Saturday, February 20, 2016

If Dell calls you, just hang up

By now, we all know that if the IRS contacts you by phone, you should hang up. If an attorney calls you saying your grandson is in a bit of trouble and needs your financial assistance, hang up. If Microsoft calls you saying your computer is infected, hang up.

Starting to see the pattern here?

As reported earlier this week by Brian Krebs in his Krebs on Security blog, the latest computer "tech support" phone scam is aimed at Dell users. The fake caller appears to know your computer's unique Dell service tag number and may make a claim that your computer is in need of service. If you get this call, hang up and report it to Dell at (866) 383-4713.

It's time that we get ahead of the curve and start reporting these fraudsters. We may think that these things are so well documented that you'd have to be living in a cave to not know about them. But remember that some folks are less connected and more vulnerable than others, especially the elderly and those who are not computer savvy, as most of us aren't.

Plus, these social engineers can be very convincing.

So, when you hear of a new scam like this, spread the word to all your friends and relatives to stay on the alert. The more we team up, the less chance of folks falling victim to these never-ending scams.

If you own a Dell computer, see the Krebs posting Dell to Customers: Report 'Service Tag' Scams.