoire.
On the bright side, tech support scam victims did manage to recover at least some of their money. According to the survey, 92% of those who lost money in the US managed to recover part of their loses.
Tips to protects yourself against tech support scams
Microsoft will never contact you and ask for financial or credit card info. If you receive an unsolicited phone call or email from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, take down their information and hang up. Then report them to Microsoft and the appropriate authorities.
Be vigilant and skeptical of any person who seeks remote access to your device. Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
Do not purchase software or services from people who claim to represent a reputable software company. Do not purchase any software or services from an unsolicited call or email or from a bogus website or online advertisement.
Do not be fooled if the tech support scammer knows your name, address or even the operating system you’re using. They’ll obtain such information through public phone directories and they’ll often just "guess" your operating system by citing more popular ones.
Educate yourself so you’ll know how to avoid technical support scams. "Above all, the best thing you can do to help protect yourself is to educate yourself. Please check out Microsoft’s resources and build your awareness about some of these scams," says Courtney Gregoire.
In related news...
In honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), data protection company Digital Guardian published an infographic that focuses on phishing attacks, explaining what these types of attacks are and how to spot them. Check it out here.
