How does fraud happen?

Recently, fraud incidents have been on the rise. The scammers, usually speaking English, say they are calling from Microsoft and inform you that you have fallen victim to hackers. Their aim is to steal passwords and other personal information from users of online banking services and more.

If you receive a phone call from an alleged representative of an IT company and, under the pretext of cleaning your device of malware (viruses), you are asked to allow the installation of remote access software on your computer, mobile phone or tablet, you should refuse and report the incident to the banks you work with or the police.

In essence, what they achieve by installing the software is to gain access to the victim's computer and thus steal their passwords or anything else useful, such as web banking (e-banking) passwords, Facebook, Instagram passwords, as well as photos or videos that you have stored on your computer.

In fact, many times, noise can also be heard from the depths from other people talking on the phone, such as in cases where we receive calls from call centers for subscriptions to mobile or electricity companies.

How to protect yourself from tech support scams

  • Microsoft, like other IT companies, does not send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited telephone calls to request personal or financial information or to provide technical support for your computer.
  • If you see a notification with a phone number, do not call the number. Error and warning messages from Microsoft never include phone numbers.
  • Download software only from official Microsoft partner sites or the Microsoft Store. Be cautious when downloading software from third-party sites, as some of these programs may contain malware, tech support scams, and other threats.
  • Protect your computer by using reliable antivirus software that is used to prevent, detect and remove malware.
  • You use Microsoft Edge when browsing the Internet. It blocks known tech support scam sites through Windows Defender SmartScreen (which is also used by Internet Explorer). Additionally, Microsoft Edge can block the pop-up dialog loops used by these sites.

Pay the necessary attention, stay protected!