What to do if a tech support scammer already has your info Uninstall any applications that scammers have asked you to install. For more info on how to uninstall applications, see Repair or remove programs in Windows. If you have given scammers access to your devic...
In December 2017, Microsoft received a report of a scammer emptying a bank account of €89,000 during a tech support scam in the Netherlands. In a 2016 survey sponsored by Microsoft, two in three respondents reported experiencing some form of tech support scam in the previous 12 months, ...
You should also contact at least one of the three major credit agencies as well as your credit card companies to put a freeze on your credit report and protect yourself against fraudulent charges. It can be difficult to determine exactly what information a scammer has access to, so cover ...
Another attack that we see often is the technical support scam. In this attack the scammer contacts you and tries to convince you that there is something wrong with your computer and that you should let them “fix” it for you. The two most common ways they con...
themselves are unknowingly committing fraud, or the job may be nonexistent and the application is merely a tool through which the scammer can collect your personal information to use at their own discretion. There are few traits that can help you determine if a job posting is legitimate or ...
has been infected. Scareware scams take advantage of this, using underhanded tactics to make users feel like they’re not in control of their PCs and need to call the “tech support” number provided onscreen. The scammer then gains access to the computer by guiding the user over the phon...
surge in spam messages to your inbox. More troubling is that some of that spam may actually be increasingly sophisticated scams orphishing. In addition to being annoying these scams require you to be a little more alert to avoid accidentally clicking a malicious link or engagin...
Tech support scams are a menace to deal with, and yes, they are a reality today. It’s difficult for ordinary, unsuspecting people to spot a scammer. An average person with no industry knowledge (especially one who is severely tech-challenged) can get easily misled into sharing sensitive inf...
How Do I Get Money Back From a Scammer? So the worst has come to pass - you realise you parted with your money too fast, and the site you used was a scam - what now? Well first of all, don’t despair!! If you think you have been scammed, the first port of call when having...
. If a scammer tries to reset your password or make account changes, you may receive a notification. If Microsoft doesn't recognize the device accessing your account, it may flag the device and alert you of the unusual activity. Your email signature looks different. Fraudsters often change ...