A close call with crafty scammer posing as Microsoft support

Microsoft enactment scams are astir apt the oldest benignant of online scam, and they stay conscionable arsenic unsafe arsenic they were a decennary ago, possibly adjacent much truthful present with scammers having entree to amended technology, AI tools and precocious hardware. We’ve reported connected countless numbers of these scams, but "Bob" from Washington, D.C., forwarded a caller 1 that we wanted to stock with you. This peculiar scam uses Google hunt results to redirect you to scammers alternatively of Microsoft lawsuit support.

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A pistillate encounters a Microsoft enactment scam (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

How a Microsoft enactment scammer astir stole $14,000

Bob mentioned successful the email that helium and his woman mislaid entree to their Microsoft Exchange email service. They searched Google for Microsoft enactment and called a fig they found, which connected them to a technician. They past gave him support to entree their computer.

"After a mates of hours of moving ‘security’ scans helium told america helium had recovered that different IP addresses were trying to get into our system. Getting suspicious I asked him for his ID fig and interaction accusation for his supervisor. I called his ‘superior’ who asked maine each the ‘right questions’ and confirmed the technician I was talking to was legit," Bob wrote.

The technician past claimed to person frozen Bob’s relationship and told him that 1 of the suspicious IP addresses had attempted to retreat wealth from their slope account.

When Bob asked if helium should interaction the slope astir the issue, the technician told him, "Don’t bash that. We privation to acceptable up a sting and drawback them red-handed. We judge there’s an worker leaking lawsuit information, and we don’t privation you tipping them off."

Bob added, "Now nationwide, I judge my slope astir apt has implicit 100,000 employees. What are the likelihood that I would beryllium alerting the 1 crooked slope employee? Then helium said springiness america support to entree your account. We volition 'borrow' $14,000, and acceptable up a sting successful South Carolina wherever the constabulary are already waiting to drawback the crook."

The technician, who by this constituent was intelligibly a scammer, besides promised Bob a $500 reward. But erstwhile Bob asked astir their archetypal petition to person the email relationship restored, the scammer replied that the IT squad would grip that later. Realizing it was a scam, Bob and his woman ended the call.

A pistillate carrying a Microsoft laptop (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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How did a Microsoft enactment fig pb to a scammer?

Scammers often instrumentality vantage of hunt engines similar Google by creating fake websites oregon ads that mimic morganatic Microsoft enactment pages. When users, similar Bob, hunt for "Microsoft support" oregon "Microsoft lawsuit service," they whitethorn unknowingly click connected 1 of these fraudulent links, which look astatine the apical of hunt results. These fake pages show telephone numbers that look authoritative but really link users to scammers posing arsenic Microsoft technicians.

Once connected the phone, the scammers usage scare tactics, similar claiming there's suspicious enactment connected your account, to summation entree to your machine and idiosyncratic information. In Bob’s case, helium called what helium thought was a Microsoft enactment number, but it was truly a scammer who tricked him into allowing entree to his computer.

A pistillate moving connected her laptop (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

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5 ways to support yourself from Microsoft enactment scams

Microsoft scams are getting much blase each day, but you're not defenseless. Here are immoderate ways to support yourself from Microsoft enactment scams:

1) Verify interaction information: Always usage authoritative interaction accusation from Microsoft’s authoritative website. Microsoft does not connection enactment via unsolicited calls oregon pop-ups.

2) Be cautious with hunt results: Be wary of hunt motor results oregon ads that look excessively bully to beryllium true. Use authoritative websites and interaction numbers to scope support.

3) Check for reddish flags: Scammers often usage urgent connection oregon threats to make a consciousness of panic. Be suspicious if you're pressured to enactment rapidly oregon if the idiosyncratic asks for distant entree to your computer.

4) Invest successful idiosyncratic information removal services: Scammers are becoming progressively blase successful their methods of obtaining idiosyncratic information. They often scour the web for publically disposable data, piecing unneurotic details from assorted sources to make targeted phishing attacks. These personalized scams tin beryllium alarmingly convincing, making it important to bounds the magnitude of idiosyncratic accusation accessible online. Check retired my apical picks for information removal services here.

5) Have beardown antivirus software: If you person beardown antivirus bundle installed connected your device, it tin support you from visiting harmful websites connected the net that mightiness beryllium mimicking a institution similar Microsoft. Antivirus bundle besides helps you debar opening malicious attachments oregon links.

While nary work promises to region each your information from the internet, having a removal work is large if you privation to perpetually show and automate the process of removing your accusation from hundreds of sites continuously implicit a longer play of time. Get my picks for the champion 2024 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

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Kurt’s cardinal takeaways

This Microsoft enactment scam is simply a reminder to double-check who you’re dealing with earlier sharing immoderate idiosyncratic info. Scammers are getting slicker, utilizing fake enactment numbers that popular up successful your hunt results to instrumentality you into giving them entree to your machine oregon slope details. To enactment safe, instrumentality to authoritative interaction info from Microsoft’s website, beryllium skeptical of urgent oregon unexpected calls and support an oculus retired for reddish flags.

Have you ever encountered a Microsoft enactment scam oregon immoderate different akin scam? How did you grip it? Let america cognize by penning america at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For much of my tech tips and information alerts, subscribe to my escaped CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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