By Bill Stoller, President, WCH Computer Services, LLC
If you haven’t received at least one of these calls, surely you know someone who has: a call that claims the person on the phone is from “Microsoft Support” or “Windows Support” or maybe “Windows Help Desk,” and there’s something wrong with your computer that the caller can fix for you.
It’s a scam, of course – Microsoft and other computer companies’ techs don’t just call uninvited, and if you think you’ve been targeted, you’re right!
Security experts and the federal watchdogs agree, these calls are aiming for older adults. At a Senate committee hearing last week (http://1.usa.gov/204De9f), a Federal Trade Commission official testified that so far in 2015, some three-quarters of complaints to the FTC about these scams are from people at least 50 years old, and more than half from those over 60.
A Federal Communications Commission attorney told me scammers really want the technically unsophisticated elderly.
“The ideal target for the scammer,” she says, “is someone who is above 75 years old, has a computer that they use very infrequently, is intimidated by the technology, and lives alone, doesn’t have a great social network of people that are talking about this sort of scam to warn them, and relies on the telephone for their communication with their friends and loved ones; the land line telephone.”
Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist for AVG Technologies, agrees that the scammers don’t want younger people, for whom all technology is completely normal, but they covet a less technically aware generation.
“Those people who feel uncomfortable are an easy target unfortunately,” he says, because “when somebody says they are going to fix something for them or make the machine work quicker or they’ve got a security issue, then they are a little more gullible, and they don’t actually understand how to check that themselves.”
The scam callers are largely based in India, working out of call centers, and phoning at virtually no cost over the Internet. They generally call land lines, not cell phones – since younger people tend to have only wireless phones – and they work off easily obtainable lists of older Americans.
The scammers often say they can “see” that your computer is having problems or is infected with a virus, and then, if you stay on the phone, they want to get remote access to your PC to “fix” your computer – for a price. Or they might tell you a “license” has expired, and need your credit card number to “renew” it. Or any number of lies to get your financial information.
Many of my older clients have been called, and several, concerned that they were being defrauded, have reached out to me for advice. One 50 plus businesswoman, who works from home in Hartsdale, NY, was told “Norton Tech Support” was calling about viruses on her laptop. I reminded her she used Trend anti-virus software, and she quickly hung up on the scam call.
Barbara, a 75 year old semi-retired executive assistant in Astoria, NY (who asked that her last name not be used), came home to a ringing telephone call from “Microsoft,” and although she is fairly comfortable with computers because of her job, started to allow the caller to have remote control of her home computer, since she had legitimately called Microsoft for help in the past. She pulled the plug when the caller wanted to know her banking information, then she phoned me for advice and to check her computer for damage or malware. There was none. You can listen to the interview with Barbara here: https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229520540%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Mjxyb&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false”>
AVG’s Tony Anscombe says generally the scammers are interested only in the quick buck, not in planting malware: “Most of the cases I’ve seen – and I’m not saying it doesn’t happen – but most of the cases I’ve seen they collect their $200-300 dollars and move on to the next victim.”
Don’t the workers at these call centers feel guilty about cheating someone’s grandparent out of a few hundred dollars? The FCC lawyer I spoke with says no, “they really don’t, because there is a perception among the scammers, especially overseas, that they’re defrauding rich Americans and that they have it coming.”
Tony Anscombe says if you or someone you know falls for the scam, and gives a credit card number, immediately call the credit card company, have the transaction voided and the card cancelled, and tell the bank what happened so they will not take future charges from the same merchant. The advice from all corners is that if you receive any such unsolicited “support” call, just hang up; never give financial information to someone you don’t know; and do not go to any unknown website or allow strangers remote access. Make sure your friends & family learn this too, and not the hard way.
About the Author
Bill Stoller was a broadcast journalist with an interest in technology – among other things – for 25 years, before becoming an IT consultant to small businesses and non-profits in the New York City area through his company WCH Computer Services, LLC. The company is also a nationwide reseller of email security, archiving & encryption services.
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