Got tech support scammed? Worry about your credit card, not your computer

Last Updated on August 5, 2017 by Dave Farquhar

A college classmate contacted me a week or two ago. A relative of hers got scammed, and she wanted to know what to do.

“Get the charges reversed on the credit card,” was my simple response.

“What about cleaning up the computer?” she asked.

That’s the easy part.

If you got tech support scammed, call your credit card company. Don’t worry so much about calling the computer repair place.

If they had you install a remote-control program like Teamviewer or AMMYY, uninstall it. That’s it. It’ll be less work than having your credit card company reverse the charge.

Am I sure?

Yes, I’m sure. I’ve spent hours talking to these guys. They have no hacking skills, so they didn’t leave anything else behind. They wouldn’t know how. You know the helpdesk your ISP or employer outsourced to an offshore contractor that gets on your nerves? The people on that helpdesk know a lot more than these scammers do. I’ve talked to both, I know from experience.

Once they get their money, they aren’t malicious. They’re only malicious to people they know are onto the scam and waste their time.

So the cleanup is easy, and the education is pretty easy too. Just uninstall, reverse the charge, and don’t worry.

If you found this post informative or helpful, please share it!