Tech Scams — Seniors Beware

The Federal Trade Commission reports that it received nearly 143,000 reports about Tech Scams last year.  The statistics show that people over 60 are more than five times likely than younger people to lose money on this type of scam even though they are less likely to lose money on other types of scams.

Don’t find a tech support company by searching online.  Use a reputable and trusted company or one recommended by a friend.  In a recent lawsuit by the FTC, the company that scammed many consumers had bought key words on Google that let them target people searching for how to recover lost passwords.  The scam got people to pay hundreds of dollars for unnecessary repairs and maintenance programs.

The Federal Trade Commission makes the following recommendations of steps you can take when dealing with computer issues:

•  Use a trusted company.  If you search online for help, search on the company name plus “scam”, “review” or “complaint”.
• If you get a phone call you didn’t expect from someone who says there’s a problem with your computer, hang up.
• Never call a number on a pop up that warns you of computer problems.  Real security warnings will never ask you to call a phone number.
• If you think there is a problem with your computer, updates its security software and run a scan.

Learn more at http:// www.ftc.gov/techsupportscams