Pam Bondi, State Attorney General, Weekly Briefing
This week, standing with representatives of the Federal Trade Commission, I announced three new actions in Florida to shut down tech support scams targeting consumers nationwide. We are teaming up with our federal partners to combat tech support scams and warn consumers about the dangers associated with the scams.
The scam typically begins with a pop-up ad claiming a computer is infected with a virus. The ads urge users to call a tech support specialist and provide a phone number. Once the victim calls, the scammer instructs the user through a series of commands to give them virtual control over the victim’s computer. With remote access, scammers can install malware, steal passwords or access financial accounts.
Mostly, the scammers claim to fix the nonexistent problem, charge the user a few hundred dollars and set up monthly tech support payments. Often the victim thanks the scammer for fixing the problem—not realizing they were just swindled.
In Florida we are fighting these tech support scammers every day—and we have had a lot of success. My office has more filed cases against these types of scams than any other state agency in the country.
If you or someone you know has received one of these solicitations, record the name, number and any other pertinent information associated with the solicitation. Then call my office at (866) 9NO-SCAM. Knowing what to look for, reporting suspicious solicitations and working together we can stop scammers targeting Floridians.
