One of our local SpectrumIT, Inc. IT customers received a phone call recently and we felt this is very important information to be distributed to all of you. Please take a couple of minutes to go over it so you do not become a victim.
Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Our IT partner was told, one of the computers in the business had many error’s and was about to crash at any second if they did not do what the caller told them, which was grant them remote access to the computer. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:
Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.
Take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable.
Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.
Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.
Neither Microsoft or any of its reputable partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.
Telephone tech support scams: What you need to know
Cybercriminals often use publicly available phone directories and websites so they might know your name and other personal information when they call you. They might even guess what operating system you're using.
Once they've gained your trust, they might ask for your user name and password or ask you to go to a website to install software that will let them access your computer to fix it. Once you do this, your computer and your personal information is vulnerable.
Do not trust unsolicited calls. Do not provide any personal information.
Here are some of the organizations that cybercriminals claim to be from:
Windows Helpdesk
Windows Service Center
Microsoft Tech Support
Windows Technical Department Support Group
Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team)
Report phone scams
Learn about how to report phone fraud in the United States. Outside of the US, contact your local authorities.
How to protect yourself from telephone tech support scams
If someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support calls you:
Do not purchase any software or services.
Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the "service." If there is, hang up.
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 such as SpectrumIT, Inc.
Take the caller's information down and immediately report it to your local authorities. Their name, phone number and whichever company they say there from.
Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
What to do if you already gave information to a tech support person
If you think that you might have downloaded malware from a phone tech support scam website or allowed a cybercriminal to access your computer, take these steps:
Immediately contact SpectrumIT, Inc.
Additional steps to be taken:
Change your computer's password, change the password on your main email account, and change the password for any financial accounts, especially your bank and credit card.
Scan your computer with the tool provided by SpectrumIT, Inc. to find out if you have malware installed on your computer.
Install Anti-Malware and Virus protection provided by SpectrumIT, Inc.
More information
For more information about how to recognize a phishing scam, please contact the staff here at SpectrumIT, Inc. 850.202.5263
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