As long as there has been money there has been people looking to making by means that are less than ethical.  Now, with all the technology people half a world away can can attempt to pick your pocket.

I happened to come across a new type of call center fraud.  Well, it’s actually a twist on an old trick.  Con-men calling you up at home in an attempt to sell you something you don’t need or to gain personal information is nothing new.

However, the twist is that they try to have you open up a backdoor for them into your personal computer.  They come under the guise of saying that they are calling from Windows Tech Support.

They then usually say that they’ve received reports that your PC is under assault by viruses, from the Internet no less.  After that, they direct you to a web to download some variant of remote access software, programs that let someone else directly control your computer from across the Internet.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons for doing this, like IT support.  But let it be known that IT support will never call you unless you call them first.

To stay safe, best to never install software direct to you by someone you don’t know on the phone.  It may sound like common sense, but it can be hard to turn away someone who’s calm, polite, and pretending to help you.

In fact, many of these scammers can be so persistent and calm that there is a whole subculture that revolves around messing with them.  Click here for a laugh.  Trust me, I didn’t cold call you on the phone asking for your credit card number.