Consumers need to be constantly on guard against a widespread and growing tech-support scam that can take over victims’ computers and drain their savings, fraud expert Amy Nofziger of AARP Foundation warned a national television audience.
AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
Subscribe to the AARP Money Newsletter for more on scams and consumer protection
“These con artists are skilled at tricking people into believing they are a legitimate support tech from a reputable company,” Nofziger said on “The Dr. Phil Show.” They then coax victims into revealing personal information or giving them access to their computers to supposedly fix a problem.
The warning was part of the AARP Fraud Watch Network’s initiative to raise awareness of the scam and to educate consumers about how they can protect themselves.
A survey released in October by Microsoft found that over the past year, two-thirds of consumers have experienced the tech-support scam and that 20 percent of people surveyed around the world continued with a potentially fraudulent interaction after the first contact. Microsoft estimated that losses have reached $1.5 billion.
AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.