Microsoft has finally started taking legal action against alleged scammers who cold-call consumers pretending to represent the firm and offer bogus technology support.
The scam has been around for decades, with callers peddling useless security software and tricking people into spending hundreds of pounds to solve non-existent computer problems.
But there has been a sharp rise in recent months, with the software company reporting it had received more than 65,000 complaints about tech support scams since May. It is now taking legal action against several firms which stand accused of misusing the company name.
Increasingly, the bogus technicians are gaining access to computers remotely, enabling them to steal personal and financial data as well as install malware.
Microsoft has warned that scammers are likely to be even more active over the Christmas period. It said: “The holiday season is a popular time for scammers as more people engage in online activities, including shopping, donating to charity and searching for travel deals. Tech support scammers don’t discriminate; they will go after anyone, but not surprisingly senior citizens have been among the most vulnerable.”
UK Trading Standards has recently taken legal action against a man from Luton who hired an Indian call centre to falsely tell people their computers had a serious problem.
Mohammed Khalid Jamil was slapped with a four-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay £5,665 compensation and £13,929 in prosecution costs.