How To Avoid Tech Support Scams

Updated January 1/24/2025

In order to know how to avoid and react to tech support scams, you have to be able to identify them first. So, in this blog, we will go over the most common forms of tech support scams so that you can see a scam coming from a mile away and deal with them appropriately.

The biggest piece of advice that we have to start with is to be cautious of unsolicited tech support. We cannot emphasize this enough. Phone calls or emails from people claiming to be from big-name companies and browser pop-ups claiming to be from anti-virus services are almost always scams. So we would advise that you Google that phone number or email whether it’s someone calling, texting, or emailing. Even if it’s on a pop-up window. Odds are that you are not the first person to encounter the scam, if it is one.

When it comes to these types of things, you need to approach them with skepticism and question everything to protect yourself.

Different Types of Scam Technical Support Phishing

Phishing, in general, is sending fraudulent emails or text messages pretending to be a reputable company to get sensitive information or money from people. They can pretend to be anyone from Mircosoft to some software company you’ve never heard of.

Think about it like this: How would a tech support firm know to reach out? How do they know that you are having a problem with one of your devices? Tech support is waiting for you to call with your problems. No one can foresee when a device or accessory is going to fail.

Think about it like this, a vehicle mechanic wouldn’t just walk up to you while grocery shopping and tell you something is wrong with your car. And if someone were to do this, would you give them your keys? Would you give them money to fix a problem you weren’t sure you had? This is how you have to look at tech support. They’re not gonna reach out to you. We’re here for when you have to reach out for a problem you need help with on one of your devices.

When these scams do reach out, they typically reach out in one of three ways. They either have pop-up windows, emails, or text messages.

Pop Up Windows

These windows come from software that gets on your device. It could come with something else you’ve downloaded or there are some cases where users think that they are downloading an application when they really are not. Some of these websites offer fake applications to their program on your computer.

When the pop-up window appears, it normally appears as a “security scan” or a “virus.” It’s worded in a way that makes it feel urgent. Their goal is to earn you trust so that they can get your information out of you.

Another version of these pop-ups is the imitation Windows pop-ups. They are even full-screen pop-ups that imitate Mircosoft’s Windows 10.

It tells you it needs to do a scam and give you a fraudulent number to call.

Scam Emails

The biggest way they use emails is by sending coupons, awards, or anything else they can come up with. Their goal is to get you to click a link that takes you to a website where they can get your information. Whether that information is about you or getting access to your credit cards or bank accounts.

Most of the time, if you just checked their email address, you could tell they were scams. For example, if you got an email coupon from Hulu, you would expect it to be from an email that ends in some form of @hulu.com, right? So, for example, it’s pretty legit if you get one from johndoe@hulu.com. But if you were to receive this email from someone with the email address aclfesupdgydqtdsnjmqc@comolmaxpein.buzz, I’d say its a pretty big red flag.

Phishy Text Messages

Scammers use text messages similarly to how they use emails. Their goal is to get you to click a link where that leads to a website that is designed to get some sort of information out of you.

One text message that is popular right now is the fake UPS message. The scammer poses as UPS and says you have a package that cannot be delivered or lost. This package is worth a lot, according to them. IO love ti because whenever I get these messages, I’m not expecting anything in the mail.

Clear Indications of Tech Support Scams

The clear indication that something is scammy is any one of the following:

• Urgency:
• They want to rush you into doing something. Scammers think that the faster they get you to believe something is seriously wrong, the faster they can get some information out of you.
• Offering a deal that is too good to be true.
• Odds are that if something seems to good to be true, it’s not true. An email or a text message telling you that you won something or that you have some deal at a store that’s unreal. These are constructed to get information out of you. Avoid them.
• If they ask for payment through non-reversible payment methods.
• Gift cards, wire transfers, Cash App, Zelle, and Venmo are all examples of non-reversible payment methods. Once you send money through these methods, that money is gone.

What To Do If You Get One

If anyone reaches out to you using any of the methods above, the best course of action is to ignore it. They can’t get anything from you if you don't feed into them.

If you have already started communicating with them before any indication that it was scam, it may get harder to ignore. Once you respond to one, they typically keep reaching out fishing for another response.

If you try confronting or calling them out, they may get defensive. One tactic that they use is threats. They will threaten you and you’re family with the goal of keeping you isolated.

If you find yourself with a pop-up window, there’s already a high chance that you have some sort of malware already on your system. According to our head technician here at Bob Johnson’s, Matt, here are the steps that you should follow:

1. Before anything else, shut down your computer. Do not try to click out of the popup.
2. Start your computer up in safe mode (hold F8 as it restarts).
3. Uninstall any unfamiliar programs, run a virus scan, and remove any browser extensions you don't use or don't recognize. Matt would run Malwarebytes, AVG, and CCleaner.

If you don't have an antivirus program on your PC, there are several good options available for free.