Tech Support Scams Don't fall for them!

Example of a message from a scammer. “Hard Drive will delete after 5 minutes” with a counting timer.

Bad guys are continually coming up with new ways to scam you out of your money. Their latest trick is a Tech Support scam that puts a big warning screen on your computer, claiming that if you do not call the support number, your whole hard disk will be deleted in 5 minutes. DON’T FALL FOR IT!!!

There are many variations of this scam, some claim they are your Internet Service Provider. Others may claim to be from Microsoft and need stating you need to call in for an urgent update or they show you a blue screen that claims your computer needs to be repaired. There is always a number to call, and these scammers will try to charge hundreds of dollars on your credit card.

These scams kick off when a user visits a compromised website (which can occur by clicking on a link in a phish email) . The web page displays a fake ‘hard drive delete timer’ that warns the user that their hard drive will be deleted within five minutes. A warning audio tone is also played in the background, which again warns the user that their system is infected.

Don’t fall for it! If you see these error message, or something similar on your computer at Chapman, contact the Chapman Service Desk at servicedesk@chapman.edu or (714) 997-6600. If you see this on your home computer, ignore these messages and do not call the fake tech support number!