Posted ByFrankAre you worried that you or a family member might fall victim to a remote access scam? You came to the right place. In this article, we will discuss important information about scams that uses remote access applications, allowing you to avoid them. Be sure to forward this article to family and friends that might be in danger of being scammed this way to protect them too. Without further ado, let’s start by first discussing how this type of scam works:
How remote access scams work
Remote access scams work by scammers contacting you through the phone. They will state a variety of reasons for getting in touch, like pretending that they are from a refund department, or pretending to be Microsoft technicians. They will say that your PC is infected by a virus and you will lose access to all of your files, or you have a refund from a recent online purchase. These reasons are most likely false and were just invented to instill fear to the person they called, making them dependent on the scammers for “removing” the virus or getting the refund.
Regardless of the reason, the scammers will instruct you to descargar anydesk, TeamViewer, or other remote access applications and install it. After the software was done installing, the scammer will ask for the details that they need to take control of your computer. This detail includes an account number or ID, and the matching PIN or password. Once they have those details, they will connect to your computer and take access of it. Your input will be locked out, which means that you won’t be able to control your PC using your mouse and keyboard, leaving the scammer free to steal whatever information they want from your PC.
How to avoid remote access scams
Avoiding remote access scams (and other scams with similar modus operandi) is very simple. Avoid installing software that you are instructed to install, especially if you have no idea about the use and functions of that software.
Next, you should not provide any “agents” on the phone (especially those that called you first) with any passwords, PINs, or other information that will provide access to your computer, or other accounts. Giving them your email address, account number, and other details for identification is okay since legitimate customer service supports requires those information to verify your account. Passwords and PINs are a different matter altogether, and no legitimate customer service representative will ever ask for those details (unless they are trying to scam you.)
How to stop a remote access scam as it happens
If you can still control your computer during the remote access scam, you can just terminate the connection from your end. This can be typically done by right clicking on the status bar icon of the remote access software that was installed and clicking on terminate or end connection. If you can’t, you can simply unplug the computer, which will remove the connection.