Tech support scams cost New Englanders millions of dollars in 2021, according to FBI Boston.
These scams come in the form of someone pretending to be a tech support representative, generally posing as an employee for a well-known company, the Better Business Bureau says. Contact could come as a phone call, an email or a popup on your computer screen.
The scammer will warn of some urgent issue, possibly one that could lead to a crash or wiping of your machine. Then they’ll offer to remote in to fix the problem, for a fee. If given access they could also install malware that can continue to cause problems or steal data from a victim.
The agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports $7.5 million in total losses and hundreds of victims in New England states. Here’s the breakdown from four states.
- 106 victims in ME lost $673,339
- 521 victims in MA lost $5,386,594
- 117 victims in NH lost $568,394
- 65 victims in RI lost $915,714
Nationally, 60% of victims were reported to be over 60 years old & accounted for 68% of the losses, according to the FBI. Here are some tips from the BBB to avoid becoming a victim:
Tips to spot this scam
- Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you are absolutely sure it is the representative of a computer support team with whom you initiated contact.
- Legitimate tech support companies don’t make unsolicited phone calls. A popular way for thieves to get in touch with victims is through cold calls. The…
