{"id":22097,"date":"2012-07-10T17:59:34","date_gmt":"2012-07-10T07:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/power-up.space\/?p=22097"},"modified":"2012-07-10T17:59:34","modified_gmt":"2012-07-10T07:59:34","slug":"spread-the-word-protect-a-friend-dont-fall-for-the-microsoft-technical-support-scam-phone-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/?p=22097","title":{"rendered":"Spread the Word, Protect a Friend \u2013 Don\u2019t Fall for the \u2018Microsoft Technical Support\u2019 Scam Phone Call"},"content":{"rendered":"

MELBOURNE, 10 July 2012<\/strong> \u2014 In its ongoing efforts to protect Australians from cyber crime, AVG (AU\/NZ) Pty Ltd reiterates its warnings regarding the long running \u2018Microsoft Technical Support\u2019 phone scam.<\/p>\n

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from \u2018Microsoft\u2019, \u2018Windows Technical Support\u2019, or something similar, advising that your computer has a virus, they are likely to be a scammer. Microsoft and other security vendors never contact customers in this way. (For details of how the scam operates and how best to respond, see below.)<\/p>\n

Michael McKinnon, Security Advisor at AVG (AU\/NZ), distributor of AVG Technologies\u2019 award-winning AVG Internet and mobile security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, confirmed that: \u201cPeople continue to fall for this scam, despite all the warnings, so it is obviously a very lucrative business for cybercriminals. Every day, our Technical Support Team in Melbourne assists customers who have been contacted by scammers and told their computers are infected \u2013 when in reality, they aren\u2019t. Just this week, one of our customers told us that he had paid more than $4,000 to a scammer.\u201d<\/p>\n

This dangerous scam takes advantage of consumer vulnerabilities. Computers and gadgets are evolving so rapidly that users are, understandably, often unsure how to use them properly and securely, or who trusted vendors might be. \u201cBecause many people are fearful of malfunction or online infections, it is no surprise they respond to what sounds like expert technical intervention,\u201d McKinnon said.<\/p>\n

AVG (AU\/NZ) advises that, in Australia, if your computer really does become infected with malware, it is possible you may receive a legitimate phone call from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), as many of them participate in the Australian Internet Security Initiative<\/a>. And you will have protocols in place with your ISP for online or phone communications. A call from any other organisation should not be trusted.<\/p>\n

How the scam works<\/strong><\/p>\n