Millions of people fall for tech support scams every year, causing worry for companies that practice poor cyber security. These tech support scams trick users into calling their tech support line number after bombarding them with popups. The scammers then hold the victim’s devices ransom until they receive a payment.
According to a report from Malwarebytes, so far in 2016, over $2 million has been lost due to tech support scams, and 3,668 complaints have been filed with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). In the past, these tech support scams were less sophisticated and harder to fall for. Now scammers use advancing phishing techniques like digital targeting and impersonation to turnover billions in profit. The popularity of tech support scams started rising in 2013 after scammers used malicious advertising to send fake alerts to users. The IC3 then issued a public service announcement about the advancements tech support scams were making in an effort to get Internet users to be more cautious.
In December 2014, Microsoft sued a number of scam tech companies that were falsely claiming to be associated with Microsoft. In 2015, the Federal Trade Commission shut down tech support scammers that claimed to be Apple, Microsoft, and Google’s tech support teams. These scammers were shut down after they swindled $17 million from unsuspecting Internet users. An estimated $1.5 billion total was lost to scammers last year.
Domain Switching: Everyone’s accidentally stumbled across a page that tries to load a new URL whenever you try to click “Leave Page.” Scammers hope to create an endless loop of redirects so Internet users feel like they have no choice but to call the fake tech support number that pops up.
Software Activation: Scammers convince users to buy a program that has a hidden license key. The users then call the fake tech support number to activate the software, but the scammers use social engineering to find more fake problems in the user’s devices
Ransomware: Scammers use ransomware to infect a victim’s device and lock it. The victims then have to call the tech support number and offer up payment in exchange for their unlocked devices
Promisec Endpoint Manager (PEM) lets companies protect their employees from tech support scams by continuously scanning networks for suspicious activity and malware. Companies can use PEM to establish strong application control policies, and prevent employees from downloading unauthorized software. PEM also allows companies to partition off data, so unnecessary employees won’t be allowed to access it. The partitioning of information is helpful during a ransomware attack, where scammers block of access to data. Companies are less likely to panic and pay the ransom when they still have access to the information they need to run operations. PEM helps companies keep their employees safe from tech support scams.
According to a report from Malwarebytes, so far in 2016, over $2 million has been lost due to tech support scams, and 3,668 complaints have been filed with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). In the past, these tech support scams were less sophisticated and harder to fall for. Now scammers use advancing phishing techniques like digital targeting and impersonation to turnover billions in profit. The popularity of tech support scams started rising in 2013 after scammers used malicious advertising to send fake alerts to users. The IC3 then issued a public service announcement about the advancements tech support scams were making in an effort to get Internet users to be more cautious.
In December 2014, Microsoft sued a number of scam tech companies that were falsely claiming to be associated with Microsoft. In 2015, the Federal Trade Commission shut down tech support scammers that claimed to be Apple, Microsoft, and Google’s tech support teams. These scammers were shut down after they swindled $17 million from unsuspecting Internet users. An estimated $1.5 billion total was lost to scammers last year.
According to the report, below are different types of tactics that scammers use to trick users:
Domain Switching: Everyone’s accidentally stumbled across a page that tries to load a new URL whenever you try to click “Leave Page.” Scammers hope to create an endless loop of redirects so Internet users feel like they have no choice but to call the fake tech support number that pops up.
Software Activation: Scammers convince users to buy a program that has a hidden license key. The users then call the fake tech support number to activate the software, but the scammers use social engineering to find more fake problems in the user’s devices
Ransomware: Scammers use ransomware to infect a victim’s device and lock it. The victims then have to call the tech support number and offer up payment in exchange for their unlocked devices
Promisec Endpoint Manager (PEM) lets companies protect their employees from tech support scams by continuously scanning networks for suspicious activity and malware. Companies can use PEM to establish strong application control policies, and prevent employees from downloading unauthorized software. PEM also allows companies to partition off data, so unnecessary employees won’t be allowed to access it. The partitioning of information is helpful during a ransomware attack, where scammers block of access to data. Companies are less likely to panic and pay the ransom when they still have access to the information they need to run operations. PEM helps companies keep their employees safe from tech support scams.
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