A well-known scam displays a fake alert page on Windows computers. The scammers then pretend to be the technical service to collect money.
A fake technical support scam campaign has made a comeback. Since May 2024, scammers have been planting redirects to a Windows clone site that claims your computer has a problem. You may come across this page while browsing the web.
In our case, it appeared after consulting the website of a major national radio station. Malicious actors can take advantage of a vulnerability in WordPress sites or insert their scam into advertising placements.
The page may display in full screen, suggesting that your computer is experiencing a malfunction. Don’t panic, just press the “esc” button to exit the intrusive window.
Criminals want to deceive their victims with a false security alert. If the person contacts the telephone number that appears, the scammers will pretend to be Windows and claim that they will quickly resolve the problem, for a sum of around a hundred euros.
An “increase in scams” usurping Windows
Contacted by Numerama, the cybersecurity company Vade confirmed to us that an increase in technical support scams has occurred in recent months. An IP address hosting many such scams has been identified by cybersecurity experts. The same campaign was spotted in Germany.
Last March, American authorities seized the equivalent of 1.4 million euros in cryptocurrency from the wallet of a team of criminals specializing in fake technical support. The main victims are generally the elderly, so be sure to talk about it with your parents or grandparents.
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