AARP Arkansas warns of fake tech-support scams

AARP Arkansas warns of fake tech-support scams

Arkansas News Service

LITTLE ROCK — People who are not computer experts, which includes many people, often worry about their digital device getting a virus and not knowing how to fix it.

However, according to the AARP Fraud Watch Network, Arkansans and others need to beware of someone claiming that your computer, tablet or smartphone has a virus and it needs to be fixed.

Lou Tobian, associate state director of outreach and education at AARP Arkansas, says impersonating tech support from major companies such as Apple or Google is one of the latest scams designed to steal your identity, your money or both.

'They're pretty insidious and they're pretty good at making themselves believable,' he states. 'Microsoft conducted a survey — 20 percent of the respondents continued with potential fraudulent interactions and 10 percent lost money,' he relates.

Tobian says the help desk ruse — also called a phishing scam — has been used against hundreds of thousands of Americans, who have lost an estimated $1.5 billion.

He says typically, a caller will claim to have detected a problem with your computer, then insist you provide a credit card number and allow the remote control your computer. Tobian says if you are having computer problems, call tech support at the company that made your computer or sold you the software. Don't just pick someone off the Internet.

From Mark Richardson