Internet Scam: Fake Help Desk Support

Here is a different twist on the fake Police Threat Scam (in which a malware pops up a screen saying the police or FBI have determined there are copyright or pornography violations on your computer and it can be "cleaned" for a fee).

In the Fake Help Desk Support Scam, the victim will receive a call from "Microsoft" or some well-known virus protection software company, saying the victim's computer has a virus and for a fee, they will be able to clean it off their system for them. They are general about what virus at first, because they are testing the victim to see if they believe the story. They are seeking those vulnerable people who are not technical and would otherwise not know if they have a virus or not AND believe some company was nice enough to call them and offer to help fix it. That is who they are targeting. They are after three things at one time - the cash, getting access to the computer for identity theft, and being able to install malware on the victim's system that does things for them in the background, like send out spam or infect other computers.

This is not a new scam but continues to be a successful one with victims losing thousands of dollars at a pop sometimes so we are posting an alert a separate alert on it.

Real Help Desk Support people do not call people who have not first called in to ask for help.