A tech support scam is a very common fraud scheme where scammers impersonate legitimate technical support representatives or companies to trick you into believing that your computers or devices have problems.

The scammers typically try to convince you that your computer or device is infected with a virus or is experiencing technical issues that could damage your data. They then attempt to convince you to pay for unnecessary services or to provide access to your computer and personal information, which they can exploit for identity theft or other fraudulent activities.

How the scam works

There are a few variations of the tech support scam:

• Sometimes a scammer will call and claim that your home computer has been hacked or is sending out viruses and offer to help you fix the issue for a fee.
• Or you might see website pop-ups ads that encourage you to call a number to fix a virus detected on your computer.
• Scammers are also sending phishing emails with fake invoices claiming that your subscription to a computer antivirus support service has been renewed. They provide a phone number to call to cancel the service.

Once the scammer has made contact with you, they’ll request remote access to your computer where they attempt to steal financial or personal information, or they ask you to pay a fee to eliminate the problem with your computer.

How to protect yourself

Remember, legitimate technical support providers don’t typically call you to promote their services and they don’t use aggressive tactics to pressure you into buying their services.

• Be suspicious of unsolicited calls. Legitimate tech support companies don’t make unsolicited phone calls.
• Never log in to your online bank accounts or email account when using remote access or sharing your screen with someone.
• Keep your software up-to-date. Staying on top of updates ensures your devices are protected from the latest security vulnerabilities.