FBI warning Arizona residents of tech support scam

PHOENIX — The FBI is warning Arizona residents of a scam involving criminals claiming to provide technical support in an effort to gain access to personal computers and other devices.

Martin Hellmer, FBI supervisory special agent in Phoenix, said there are various ways scammers will try to lure victims.

“Sometimes they utilize emails to send to their victims indicating there’s a problem with their computer,” Hellmer said. “They can also use pop-up ads, or they just simply make a telephone call to their victim, saying that they’ve become aware of a problem with their computer.”

This tech support scam is a growing problem for the FBI.

In 2017, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received about 11,000 reports from people who claimed to have lost $15 million in tech support scams. That’s an 86 percent increase in losses from the previous year.

In Arizona, residents have lost nearly $1.3 million to tech fraud scams so far this year, surpassing last year’s total losses by 263 percent.

The FBI wants Arizona residents to be aware of this problematic and widespread scam.

Hellmer said you can avoid falling for this scam by keeping in mind that legitimate tech support companies will not reach out to customers directly. He said that means if someone reaches out claiming to work for a tech support company and offering services, “that’s a red flag.”

“That person is probably a criminal looking to victimize you,” he said.

Scammers are also known to pay search engines to have their fake tech support companies appear higher in online search results. Hellmer said that’s why it’s important for people to “do their homework to find legitimate tech support companies.”

The FBI also advises Arizona residents to install ad-blocking software that gets rid of or reduces pop-ups and advertising designed to spread malware. Also, ensure all computer anti-virus security and malware protection is up to date.

People who believe to have fallen for this scam can file an online report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center online or by calling the Phoenix FBI office.

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