Linked – Why clicking on pop-up tech support ad could cost you
One of the best things to protect yourself, Jutras says, is to take your computer offline and then contact the actual provider. Also, do not click on links or documents you don’t recognize.
“A legitimate company won’t call you and ask for money,” says Jutras.
This is really becoming a thing, so let’s talk about what normal behavior is, and isn’t.
First, no company will ever call you out of the blue and tell you they can fix the problem you are having with your computer. How do they even know what the problem is, or that you had one to start with? Be suspicious.
Second, if you’re using the internet in a web-browser and see a pop-up notification about security warnings, take the computer offline, close the browser, and then check to see if your AV is seeing anything, or run something like Malware Bytes on it to check for malware. Anyone can create a webpage telling you that your computer is infected and to call them to fix it, and after getting your credit card info, making that page magically go away. (Mostly by closing the browser and going to another site.) It does not mean that your computer is actually infected.
Again, be suspicious.
To recap:
Be suspicious.
Take the computer offline.
Scan it with your anti-virus tool, and also a tool like Malware Bytes.
Follow their recommendations.
Don’t give out your credit card information to anyone who reaches out to you to offer tech support, make sure it is you initiating the contact, and only with the actual company for the products you own, not a number that pops up on your screen. (Go to the product webpage for your anti-virus tool and get the contact information.)
Be safe out there!
http://globalnews.ca/news/2690517/why-clicking-on-pop-up-tech-support-ad-could-cost-you/
