This week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning about tech support scams that are conning people into giving away access to their financial accounts through remote desktop software. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the report is the bureau’s admission that the numbers are probably higher than what they reported.
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How the Tech Support Scam Works
The Boston Division of the FBI issued the warning about tech support scams, but it’s clear that people across the world should heed the warning and that it shouldn’t be confined to the New England region of the United States.
The bureau is seeing the scams evolve, with more people falling for them and more money being lost. In essence, that’s what the scammers are doing, warning people of fraud, but it’s really a scam using a scam.
The hackers pose as tech company tech support reps and call, email, or text victims, offering to help with their compromised email or bank account, deal with a computer virus, or renew a software license. They convince victims to move funds to gain control over their computers, finances, or both.
Fictitious support sites are created, and victims are asked to wire or transfer their money out of their bank accounts or brokerage firms and into cryptocurrency exchanges – or even transfer their money to a crypto wallet to…
