Consumer Alert
Are you getting pop-up warning messages on your computer screen? Or maybe a phone call that your computer has a virus? That may well be a tech support scam. But how do you know? And what do you do?
Start by watching this video on tech support scams.
Scammers love to sound legit by pretending to be from a real company – say Microsoft or Apple. They’ll make your computer “problem” sound urgent, trying to get you to act before you have time to think. And they’ll ask you for access to your computer, your bank or credit card number, or for money. But that’s not how real tech support works.
So, before you click the link in the pop up or call that number, stop. Talk to someone you trust. Read about tech supports scams. And remember:
- Never share your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number with anyone who contacts you.
- Somebody who tells you to pay with a gift card, money transfer, or Bitcoin is a scammer. Always.
Have you spotted a scam? Report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. To keep up to date with what the FTC is doing, sign up to get Consumer Alerts.
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18 Comments
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In reply to Twice this morning I got a by mandrake
You can report problems to the FTC at www.FTC.gov/Complaint. The information you give will go into a secure database that the FTC and other law enforcement agencies use for investigations.
The information you put here on the blog doesn't go into the law enforcment database.
In reply to wish I had read this before by lyann
In reply to How can you talk about the Su by Deacon
We published a blog in August about scammers imitating a type of informal savings club known as a “sou sou” or “susu” to trick people into joining what amounts to an illegal pyramid scheme.
A real “sou sou” is a rotating savings club with historic roots in West Africa and the Caribbean. But scammers are pitching fake sou sou savings clubs and opportunities like “The Circle Game,” “Blessing Loom,” “Money Board”.
In reply to I constantly have pop ups on by Archiebald