The RCIPS has received reports of an increasing number of ‘tech support scams’ across the Island. Tech support scams involve scammers making contact and using scare tactics to trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services to “fix” a non-existent problem with your device or software. The goal of such scams is to steal your personal or financial information.

There are two main ways these scams are conducted. Knowing what these are will help you know the best way to respond:

The scam may be carried out using urgent pop-ups warning you that your computer has a serious problem, telling you not to turn it off, and giving a phone number to call. Real error messages from Microsoft or other tech companies do not include phone numbers to call for support. DON’T Call the number or click any links. Instead, DO Restart your device immediately.

The scam may involve unsolicited phone calls or messages warning you they’ve spotted a critical problem with your computer or account that they need to fix. DON’T click any links or call any numbers in the message. DON’T give the caller remote access to your computer or any personal information like passwords or account numbers. Instead, DO delete the suspicious messages. If it’s a call, hang up.

If you believe you have suffered financial loss or had your computer compromised as a result of one of these scams, please contact the RCIPS Financial Crime Investigation Unit at [email protected].