We read you loud and clear! Last year, the FTC got nearly 143,000 reports about tech support scams. We’ve been warning people about this type of scam for years. But one piece of information in the FTC’s newest Consumer Protection Data Spotlight was an eye-opener. People 60 and over were about five times more likely than younger people to tell us they lost money on this scam, even though they were less likely than younger people to say they lost money to many other types of scams.
The FTC has brought many cases against tech support scammers, including our case just announced against Elite IT. With our law enforcement partners at the Department of Justice, other federal and state offices, and international colleagues, we’re fighting to protect older adults. And this is all part of the largest-ever nationwide elder fraud sweep focusing on tech support fraud.
But that’s not all. Visit ftc.gov/techsupportscams to see, hear, and read how to help the people you care about spot and avoid these scams – and get tips on what to do if you were scammed. Need a quick, shareable (and printable) snapshot on how to spot tech support scams? Check out our tech support scam infographic.
And, because we save the best for last, check out our new video – a compelling first-person account of how Mr. Donald Holmes of Arizona faced a tech support scam, and what he did about it.
Spotted a tech support scam? Report it at ftc.gov/complaint. And after you report it, use this handy information from ftc.gov/passiton to talk to your family and friends about what happened so they can avoid it too.
It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.
The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.
We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.
In reply to I AM A RETIRED LAW by CAPTAIN SULLY
In reply to I AM A RETIRED LAW by CAPTAIN SULLY
In reply to this is what happened to me 4 by janet
In reply to Thank you for this by Zulla
In reply to Please check out SRS IT by JAM & Bread
To report a problem to the FTC, go to www.FTC.gov/Complaint. You can give details about your experience and the information will go into the secure database the FTC and other law enforcement agencies use for investigations.
The comments you send to this blog do not go into the law enforcement database.
In reply to To report a problem to the by FTC Staff
In reply to I need to report a scam but by missannienow
You could call the FTC to report the scam. You will talk to a person who will take your report when you dial 1-877-382-4357.
In reply to And just how are you to rid by Tom Ski
This FTC article about Malware tells how to detect and get rid of malicious viruses and spyware on your computer.
In reply to Fortunately, I have a son, by Dixie
In reply to The mini-video on scamming by S. B. Harris
We're happy that you like the video and would like to share it. To see different formats, go to the video's home page: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/media/video-0181-how-avoid-tech-support-scam.
Directly below the video display, you'll see the words "Description" and "Downloads." Click on Downloads, and you'll see three different format choices. You can save the video file to your flash drive, just like you would save a document file.
If you have questions, please send another comment. Remember that we have free handouts about fraud prevention and other topics at www.FTC.gov/Bulkorder.