MADRID, 16 Nov. (EDITIONS) -
The National Police have warned about a scam that impersonates Microsoft technical support and threatens to block the victim's computer once it is turned on.
THE MESSAGE WE ARE VERIFYING
The authorities warn against an alleged technical service call that insists the interlocutor to turn on the computer to see the errors on his device.
CONCLUSION
Police are urged to ignore these calls. Microsoft points out that the company does not send email messages or make phone calls to request personal or financial information or to provide technical support. In fact, the company emphasizes that it is the client who must always be in contact.
Justification
A recurring scam on the Internet is one that impersonates a company, an official body or a bank to try to collect personal or financial data. For example, in 2020 there was one that impersonated the DGT and claimed personal data through emails about alleged unpaid fines.
When in doubt, the authorities recommend contacting the entity that supposedly sent the message directly and not sharing data or clicking on any suspicious link, given the possibility that we could download 'malware' on our device. Microsoft insists that it is the customer who should initiate communications with the company if they need, for example, technical support; and emphasizes that it will never ask for a payment for said technical service consisting of 'cryptocurrencies' or gift cards.
The company is on guard against error pop-ups, since messages from Microsoft's 'software' never include phone numbers. At the same time, it insists on the importance of using reliable browsers, 'software' from official websites and antivirus.
Other tips from authorities to avoid falling for scams on the Internet are:
-- Regarding hoaxes: be wary of messages on the Internet of dubious or unknown origin. The Police urges not to share them --for example, by WhatsApp-- and to resort to official sources. These messages may have incorrect wording and spelling or request dissemination, for example.
-- Frequently review the privacy options in our social networks and share on the network following the same criteria that we would use in real life. The Internet User Security Office recommends not sharing email, telephone number, address, location, photos of minors, photos that could compromise us, personal documents (for example, bank details), opinions, complaints or compromised comments, or private conversations.
-- Create strong passwords. The Civil Guard warns that a secure password is one that has at least eight digits, combines upper and lower case letters, signs, numbers and the 'ñ' and does not refer to dates such as weddings, birthdays, etc. nor is it used in other Internet services.
-- Check the URL of the page we are visiting: an 'S' or a padlock should appear at the bottom of the window, indicating that the web is secure.
The Internet User Security Office urges you to suspect that a computer has been infected by 'malware' if it is very slow or if it is the downloads that are very slow, if the programs do not work or the browser does what you want, if personal files appear blocked, if it reboots or crashes for no apparent reason, if pop-up windows appear every so often, if emails arrive to my contacts that I did not send, if the antivirus has disappeared or if the printer stops working.
The National Institute of Cybersecurity (Incibe) telephone helpline to answer questions about cybersecurity is 017, it is free and is active from 09:00 to 21:00 every day.