Illinois Residents Warned of Microsoft Tech Support Scam

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is warning residents of a phone scam involving supposed tech support for computers.

Madigan says phone scammers pose as representatives of Microsoft or related technology support service providers, claiming to have detected viruses or malware on targets’ computers. Their intent is to trick them into providing remote computer access or convincing targets to pay for unnecessary software fixes.

The scammers might even guess what operating system users have on their computers.  Once the scammers gain the target's trust, they typically ask for a user name and password or ask the target to install software that will let them access the target computer to “fix” the supposed problem. But instead of providing any service, they trick the target into installing malware that could steal sensitive data.

Madigan says her office has received several complaints from central Illinois residents.

She says residents should hang up on anyone who calls claiming they can fix a problem or asking for personal information. And, as always, never give out your password or provide credit card or financial information.

Madigan also offered the following tips to avoid falling victim to this scam:

• Never give your password out on the phone, and never provide your credit card or financial information to someone who calls and claims to be from a technical support service.
• Do not expect caller ID will verify a legitimate caller. Scammers “spoof” phone numbers, meaning they use technology to appear to be calling from a legitimate source.
• If a caller pressures you to buy software or requests any other upfront payment, immediately hang up. If you’re worried about your computer’s security, call your security software company directly for more information.
• Put your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry, and report illegal calls made to your phone number.

If you think you might have been a victim, you can call the Identity Theft Hotline (1-866-999-5630), which is staffed by a team of experts who provide one-on-one assistance.