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Online Security

Tech Support Scams

Fraud artists are savvy and can be very convincing. The tech support scam is a popular social engineering technique, with several twists.

How Tech Support Scams Work

Tech support scams are schemes where a fraudster calls you and poses as a representative from a reputable organization, offering “assistance” with your devices or accounts. Here are the details and signs of how some tech support scams can occur.

Vishing

  • - You get a call from someone claiming to be from a major company.
  • - They tell you there’s a problem with your computer, such as a virus.
  • - They request remote access to your machine to perform a diagnostic test.
  • - They ask you to send an urgent payment via wire transfer or prepaid gift card to fix the issue.

Scareware

  • - While online, you get an alarming pop-up warning you about an urgent security matter.
  • - The message contains a reputable company’s logo, so it appears legitimate.
  • - The message instructs you to click a link for more information or to pay for and download an antivirus product.

Action Steps to Prevent Tech Support Scams

In the event you are targeted in what you believe to be a tech support scam, acting quickly can help limit the damage.

  1. 1
    Contact Your Financial Institution

    If you provided financial account information, immediately contact your financial institutions and discuss cancelling fraudulent charges, obtaining a new credit/debit card or opening a new account.

  2. 2
    Seek Help From a Trusted Expert

    If you unwittingly downloaded “scareware” onto your device or granted remote access to your computer, seek the help of a trusted expert to have any malware removed or uninstalled.

  3. 3
    Seek Additional Aid

    Visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov for more information and specific actions to take based on your situation.

Tips and Best Practices

Tech support scams are getting more sophisticated and trickier to distinguish. Here are some tips and best practices to help avoid these types of scams.

DO

Do hang up on unsolicited callers who appear to be from legitimate companies and call a phone number listed on the company’s official website.

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At Morgan Stanley, safeguarding your assets and personal information is among our highest priorities. Learn about our security measures and use our resources and ideas to help protect yourself online. 

Learn How to Protect Yourself

Sources:

https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3Report.pdf.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams.

https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-online-scams-how-to-spot-online-scareware-scams.html.

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-avoid-scareware.

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