Tips to keep yourself safe from pesky technical support scams

Technical support is a useful tool for thousands of Americans when they encounter a problem on their phones or laptops. However, the number of scammers posing as technical support is on the rise. According to Microsoft, technical support scam reports rose 24 percent last year and received 153,000 complaints in 2017.

Scammers call and claim to be computer technicians with well-known companies, such as Microsoft, Apple, Comcast, Norton or Dell. Scammers may send pop-up messages or e-mails warning you of computer problems, such as viruses or malware.

They will ask permission to remotely access your computer to diagnose the alleged problems. The problem is doing so lets them change your computer settings so your computer is vulnerable to attack. They may trick you into installing malware that gives them access to your computer and sensitive data, like user names and passwords.

They may ask you to pay for unnecessary services immediately, purchase worthless software or will steal personal information from your computer.

BBB offers these tips to keep yourself safe from technical support scams:

■ If you receive an unexpected, urgent call, e-mail or pop-up message about tech support, ignore it. Do not call phone numbers associated with the e-mail or pop-up or click any links. If you think it may be legitimate, call your security software company.

■ Never share passwords or give remote control to your computer to anyone who contacts you.

■ Never click on sponsored ad links when searching online for technical support companies. Many of these lead to scams.

■ Remember, legitimate tech support companies don’t call out of the blue.

■ Be wary if you paid for technical support services and later receive a call about a refund. This could also be a scam.

■ Don’t rely on caller ID. Scammers can make any number or name appear on a caller ID, even if they are out of the country.

■ Protect your computer by using antivirus software and a firewall from a reputable company.

■ Enable pop-up blockers. Pop-ups are regularly used by scammers to spread malware.

■ Always back up content on your computer.

If you are victim of a technical support scam:

■ Update or download legitimate security software and scan your computer. Delete anything the software says is a problem.

■ Change any passwords you have shared.