2025年3月26日星期三

Unclaimed Money Scams

 

The surprising truth about unclaimed money: Internet ScamBusters #100

Hi Everyone,

Today is our 100th issue -- and this month marks the tenth anniversary of Internet ScamBusters. We truly appreciate all of you -- our subscribers -- and it's been a wonderful experience helping make the Net a bit safer. 🙂

On to today's topic: unclaimed money, unclaimed property, and unclaimed funds. This is actually a very interesting topic, because there is... surprisingly... a lot of truth to real unclaimed money -- probably a lot more than most of our subscribers would suspect.

It's also important because it provides another example of an old 'favorite': the 809 scam. We'll help you figure out the truth about finding unclaimed money, property, and funds -- and how to avoid getting scammed.

Let's get started...

Unclaimed Money Scams

Who wouldn't want to find free or unclaimed money that legitimately belongs to you? Free or unclaimed money is very appealing to many people -- especially if it's legitimate. 😉

The interesting thing is that there really is unclaimed money and unclaimed funds available -- in fact, there are huge amounts of it. Much of it belongs to people who have passed away. And much of it is just forgotten.

However, finding free or unclaimed money on the Net is one of the oldest scams in the book, so red flags should go off whenever you read anything about this.

For example, there is a very popular unclaimed money scam going around right now via email. One such email starts off: "There's over 400 billion dollars in unclaimed money in North America -- and some of it belongs to you!"

(How do they know?)

Another email starts off: "You are owed money. Nine out of ten people over the age of 25 are owed money they didn't know they had, and you are one of them!"

(Again, how do they know?)

These emails go on to claim that Oprah recently did a show on this unclaimed money phenomenon, and that it's been documented that '9 out of 10 people are owed money' by the country's banks and other financial institutes.

Finally, comes the pitch -- the company that's sending you the email will, of course, help you locate your unclaimed money. All you need to do is call this particular 1-809 number 'right now'!

The company claims that they'll do a 'search' for free, and that you don't have to pay them anything until they've found your money. And even then, they'll only take 15%.

What they DON'T tell you is that they're going to make money on that 1-809 call they've convinced you to make, for starters.

In fact, this is one the most popular 809 phone scams going on right now. You can read more about 809 scams here.

They also don't tell you that they'll send you a 'refined' search that includes your last name and first initial in an official looking database list, and then they'll tell you that although they can't guarantee it's you, you'll need to pay a fee (or perhaps buy a membership) before they'll check any further.

If you'd like to read a popular version of this unclaimed money and unclaimed funds scam email that's going around, click here now.

Besides the 809 scam, what are the other fraudulent aspects of the types of email?

First, they are spam, so you know that the chance is at least 95% that they are fraudulent. Second, almost all want to charge you a fee to help you reclaim the money -- something you can do for free for yourself (see below)

Others charge the fee even if they simply locate the $2.64 you left behind in a paper route account when you were 12. And still others are aimed at getting your personal information, most likely to get bank account numbers or other financial information in order to commit identity theft.

The good news is that you can do this research for free -- and see if there is really any unclaimed money or property owed to you. And you can do this without paying any fees!

Here are the state-sanctioned unclaimed funds registries...

National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators

==> http://www.unclaimed.org/

(Click on the link for 'Owners' and then click on the link to 'Find Property' -- this will let you select your state.)

Missing Money

==> http://www.missingmoney.com/

Both of these sites link you to databases in each state where you can do the search online.

Using unclaimed.org, we actually found a couple of hundred dollars of funds that belonged to Audri's father after he passed away. So, we can vouch that there is actually unclaimed money to be found. 😉 Good luck finding unclaimed money that might belong to you!

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Did Starbucks Really Say They Don't Support the Troops in Iraq?

 Starbucks

Starbucks email, Windows email Security Test, and new VA Internet safety law: Internet ScamBusters #174

Today we have a Snippets issue for you, and we focus on three topics:

- Did Starbucks Really Say They Don't Support the Troops in Iraq?

- Windows Email Security Test

- New Law Requires Virginia Public Schools to Teach Internet Safety

On to today's Snippets...

Did Starbucks Really Say They Don't Support the Troops in Iraq?

We've gotten a lot of questions this week asking us if the following email is true or a hoax:

--- Begin hoax email ---

Subject line: Starbucks

Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks, because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees and to request that they send some of it to the troops there.

Starbucks replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support in their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it, and that they would not send the troops their brand of coffee.

So as not to offend Starbucks, we should not support them by buying any of their products.

As a war vet writing to fellow patriots, I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground, fighting street-to-street and house-to-house for what they and I believe is right.

If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and no one will ever know.

Thanks very much for supporting me, and I know you'll all be there when I deploy once more.

Semper Fidelis.

Sgt Howard C. Wright
1st Force Recon Co 1st Plt PLT

--- End hoax email ---

Answer: We've been getting variants of this hoax email for the past two years.

Starbucks has refuted this email. Here is what Starbucks says on their website:

"Starbucks Donates to Military Personnel. As part of
Starbucks ongoing commitment to share the comfort of
coffee during times of crisis, the company continues to
demonstrate our support of the men and women serving in
the U.S. military overseas."

You can read more about Starbucks' donation policies by clicking on the "Starbucks ongoing commitment" link on this page.

We recommend you NOT pass along this email hoax.

Windows Email Security Test

Is your computer safe? Most of us have no idea, even if we have programs to protect us from viruses, spyware and other security threats.

You can perform a test to see how secure your system is. You can visit the website below and give your name and email address. They then send you a confirmation email.

When you click on the link, you'll be sent approximately 24 emails, each with a harmless text file that tests a specific aspect of security.

If you receive the emails, you may want to follow the instructions (which include details of what you can do to improve security), since your computer may not be as protected as you thought.

==} http://www.windowsecurity.com/emailsecuritytest/

(Incidentally, we were initially VERY reluctant to recommend this website, because if this test were a scam, it could do a lot of damage. However, we found that this site is recommended and linked to by hundreds of top sites, and Microsoft recommends it as a Resource. Nonetheless, we still always recommend caution in these situations.)

New Law Requires Virginia Public Schools to Teach Internet Safety


A new law, which passed last month and takes effect on July 1, 2006, requires public schools in Virginia to teach students about cyber-safety. The goal is to teach kids (and hopefully their parents as well) about the dangers of cyberspace.

Although there have been many informal and ad hoc measures to teach students about Internet safety, this bill formalizes the process by directing the Department of Education to issue guidelines to schools for integrating cyber-safety into the regular curriculum.

We believe teaching kids about cyber-safety is very important. The Virginia Department of Education (as well as the public schools) can take advantage of the wealth of free information ScamBusters.org has published over the past 11 years on cyber-safety.

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Are Ecards Safe?

 Since we're getting close to the holiday season and the biggest time of year for ecards (also called e-cards or electronic greeting cards), we decided to devote today's issue to answering the question: Are ecards safe?

Phone with ecard

Are Ecards Safe?

Ecards (or electronic greeting cards) have become very popular over the past few years. Ecards are a very convenient and inexpensive way to send greetings to your friends and family, and they can even be used to promote your business.

There are thousands of ecard companies, and ecards can be a handy way to send a quick thank you, sorry, or thinking of you message -- as well as a cheap and easy emergency fix when you forget a special occasion and you no longer have time to send a regular card by snail mail.

Ecards have become increasingly creative, and many incorporate audio, video, and/or moving images. Some ecards can be completely customized, including recording your own audio message. Many people love receiving ecards.

Are ecards safe?

If you send or receive ecards, have you ever considered whether or not the ecard you're sending is safe? Or whether it's OK to open an ecard when you receive one -- especially from someone you know?

Most people never consider the dangers of ecards -- and unfortunately, there are plenty of dangers.

Having said that, most ecards you receive from friends are safe and easy to use. However, since there are quite a few ecard scams going around right now, we want to help you make sure you don't become an ecard scam victim.

This is especially important since the holiday season is perfect for ecard scams -- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year -- which is why we decided to devote this issue to this topic.

What are the biggest ecard dangers?

A legitimate-looking ecard, once it is clicked and/or downloaded, might actually be spyware, spam, or a computer virus.

For example, your computer then may start displaying obscene images, barrage you with pop-up ads, launch adult websites, or start sending bogus ecards to those in your address book that appear to come from you.

For more on viruses, trojans and spyware, click here.

One common ecard scam involves ecards that download adware or spyware -- and they get you to agree to this in the fine print when you click saying you accept the Terms of the ecard company!

Since not all viruses trash your PC, it may lie dormant for awhile -- so you may never suspect that the ecard you received was anything other than legitimate...

Here's an example of an ecard scam that's trickier than most phishing scams: The ecard looks like it comes from Hallmark and asks you to download an attachment to pick up our ecard. However, the attachment isn't really an ecard -- it's a Trojan.

This particular Trojan then waits for you to sign onto AOL. If and when you do, it displays a pop-up window that looks like an AOL form, but asks you to verify/update your AOL billing info by providing your credit card, checking account info, and Social Security number.

This ecard, of course, is not really from Hallmark, and AOL has nothing to do with this scam either. Scammers are trying to steal your financial info and/or your identity.

Important: Hallmark never sends attachments with its legitimate ecards. And AOL doesn't ask for billing info via pop-up windows.

Telltale signs of a fake ecard

Here are a few clues that an ecard is bogus...

- Spelling mistakes -- e.g. congratulation! Or your name is misspelled.

- Errors in the message -- e.g. it says you sent a card, not received one.

- The sender isn't someone you know.

- The sender has a bogus name (Joe Cool, Agatha Tragonawar, Card Sender, Secret Admirer, etc.).

- A URL that appears odd -- e.g. www.http:// rather than http://www.

How to avoid trouble from fake ecards

- If in any doubt, don't open it.

- Delete any ecard from someone you don't know. Why would someone you don't know be sending you a card?

- Never click on anything from an unknown source, never open an attachment from an unknown source, and never download from an unknown source. (It's really as simple as that!)

- Never click to accept terms from any company without reading the fine print. One ecard scam asked users to accept Terms that included the fact that the company would access their address book and forward a message to everyone in it!

- Use antivirus software and keep it up to date. For more on anti-virus software, click here.

- Use Mozilla Firefox. Many ecard scams use loopholes in Internet Explorer, so Firefox is far more secure against this type of scam. But since Firefox is not 100% secure either, make sure you keep FireFox updated. We've talked about this many times, including on this page on spyware removal.

- We recommend against opening any ecard with an attachment. You never know what is really in that attachment until it's too late.

Remember: even opening attachments that appear to come from friends or coworkers puts you at risk. Check out these email safety tips.

- Be skeptical and alert. If something seems fishy, be cautious. Remember, a Trojan can make a phony ecard look like it's coming from a friend or family member. So, be vigilant.

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Online Shopping Malls Scams

 

Myth - online shopping malls have the same benefits of real malls: Internet ScamBusters #17

Welcome to all our new subscribers! This will probably be the most controversial issue we've done in a *long* time. So let's get going...

Scam: Internet malls have
the same benefits of real malls.

You've no doubt heard radio ads, seen ads, watched infomercials, or gotten promotions advertising Internet malls (or cybermalls). These commercials and ads usually invite you to attend a free seminar. At that seminar, you're pitched on attending an in-depth seminar, which often includes a business opportunity to sell mall space, and/or space on a cybermall. Some claim that you don't even need to own a computer.

So, the question is: are Internet malls legitimate -- or are they scams?

Some Internet malls are scams, pure and simple. They do not provide the Web space they promise -- the owners simply steal your money. However, this is the exception.

Other malls are certainly not outright scams -- they do legitimately provide Internet "storefronts" where people can promote their businesses.

However, there are a lot of false conceptions behind most Internet malls. And that's the focus for this issue of Internet ScamBusters.

Here are seven common problems with Internet malls:

1. Internet malls do *not* have the same benefits as real malls. Prime "location" on the Internet is very different than "prime" real estate in the physical world.

In fact, location on the Internet is an unlimited resource. It's very different than "prime" real estate in the physical world (which is very limited).

Here's why: At a typical mall in the "real world," you often walk by the small shops on your way to Nordstrom's or Sears. As you stroll by, you might see a new book by your favorite author in the window of WaldenBooks, or a great new kitchen gadget in Williams Sonoma's window. So, you might well go into these stores, and perhaps you'll buy these (or other) items.

However, on an Internet mall, you don't "walk by" other shops. In other words, the analogy of a mall really doesn't work very well on the Internet.

2. Many mall owners sell the promise that you'll get a lot of visitors to your Web site because you're part of their mall. Mall owners will often tell you how many "hits" they get each day. Hits are a meaningless measure of traffic. (As someone has recently said: HITS = How Idiots Track Success.) Further, the assumption is that because there is a lot of traffic to the mall, your Web site (or "storefront") will also get a lot of traffic.

In reality, it's just as easy to get buried in a mall as elsewhere. Even if the mall is well promoted, there are often hundreds -- even thousands -- of stores in the mall. Even when your "storefront" is listed in the mall directory, it's unlikely that this listing alone will generate a lot of visitors.
In fact, being listed in a mall directory is similar to being listed in the white pages of the phone book. This kind of listing rarely generates many new customers for your business (who don't already know of you).

3. It's usually the mall owner -- not the businesses located in the mall -- who makes money. And many of the large malls make more of their money selling seminars and business opportunities than via online transactions.

4. Internet malls are usually pricey. The additional cost for having a Web site in a mall is usually not worth the benefits -- especially since most malls make you pay *extra* for every single time you want to make changes to your Web site. Further, the cost of Web space is often quite high on a mall. And, the cost of creating Web pages is usually substantially higher on a mall.

5. Since mall space is so expensive, most malls talk about creating a Web "page" rather than a Web "site." Yet, we know of very few businesses that are profitable on the Internet that have just one or two Web pages. Successful businesses on the Internet are content rich -- which usually means many pages.

6. Some Internet malls sell Web pages at a premium, and claim that the value of these Web pages will go up. They even use the analogy that these pages are like stock that will appreciate in value. (At least one mall actually gives out certificates that look like stock certificates!)

There are definitely some significant problems with this analogy.

First, whereas the number of shares of stock in a public company is basically fixed (or at least it's regulated), an Internet mall can simply create as many new Web pages (and certificates) as it wants -- there are absolutely no limits. Second, finding buyers for your mall Web page is very different than finding buyers for stock in a publicly traded company. And third, since real estate on the Internet is an unlimited resource, there's no reason to assume that the value of the Web page will appreciate.

7. Jim's favorite is the cliam that you don't need to own a computer and they will train you to be an 'internet consultant'. Excuse me? Who in their right mind would hire (or buy anything from) an Internet consultant who does not even use the Net?

*Mall Poll Results*

We recently did an unabashedly, unscientific poll about Internet malls, and the results were truly fascinating. They suggest you should seriously reconsider if you're thinking about locating your Web site at an Internet mall.

Here's what we found: Only 20% of people who responded like to shop at Internet malls. And no one goes out of their way to visit Internet malls the same way they go to malls in the physical world (in other words, just to hang out or browse). On the other hand, 73% don't like Internet malls or have never been. And a small group (4.5%) *intensely* dislike Internet malls.

Our advice? Avoid Internet malls. Since many Internet malls are overpriced and don't allow you to make changes when you want without additional fees for every change -- and since visitors don't seem to like malls much either -- we believe malls are rarely worth the additional expense.

Here's a tip: If you are set on locating your Web site in a mall, call or email at least ten current Web businesses in that mall and ask them for references. You want to know about their experiences *before* you move forward. If our experience is any indication, I think you'll be amazed by the unflattering stories you hear from these businesses in malls, including some of the biggest malls.

Incidentally, there is one kind of mall that is an exception to the problems we've described for general Internet malls. Some of the *niche* malls do provide genuine benefits. If you sell a niche product in a niche mall AND the mall is well promoted, this type of mall can be beneficial because people interested in your type of product visit that mall. (For example, we've heard of one discount high tech mall that has some good success stories.) However, we still recommend you check out the niche mall very carefully.

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Selling Your Car? Don't Fall for This Vehicle History Scam

 

Vehicle history request could be a prelude to a scam: Internet Scambusters #844

Requesting a vehicle history report when buying a car is nothing unusual. In fact, it's a wise move.

But what if you're a seller and the buyer asks for a report from an agency you've never heard of?

It could be a money-making scam, as we report in this week's issue. But we'll also tell you how to avoid it.

Let's get started...

Selling Your Car? Don't Fall for This Vehicle History Scam

Suppose you were selling your car online and a potential buyer asks for a vehicle history report.

Sounds sensible enough, doesn't it? In fact, it sounds like this would-be buyer is serious about your vehicle.

But, if this "buyer" asks for a car history report from a specific website that you're not familiar with, watch out! It could be a scam.

If it is, what will happen next is that the site, which does indeed look like one of the real vehicle-check pages, asks you to pay a fee, usually by credit card.

Plus, you may note that the site address ends in ".VIN" (note the dot before the letters), which (without the dot) is the same as the abbreviation used for "vehicle identification number," adding a layer of seeming authenticity to the request.

After all, most auto history checks are actually based on a vehicle's VIN.

But it turns out that sites that end in ".VIN" are actually intended to be used by people and firms in the wine industry -- "vin" is the French word for "wine."

It's a relatively new domain (address extension). But despite the best intentions of the people who set up and control domain names, anyone can actually purchase a ".VIN" extension.

So, it's no surprise that scammers have latched onto its rip-off possibilities.

As far as we've been able to establish, there are no genuine vehicle history reporting sites using this extension.

Furthermore, other tricksters simply use "VIN" (without the preceding dot) somewhere else in their address.

Again, this makes it seem genuine, but some of these site operators either take your money and run or they overcharge and then buy the report from one of the real car report agencies, pass it on to the seller, and pick up a handsome profit.

(Note, however, that there are also genuine agencies using "VIN" like VinAudit.)

What to Do

If a potential buyer of your car asks you to go to a site with "vin" in the address, or indeed any other name which they specifically request, be on the alert for a possible scam.

Your first response should be to ask why they want a report from this specific agency. A scammer would struggle to come up with a reasonable answer.

As the US Federal Trade Commission notes: "You may have no way of knowing who operates the site, especially if it's one you've never heard of. It might be a ruse to get your personal information, including your credit card account number.

"It also could be a way for companies called 'lead generators' to get information, which they sell to third parties for advertising and marketing purposes."

The real source of title and registration information about a car is the National Motor Vehicles Title Information System (NMVTIS), which you can reach through the US government's vehiclehistory.com site.

The site includes a list of report providers that have been approved by the NMVTIS. They all charge a fee from as little as $5. You can use one of these organizations whether you're a buyer or a seller.

Unfortunately, the FTC points out that not all vehicle history reports are available through NMVTIS. Some agencies also include information about servicing and repairs that they harvest from other sources including insurance companies and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Reputable agencies that provide this additional information include Carfax, AutoCheck, VehcileHistory.com and VinAudit. (Note that Scambusters doesn't endorse specific companies -- we don't have the resources to investigate them.)

There are a couple of other things you can do to avoid a vehicle history scam.

First, you could go to one of the genuine agencies and purchase a report yourself. You might pay as little as $10 and up to $50 for a detailed report.

You can offer it as an incentive as part of your ad -- you're more likely to attract serious buyers that way -- and no scammer is likely to ask you for an alternative report.

Second, if you're thinking about using a vehicle history reporting company you don't know, then check out their reputation online. Just use their name and words like "complaint" or "scam" in a browser search to see if anyone else has encountered problems with them.

Know Your Score

One final point, on a different but related theme, if you're buying a car on credit, always know your credit score or arrange a loan from your bank before you visit a car lot.

Some disreputable dealers have been caught out wrongly claiming a buyer's credit score is too low for them to be worthy of a low-interest loan. They inflate the interest rate, which earns them a higher commission from the lender.

For further help, whether you're buying or selling, check out the FTC's used car guidance.

Alert of the Week

Sneaky scammers have taken to sending messages claiming to be from the US Postal Service (USPS) about a package awaiting collection.

Recipients have to click a link, which immediately flashes up a warning that their PC has been infected with a virus, which they must pay to have removed, using Google Play gift cards.

But USPS doesn't operate this way and they're certainly not in the virus removal business. Don't click links without checking the source first.

Time to conclude for today -- have a great week!

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What to Do if You Fell for a Tech Support Scam

 

What to Do if You Fell for a Tech Support Scam

Tech Support Scams

10-point action plan for resolving fake tech support access to your PC: Internet Scambusters #710

Tech support scams affect 3.3 million people and cost $1.5 billion every year.

So what do you do if you're one of those unfortunate victims?

We'll give you a 10-point action plan in this week's issue, answering the question, "what should I do if I gave a scammer remote access to my computer?", give you Microsoft's tech support number and information on how to get tech support from Microsoft, and give you information about a new variation in the tax bill scam.

And, we'll point you to the legitimate tech support service we use to fix problems and help protect all our computers.

Let's get started...

What to Do if You Fell for a Tech Support Scam

Much as most of us like to think we're smart enough not fall for a scam, millions of people are conned every year into giving access to their PCs to tech support imposters.

These are the people who claim to be from Microsoft or another computer firm. They tell you they've detected a virus on your PC and need to be given remote access to put it right.

You probably know what "remote access" is, but for those who don't, it's a feature of Windows that enables someone in another location to access your PC via the Internet.

But you have to give them permission via your PC first, which is why these scammers make their spoof calls.

Once they get access, they can digitally crawl all over your PC, looking for confidential information like passwords and account numbers.

And after they're done, they may leave a piece of malware on your PC that enables them to access it at any time or plug it into a botnet -- a network of compromised computers that are forced to send out spam.

We've reported on the tech support scam before in our article, Latest Car Parts, Tech Support and Domain Name Scams, and hope you've managed to evade these crooks.

But what if you -- or someone you know -- gets caught out and gives PC access to these crooks?

According to Microsoft's Digital Crime Unit, some 3.3 million people fall victim to the tech support scam every year, costing victims around $1.5 billion.

How will you know you're one of those victims? It's simple. If someone phoned you claiming to be from Tech Support or claiming they've detected a virus on your PC and they need access, it was a scam.

Tech companies just don't operate that way. But tech support scammers do.

Put it this way: If they knew what was happening on your PC, that would mean they must already have remote access, so why would they need to request it?

So if you gave the caller access, you've exposed your PC security to them.

A more clever way the scammers may try to reach you is by tricking you into downloading malware onto your PC, which then flashes a warning that you have a virus and need to contact "tech support" to have it removed.

Again, that's not the way legitimate security software works. If it identifies a virus, it will tell you and give you the option of deleting it but genuine security software doesn't ask you to make a phone call.

Once you realize what's happened, you need to take immediate action to minimize the potential damage.

Or in other words, "what should I do if I gave a scammer remote access to my computer?"

How To Beat A Tech Support Scammer - A 10-Point Plan

Some of the things you should do are similar to those for identity theft. After all, that's most likely what will have happened after a scammer gets access to your computer.

Here's our 10-point plan to deal with it:

1. Shut down and disconnect your device from the Internet. That puts an absolute stop on any external meddling. It also often automatically revokes remote access for when you restart.

2. Ideally, you would have a full system backup that would enable you to restore your computer to its previous state, ensuring the scammers no longer have access to your machine.

If you don't know how to back up your system, you might visit the site of our friend Leo Notenboom and search on "backup." Or just do a Google search on your Internet browser - but be careful that you visit a legitimate site.

3. If you don't have a backup, run the Windows "System Restore" feature. Visit microsoft.com to learn how to do this.

4. Whether you restored your system or not, ensure your Internet security software is up to date and run a FULL virus scan to remove any lingering malware.

5. If you know how to do it, check your web browser's settings for any newly installed extensions or add-ons you don't recognize and delete them.

6. If you don't know how to do this or you're still not certain your machine is "clean," have it professionally checked. We recommend (and have used them for years, ATT Tech Support 360, a service that we trust to access our computers remotely, fix our issues and help keep us safe from tech support scams.)

7. Only when you've done all this should you change all passwords. Yes, all passwords on every account you access via your PC.

8. Alert your bank and credit card companies and monitor all statements online every day, looking for suspicious items.

9. Put a freeze on credit applications via the three credit monitoring agencies -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This will cost a few dollars but is worth it. Each of the bureaus has its own "credit lock" service but you might find the following article useful: Credit Freeze and Thaw Guide.

10. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Whether you're a victim of a tech support scam or not, make a point of educating yourself about these tricks and how to avoid them.

How? Subscribe to Scambusters, of course. But also check out this guide on tech support scams from the FTC.

Frequently Asked Tech Support Scam Questions

What is the Microsoft Tech Support number?

Currently, it is 1 (800) 642-7676. You can find it any time by going to https://www.google.com/search?q=microsoft+tech+support+number - the correct, verified number will be shown at the top of that page.

However, you are more likely to get the support you want by going through Microsoft's Get Help app.

Does Microsoft Have Tech Support?

Microsoft tech support is generally not available for free. The best way to get paid tech support assistance on Microsoft products is to go to Microsoft's Get Help app.

How do I know whether a number I see is a fake Microsoft tech support number?

One of the favorite scam techniques is for tech support scammers to give you fake phone numbers they claim are a correct Microsoft tech support number. Don't fall for that scam. See above for the best way to find the correct Microsoft tech support number.

How do I stop someone from accessing my computer remotely?

Once you've given a tech support scammer access to your computer, they can access your computer over and over again, scanning it for passwords, bank accounts and lots of other sensitive data.

Click here to access a step-by-step plan to remove scammers ability to access your computer remotely.

Is there anyone you recommend to help me clean viruses and other problems off my PC who's not a tech support scammer?

We recommend (and have used them for years, ATT Tech Support 360, a service that we trust to access our computers remotely, fix our issues and help keep us safe from tech support scams.) They've bailed us our many times, cleaning off viruses, fixing other issues like computer driver issues and other computer problems. They're inexpensive, reliable, and offer other plans like remote computer backups.

Alert of the Week

Look out for this nasty variation of the IRS unpaid tax scam, which is now in full swing.

If you receive what is obviously a scam call (the IRS doesn't actually phone people to tell them they owe taxes) and hang up, the phone may ring again.

This time, the caller claims to be from the police (complete with spoofed caller ID that seems to confirm it) and demands to know why you hung up.

This is followed by a warning that you must pay immediately. But here's what you do: Hang up again!

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