11. Telephone Scams

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There are probably too many telephone scams to even begin to list, but we’ll stick with one of the most popular scams that is currently in use. It involves calls from people with foreign accents who claim to be working as some type of technical support specialist. Thanks to the popularity of outsourcing, it is not at all unusual for consumers in the west to be connected with call centers in other countries when making a call to a big company, so we have grown accustomed to it. This helps the scammer’s credibility a great deal when they make these calls. Their tactics can vary quite a bit, but they will often attempt to convince computer users that something is wrong with their computer and do their best to convince them to visit a website and download software which will allow the scammer to take control of their computer remotely. Once that has been accomplished the door is wide open for the scammer and they can install malware, steal personal information or do whatever they want with the compromised computer. Whatever they do, it’s surely not going to be good for the victim.