Brace Yourself: New Twist on a Tech Support Scam

Your BBB® has recently learned about a new twist on the tech support scam. If you aren’t familiar with the tech support scam, it generally works like this: the scammer will call you claiming they are with Windows or Microsoft or another large tech company. They will then tell you that they noticed that your computer is running slowly or is sending out an error message. They offer to “fix” it for you remotely usually charging a fee for the “fix” and ask you to go to a website where they can access your computer. Unfortunately, consumers who fall for this scam may end up losing money as well as a lot of time as the scammer will have access to any personal information contained on the computer.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, this new twist involves the scammer claiming to be from the Global Privacy Enforcement Network. They will say that your email has been hacked and is sending out fraudulent messages.  The caller will then claim that the organization will take legal action against you unless you let them “fix” it immediately. If you ask questions, the scammer will increase the pressure, and according to the FTC, have even reportedly given out phone numbers for actual FTC employees and sent consumers to the actual website for the Global Privacy Enforcement Network, which is a real organization that helps governments work together on cross-border privacy cooperation.

Click here to get tips on what to do if you receive a tech support call.