A report by the Better Business Bureau says it’s not a matter of if you will become a target of computer technical support scammers, but when these scammers will try to victimize you.
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Rockford – A report by the Better Business Bureau says it’s not a matter of if you will become a target of computer technical support scammers, but when these scammers will try to victimize you.
Thieves, most of whom are located in India, are using sophisticated advertising and carefully crafted sales techniques to scare consumers into buying phony fixes for their home and business computers. BBB warns consumers to remain on guard so they can combat these fraudsters.
The report – “Pop-Ups and Impostors: A Better Business Bureau Study of the Growing Worldwide Problem of Tech Support Fraud” – says that anyone who owns or uses a computer is a potential target. Complaints about the fraud continue to mount as Microsoft, a software company whose name is routinely used by the scammers, reports it receives more than 12,000 complaints worldwide every month.
The report recommends a tougher, more-coordinated effort by U.S. law enforcement, including the filing of civil and criminal cases against the scammers. It urges law enforcement in India and other foreign countries where the scammers originate to make computer tech fraud a high priority. It also asks search engine companies to carefully vet, set strict standards and consider eliminating sponsored links for tech support firms that do not meet standards.
“In today’s age, it is paralyzing to stare at a blank computer screen or sit in front of a ‘frozen’ machine,” says Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau. “Unfortunately, there are scammers operating who know exactly how to prey on those fears by promising fixes that don’t need to be made. These people aren’t interested in helping with computer problems. Their only interest is in stealing your money.”
A victim in Durand says she fell for the scam, “I’m a retired nurse and my husband is a teacher yet we both got hooked”.
Among the report’s key findings:
• Consumers are lured into the scheme by four ways – by either a pop-up ad on their computer; an unsolicited phone call from a “technician” claiming to have detected problems with the user’s computer; via ransomware attached to an email; or by Internet searches for technical support on sponsored links.
• Most people lose money through use of credit cards or debit cards (55 percent). Checks (36 percent) are the second most-common form of payment.