Home » Home » FTC SCAM ALERT: Clicking For Support Could Cost You Big Time

FTC SCAM ALERT: Clicking For Support Could Cost You Big Time

By  //  June 26, 2016

Never give your credit card, financial information

The next time you get a message offering to fix a supposed problem with your computer, you might keep this in mind: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Because there’s a good chance that call is a tech support scam. (Shutterstock.com image)
The next time you get a message offering to fix a supposed problem with your computer, you might keep this in mind: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Because there’s a good chance that call is a tech support scam. (Shutterstock.com image)

The next time you get a message offering to fix a supposed problem with your computer, you might keep this in mind: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Because there’s a good chance that call is a tech support scam.

Today, the FTC announced a case against Click4Support, charging the company with fleecing people out of up to thousands of dollars per consumer.

Here’s how it worked, according to the FTC: the company used search engine results and pop-up ads, which seemed to come from well-known tech companies, but did not.

Those ads drove people to telemarketing centers. If you called, the Click4Support reps would get remote access to your computer to – ahem – identify and resolve issues.

FTC SCAM ALERT: Fake Kidnappers Cause Genuine LossRelated Story:
FTC SCAM ALERT: Fake Kidnappers Cause Genuine Loss

Then the reps would make you believe your computer had a virus, spyware, malware, or was otherwise compromised.  But the FTC says those claims were false.

Then, according to the FTC, the company sold their tech support “service” to consumers.

That meant anything from a one-time “fix” to a long-term services plan, and cost from $69 to thousands of dollars.

The FTC estimates these fees added up to more than $17.9 million for Click4Support. And what did consumers get?

Big charges for unnecessary so-called repairs – which, in fact, sometimes damaged computers, according to the FTC.

If you see a pop-up, an ad, or get a call for tech support services, here are some ways to keep your money to yourself:

• Don’t give access to your computer to anyone who contacts you.

• Never give your credit card or financial information – or your passwords – to anyone who calls asking for them.

• Hang up on anyone who pressures you to pay for a computer security product or service. If you have concerns about your computer’s security, call a reputable computer security company using a number you know is really theirs.  If you need to check a company out, search its name online with words like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.”