How the scam works
Something is wrong with your home computer or internet connection, so you search online for a customer support phone number. In a rush, you click to dial the phone number listed in a top result.
A company “representative” answers and asks you a few standard questions about your device, such as the make and model number. The call seems normal at first, but it soon takes a turn. This “tech support rep” has some creative stories to explain the issue. They may insist that someone in your house has been watching pornography, and that has resulted in your computer being hacked. In one recent report, the “representative” asked if the caller had a teenage son and then insisted the boy was to blame. In another case, “tech support” claimed that “thousands of people” had been using the caller’s IP address to view pornography.
This scam is a setup for selling expensive computer security software, typically costing victims between $200 and $900. Unfortunately, it does nothing to fix your computer or internet issues. In some cases, the scammers will also want remote access to your computer. Allowing them remote access enables them to install malware that…
