In previous newsletters, we provided some important info and tips on identifying and avoiding Phishing scams and Ransomware to help protect you and your personal data. But what should you do if someone calls you claiming to be from Microsoft? The short answer is, hang up! Even if the caller sounds legitimate, or says they have detected a virus on your computer and want to help you remove it, hang up immediately and then block the caller because it’s a scam.
The reality is, Microsoft does not monitor your computer for viruses, and they will never call you to offer service or support. The same goes for anyone claiming to be from Canada Revenue or any other government agency, a bank, a debt relief service, a student loan service, a computer support service, a charity, free trial service, or even the IRS. The scammer may offer to help you, or attempt to scare you with the threat of legal action, But should be regarded with same healthy suspicion. One of the latest phone scams involves asking you to purchase a gift card. Again, don’t talk to them at all, hang up and block the caller.
Phone scams have been around for as long as we’ve had phones, but with the advent of the internet, scams have become much more sophisticated. And this category of scamming is a form of phishing called “social engineering”, which uses deceptive techniques aimed at manipulating or influencing you into revealing specific information. With so many of us connected to Social Media platforms like Facebook or Instagram it has made it much easier for scammers to obtain our basic personal information, like an email address or phone number. The scammer then contacts you and tries to gain just enough trust to get your credit card or banking information. If they are successful, they will then access your bank and credit card accounts and steal your funds, typically resulting in devastating financial losses.
So, how can you protect yourself? The most important thing you can do is be suspicious of anyone calling you that offers to help you, or threatens legal action against you. If this happens, hang up and then block the caller. Second, no matter how convincing the caller is, don’t engage in the conversation, just hang up. If they claimed they were calling from your bank or any other company that you do business with, call that company using their legitimate phone number and ask them to confirm that they were really trying to reach you. Do not dial the caller back or use any phone number they may have provided. Third, block the caller. All current cell phones have the ability to block a caller’s number so they can’t call you back so use this feature immediately after hanging up. Lastly, don’t trust your caller ID. Phone scammers can make any name show up on your Caller ID, which is called spoofing, and they can be calling from anywhere in the world.
So what can you do if you paid a scammer? Contact the company or bank that issued your credit card and ask them to reverse the transaction. If someone made an unauthorized withdrawal from your account, then again, contact your bank and ask them to reverse the transaction. The same goes for gift card scams. Contact the company that issued the gift card and advise them that this card was used in a scam.
It’s a scary world out there, but our goal is to provide information to help you protect yourself from virus threats and scams, and being fully protected means:
Being informed and aware of the various threats and scams
Switching your Windows user account from an Admin user to Standard user to prevent the unauthorized execution of email attachment viruses
Purchasing Antivirus software subscription and keeping the AV software and virus definitions up-to-date
If you would like us to assist you with securing your computer as per above, our service techs at TechAlley offer a Security Check service for $65.00 to make sure your computer’s security is up-to-date. You can bring your computer into our Service Department. and drop the computer off, or call us at 519-660-6160 and ask to speak to a service tech to make an appointment.
ISP Canada I.T. Department & TechAlley Service Department
