The Lady Lake Police Department has recently been contacted regarding scam artists making phone calls claiming to be computer techs and trying to trick residents into giving them remote access to your computer.
These scammers try to convince you that there are multiple problems with your computer and they are using tactics designed to scare you into believing that your computer system is in need of immediate repair and they can help you fix this problem.
These scammers will try to gain your trust by pretending to be associated with well-known companies or confusing you with a barrage of technical terms.
They will ask you questions and try to guide you so that they can hack into your computer and then make changes to your system in an attempt to steal your information.
These scammers may also try to set you up into believing that your computer is vulnerable to hackers and try to enroll you in worthless computer maintenance or warranty programs requesting credit card or bank information for payment of these phony services. They may try to trick you into installing malware that could steal sensitive data, like user names and passwords.
Regardless of the tactics they use, they have one purpose – to take your money.
If you get a call from someone who claims to be a tech support person and creates a sense of urgency, uses high-pressure tactics and/or asks an abundance of questions with regard to personal information or computer information – hang up the phone.
“Don’t give control of your computer to someone who calls you out of the blue,” said Lady Lake Police Chief Chris McKinstry.
Do not rely on caller ID alone to authenticate a caller. Criminals spoof caller ID numbers. They may appear to be calling from a legitimate company or a local number, when they’re not even in the same country as you.
Never provide credit card or financial information to someone who calls and claims to be from tech support.
Never give your password to someone who calls you. No legitimate organization calls you and asks for your password.
If you have given out your password(s), change them immediately.
If you believe that someone may have accessed your personal or financial information, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Identity Theft website and file a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
You can minimize your risk of further damage and repair any problems already in place.
