If you receive a pop-up message on your computer or phone, a text, email or call saying your computer has been infected with malware, it’s a scam. We’ve been receiving an influx of reports of these scams targeting consumers and businesses locally – many of whom have responded to the alarming message by sending funds or clicking links, exposing them to harmful malware.
The Federal Trade Commission shares these simple and important things to know about tech support scams:
- Legitimate tech companies won’t contact you by phone, email or text to tell you there is a problem with your computer.
- Security pop-up warnings from authentic security solutions will never ask you to call a number, click on a link or pay extra money to resolve an issue.
If you think your computer has been infected, enlist the support of a local computer technician you trust for assistance or use legitimate antivirus solutions to scan your computer or device. And if you think you’ve given out personal information, computer or banking credentials or payment information in response to scam, call your financial institution right away to minimize your risk of fraud.
