Fake Calls
You receive a call from the IRS. They claim you haven’t paid you back taxes and a warrant for your arrest is going to be issued unless you make a payment immediately, which the caller can take for you. The back taxes are some affordable number for you, and to prevent problems, you think “I should pay this.”
Don’t.
First, and this will be a reoccurring theme, large corporations or organizations don’t call you. The IRS still uses good ol’ USPS snail mail. If they have an issue, you’ll receive a letter. And oh by the way, the IRS isn’t fast. There is no “Pay now!” They set deadlines, sure, but it usually months away. If you are about to be arrested for back taxes… you most likely will know, because it will be in the millions.
Fake calls are a plague of a scam that has been ongoing since the invention of the telephone. Yet, people still fall for them, every day.
If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from an agency or corporation and you should “act now”, ask for information from them before answering any of their questions. What is this charge for? Who authorized it? What payment method was used? Cancel my service!
These can throw a scammer off their script, or cause them to scramble a bit that will give you a clue that the claim is fraud.
Also, be aware of scams that nobody has to talk to you. We all know of the “Yes” scam, where the caller asks a simple questions and is able to record your voice saying Yes to then use to charge something. Did you know about the one ring scam? It’s a thing, and the FCC even has their own article about it here!
Free Trial Software
There are a lot of useful things on the internet, software is a big one. The development of a piece of software is time consuming, and costly. No body is going to give it away completely for free.
Free software can do any number of things, including giving an attacker direct and unfiltered access to your computer, passwords, anything saved on there. Remember, if the software/service is free, you are the product. They are either stealing something, or selling your data to someone else.
Watch for software or services that claim to be free or unusually cheap. If you are signing up for something, the fine print may enroll you into cost subscriptions, so be very aware of where you enter your credit card information. Websites and ad’s can be posted on real websites like Instagram or Facebook. Verify everything yourself!
The “Fix” Scam
I will always say one thing to my IT clients, “Big tech companies do not call you.”
Microsoft, for instance, does not call end users. Microsoft does not monitor the 1.5 billion devices running software made by them for threats. Microsoft does not remediate viruses.
Apple neither.
Any unsolicited call you receive claiming to remediate your tech problems immediately is a scam. Even if your are in the middle of a security incident, such as a ransomware attack, these calls are from the attacker, and the decision to pay them is mired in many details, ethical questions, and business decisions. You definitely should not just had over bank or credit card details.
Find a local IT Managed Service Provider, such as St. Aubin Technologies, Inc. in Homestead, Florida. By making contact yourself, you are already answering your own questions about the legitimacy of the IT company.
If you are a business owner, you need to have a standing relationship with an IT company in general. You don’t go to court yourself. You don’t just start laying bricks for a building yourself. You need professionals, because the time, money, and mental health savings add up quickly. That said:
Fell for one? What next:
If you have a standing relationship with an IT company, call them. They have procedures in place to start protecting you immediately. They will take control of the situation and start you back to recovery.
Remember, if you fell for a scam, this is akin to having a car accident of sorts. Some are minor, some are bad. Your path to recovery can be simple, or difficult. A IT professional will help a lot in both… but it’s always best not to have one.
Train your brain to recognize scams. Security Awareness Training for you and your employees is a must. Microsoft Defender has it’s own, as well as company’s like Ninjio and KnowBe4 (not partners… yet). Just like watching your money and markets, security is a journey and you must continue walking the path to keep up.
Again, and I can’t say this enough, get a relationship with an IT Professional. Email me, I can help you find one.