Last weekend I received a panicked phone call from a friend who suspected he’d fallen victim to a computer virus telemarketing scam. A con artist makes a phone call claiming to be a “tech support specialist” who warns that your computer is infected with a virus. To fix things, all you have to do is install software that gives the caller remote access to your computer & pay a support fee by credit card.
This form of social engineering has become the new front in malware attacks. Your antivirus solution is completely ineffective if the scammer can trick you into giving permission for the attack
Another friend, Brian, was phoned by the same telemarketing scam but was able to respond very differently. After playing along & pretending to start his computer & follow the caller’s instructions, he was asked to read what was displaying on the computer screen. He said that the only thing coming up was a tracking screen from the Australian Federal Police! Just when he thought he had another sucker, the scammer freaked out and hung up. Brian definitely had the last laugh!