Boston's FBI office has issued a warning about a disturbing increase in tech support fraud, in which victims are tricked into believing that their computers or financial accounts have been hacked.
Scammers in Action
These con artists pose as customer care representatives from reputable companies like Apple or Microsoft, according to a report by PCMag. They try to convince the victim that there is a problem with their device, usually their computer or bank account and that they must pay a fee to resolve it. They can go so far as to say that child sexual abuse material was discovered on the user's computer to scare them.
The FBI Boston presented various tales that illustrate how the tech support scam has affected customers in the United States.
In each of the four accounts, the victims' computers or tablets suddenly displayed a pop-up message saying the device had been compromised as a result of an attack.
The pop-up messages were even responsible for the loss of $1.1 million that was incurred by a couple from Maine. The scammers were able to trick the couple into moving the money to an account at the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase.
Scammers posing as tech help have also been successful in persuading victims to download remote desktop applications on their computers. Examples of such apps are UltraViewer and AnyDesk.
Fraudsters will do this under the guise of claiming that the installation of remote desktop software would make it simpler for them to assist the customer in getting out of their current problem. However, in fact, they are utilizing the app to get unauthorized access to the victim's device, which then enables them to establish crypto accounts in order to steal the funds.
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The Increasing Number of Tech Fraud Cases
Since well over a decade ago, scams posing as technical help have been a persistent issue, and the financial damage caused by these crimes is rapidly increasing.
According to the FBI, the agency received 23,903 complaints regarding tech support scams in the previous year, which resulted in an estimated $347 million in losses. This figure represents a 137% increase from the prior year.
FBI reported that the majority of victims, approximately 60%, claimed that they were over the age of 60, and they incurred 68% of the losses. Losses of over $7.5 million were recorded by 809 victims in the Boston Division, which encompasses all of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. This is an increase of 49% from the previous year.
Piece of Advice from the FBI
Joseph Bonavolonta, head of the FBI Boston office, confirmed that they have seen victims lose their whole life savings in some instances. This is enough reason why the agency is imploring everyone, particularly older relatives and friends, to heed this warning.
The FBI has issued a reminder to the public that genuine tech support businesses would never proactively seek out customers. Neither will they insist on being paid in cash, pre-paid cards, or digital currencies.
Do not dial the number in any error or pop-up messages, said the FBI, pointing out that phone numbers are never included in the alerts.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Trisha Kae Andrada
