Two-Thirds of Computer Users Experienced Tech Support Scam, Microsoft Study Finds

Two out of three people encountered a tech support scam over the past year, found a Microsoft global survey summarized in a National Cyber Security Alliance blog post Monday. Courtney Gregoire, senior attorney in Microsoft's digital crimes unit, wrote that one in five consumers surveyed either downloaded software, visited a scam website, provided remote access to a computer or handed over credit card or other payment data -- and one in 10 lost money. She said consumers have lost hundreds of millions of dollars from such scams but often are "embarrassed or scared" to report them. The survey, conducted during the summer, included respondents from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Singapore, South Africa, the UK and U.S. Fraudsters typically have called older people to say their computers have been infected and try to sell them unnecessary tech support, Gregoire said, but scammers are now using "pop-ups, unsolicited email and scam websites" and luring younger people. The FTC recently filed a complaint against a multinational tech support company based in Missouri (see 1610120057).