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Identity Theft

Beware of Phony Tech Support!

July 6, 2016 by Mike Ellis Leave a Comment

phony tech support

Yesterday I received from the North Carolina Department of Justice Alert mailing list a warning — to beware of phony tech support.  The ruse is elaborate and devious, and can cost you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars if you fall victim.  Here’s the email I received:

Phony tech support and overpayment: two scams in one

For years, crooks have charged victims to repair nonexistent problems on their computers in order to gain access to sensitive personal and financial information stored inside. Now they’ve added a new scam: trying to talk you into long-term technical support that is actually just an excuse to swindle you out of as much as $10,000.

It starts when you agree to charge the tech support membership to your credit card. The scammers call back a few days later to say the company is closing and needs your bank account information so they can to refund money directly into your checking account. To get the so-called refund, they take a large cash advance from your own credit card and deposit it into your account. Next, the con artists claim that they’ve accidentally overpaid you by thousands of dollars and need you to wire the extra funds back to them, usually in China, India or the Philippines.

These greedy crooks have been known to take out another credit card advance, put those funds into the victim’s account, and then claim that the first wire transfer didn’t go through. Victims have been convinced this way to send multiple wire transfers to the scammers. One elderly North Carolina woman ran up $10,000 in credit card debt when she fell for this scam.

Remember:

  • Avoid tech support scams. You can learn more about phony tech support from Microsoft and the FTC.

  • Be very skeptical if anyone asks you to wire money overseas. Once you’ve wired money it’s nearly impossible to get it back.

  • If you receive one of these calls, report it to the Attorney General’s Office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or online at www.ncdoj.gov.

I’ve been a subscriber to the NCDOJ Alert mailing list for years, and I suggest you do the same.  Click the link to subscribe. Also, check out their website for their list of alerts that they have written about in the past.

So how do you know who to trust? I’ve written a post about that, please read it, and remember that you need to do your homework when it comes to who you are going to trust. Contact us if you have any questions, or need any support for your computer. We are a source you can trust.

Related articles
  • How do you know who to trust to work on your computer?

Filed Under: Featured, Financial, Security, Tech Solutions Tagged With: Antivirus software, Comcast, Confidence trick, Contact number, Customer service, EBay, Editor's Note, Email address, Email spam, Help desk, Identity Theft, Information technology, Internet service provider, Intuit Quickbooks Online Basic, Microsoft, Network security, Personally identifiable information, Phishing, Technical support, Website

Why Your Home Network MUST be Secured

June 8, 2016 by Mike Ellis 1 Comment

©Technology Media, LLC
©Technology Media, LLC

{Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on LinkedIn. Click here to read the original post.}

For many of us, the thought of our home network is an afterthought at best.  Far too often we tell our friends or associates – or even those in the IT department at work – that we have nothing to hide, there is nothing that I have that someone else would care about.

In today’s reality, though, you have many things that someone would like to have, and I’m here to tell you why the little things matter.

Five Reasons your home network must be secure

  1. Your Identity. According to IdentityTheft.info, the number of people that have had their identity stolen is approximately 15 million people per year, totaling around $50 Billion dollars. While there have been instances of Identity Theft outside of the home, most people do their banking in their home, so securing your home network is a must because of that.
  2. Your safety within the home. Smart Home Technology is increasing each and every day. You can use your SHT devices to secure your home, adjust your lights, regulate your heating and cooling, monitor the job your babysitter is doing, and more.  The vast majority of that runs right off of your Wi-Fi network.  Improperly secure your home network, and you are setting yourself up for potentially risky situations down the road.
  3. To prevent your network from being used for illegal activity. In one of my training classes, I remember the instructor talking about how a man was arrested under child pornography laws. The only way that he was cleared of the charges was because he was away from the home network where the activity took place.  What law enforcement found was that the man’s home network was not secure, and the person that was actually spreading the child pornography was parked in his car on the street, connected to the improperly secured network.  Not having his home network secured almost cost that man dearly.
  4. To prevent virus propagation from your network to other devices. In the early days of computers, viruses were written by disgruntled employees who had a bone to pick with their employer. They would spread the virus in the work network with the sole purpose being to ruin a computer so it couldn’t be used.  In today’s computing environment, though, the focus has shifted from destroying a computer or a network to using that network or computer to spread the virus to other unsuspecting users.  Quite often, hackers will hop through an unsecured home network in order to try and hide their activities, and to point the finger at the person who is on that network more – namely, the unsuspecting home user.
  5. To protect your children from online predators. With all of our connected technology, reaching the internet is easier than ever. Smartphones, tablets, computers, even TVs and refrigerators all provide an easy access to the internet.  Protecting your home network is the first step, but certainly not the only step, in making sure that your children are safe online.

These are just some of the reasons why it is crucial that your home network be secured from intruders. If you are unsure of what steps to take in securing your home network – or if you have any other computer issues you need help with, Tech Solutions NC can help.  Reach out to me by phone at 919-606-6725, email at Mike@TechSolutionsNC.com, or book an appointment on our website. We can help you secure your network, keep your computer working properly, and so much more!

Filed Under: Featured, LinkedIn, Security, Tech Solutions Tagged With: Identity Theft, Illegal activity, Malware, online predators, Smart Home Technology, Tech Solutions NC

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