Computer Security: Beware of Computer Repair Scams
Computer repair scammers are calling into local businesses and stealing money and deleting company data. Let's go over some tips on how to avoid being scammed. Although this method has been around for years we have seen a rise in this activity locally over the past month and is detailed in this news report on ABC.
First, these thieves call into your office and claim to be from Microsoft, Windows, anti-virus vendor, copier company, or even try to pose as your own tech support team. They will claim they received an alert that your computer is out of date or infected and that they need to connect in remotely and resolve the issue for you. They will direct you to a remote support website from which there you grant them access to your computer so they can "fix the issue". If you made it this far with them they now have full control over your computer and possibly your entire office network!
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The Microsoft Computer Repair phone call is fake!!
From this point they will literally hold your computer ransom until you enter your credit card information to buy the fake software license. At this point if you decide to not give the card info to them they have been known to actually delete all the content on your network and hard drive.
See Also - Tips Why Data Backup and Disaster Recovery are Critical to Your Business
How do you prevent your business from being victim to a computer repair scam?
- Make sure all your employees are aware that this threat exists
- Be sure all your employees know who your real IT Support team members are
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If unsure about the call tell them you will call them back - verify their number (hint - label all the computer monitors with your computer repair teams phone number)
- Host quarterly ongoing user training so that all employees have an idea on what to look out for
Get professional guidance from a local technology company
As a business owner you have the responsibility to protect your customers information and data. By working with an IT Consulting company you can completely reduce your security risks and protect the company data. At minimum all office computer networks should have daily automated updates installed, 24x7 monitoring of all devices, and complete data backups of all workstations and servers. Be sure to reach out to your local computer repair and consulting expert with any questions.
