Scams are becoming a worldwide issue nowadays! Individuals go years or even their whole lives without realizing that they were a victim of a scam.
Sadly, many discover too late that their information was previously compromised, after realizing that their bank account’s now drained or personal identity’s been stolen.
But It’s not every day that one of our very own technicians can become a scammer’s target. Of course, the scammer didn’t know who he was calling!
The other day our technician Chase brought up that he had gotten a sketchy phone call from a local number claiming his Apple ID was corrupted. The caller had asked to gain access to his computer to do a “network scan” to make sure there weren’t any unwanted devices.
The caller then gave Chase an ID number and said that he would show their Apple Certificate to verify their identity once he gained access to his computer. Then he asked him for the payment of one $500 Google Play card and Five $100 iTunes Cards and said that it would be refunded in a given time.
The caller realized that Chase was onto him and hung up. But OHH.. he really thought he was about to earn some big $$.
Warning Sign #1: Apple will not call you if you are having an issue with an Apple ID.
Warning Sign #2: The caller didn’t call from an 800 number (or known Apple number); instead, they used a spoofed number local to the area.
Warning Sign #3: Payment in the form of a gift card is always a huge red flag that you are about to get scammed.
These scams are commonly conducted through sites such as FastSupport.com or other legitimate remote access software, leading the victim to believe they are being helped.
Usually, the scammer’s purpose is to gain access to your computer, promising to scan or fix a problem that you may have on your computer.
In most cases, they will call you from a local number (like in Chase’s case), or you will see a type of popup/lock screen on the computer asking to call a “support technician” to fix your alleged issue. They will often claim that they are calling from Microsoft and attempt to portray themselves as legitimate as possible.
Believe me, Microsoft will not be calling you to fix a problem unless you have contacted them first!
Reading this article, you may now think, “well, now I know” or “I am too smart for this to happen to me,” but be careful thinking such things; these scammers are constantly changing their tactics and methods to get through to the most people they can.
If you would like more detailed information on these types of scams, please read this article by Sensor Tech Forum (https://sensorstechforum.com/fastsupport-com-scam/).
If you believe that you have been the victim of a Fastsupport.com scam or any other scam type, please contact a local IT Company in your area to get help.
Computerbilities is offering FREE Dark Web Scans! See if your information or the information of a loved one has been compromised in a matter of seconds.
https://www.computerbilities.com/dark-web-scan/
Mihailov, T. (2020, May 20). FastSupport.com Scam – What Is It? (Update May 2020). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://sensorstechforum.com/fastsupport-com-scam/
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