Anti-Scam FAQ: What Is A Tech Support Fraud

Answer:

In 2017 there were 11,000 complaints related to tech support fraud that resulted in claimed losses of nearly $15 million—an 86% increase in losses from 2016. These tech support scams have prompted the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to warn consumers about criminals claiming to provide the customer, security, or technical support as a cover in an effort to defraud individuals.
 
The scam can take place through a phishing email, phone call, pop-up ad or even a locked screen on your device with a phone number to call to fix. The IC3 offers several tips and guidance on how to handle situations like this and reminds people that legitimate customer, security, or tech support companies will not initiate unsolicited contact with individuals.