Despite newly created opportunities for fraudsters to rip-off unsuspecting citizens during the ongoing pandemic, tech support scams inflicted nearly $150 million in reported losses in 2020.
According to the 2020 Internet Crime Report, the FBI’s Internet Crime Center received 15,421 fraudulent tech support complaints from victims in 60 countries – a 171% increase from 2019.
“Criminals may pose as support or service representatives offering to resolve such issues as a compromised email or bank account, a virus on a computer, or a software license renewal,” the bureau explained. “Recent complaints involve criminals posing as customer support for financial institutions, utility companies, or virtual currency exchanges.”
