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Tech Support Scam

A lot of people have recently been hit with the old fake tech support scam.  This is what happens –

  • You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft or some other well known tech company.
  • They inform you that your PC has been flagged on their system as having a virus or corrupted software.
  • They then guide you through opening the Event Viewer on your PC and point out that all the errors & warnings found are major issues.  This is not the case.
  • You will then be told that you will be transferred to a technician who will solve these problems for you.
  • At this point you will be asked to open a website such as logmein123.com or logmeinrescue.com.
  • By doing this you give their so-called technician remote control of your computer.
  • They then have complete freedom to take whatever they want from your PC.  This includes saved usernames & passwords, credit card details etc.
  • When they are finished cleaning you out, you will be asked to pay for the privilege.

For a lot of us, alarm bells will start ringing as soon as the call comes in.  However, some people are less I.T. savvy and more vulnerable than others.

To avoid being affected by scams such as this one and to save you a lot of heartache, follow these simple rules –

  1. NO respectable company will ever call you and tell you your computer is infected with a virus.
  2. NEVER allow anyone to take remote control of your PC unless you know exactly who they are and why they need to do it.
  3. If something pops up on your computer telling you that your PC is infected with a virus and suggests software to fix it,NEVER “click here to download a solution”

If you think you have been affected by something like this or if you have any doubts about PC security please get in touch.