Very often, we encounter virus alerts on our devices, warning us about the possibility of a virus. However, these warnings could actually be scams, designed to extort money from users.
According to a report by The New York Times, one in five people who receive such virus alerts tend to contact fake technical support centers, and six percent of users pay for fake services.
Microsoft as having their roots in New Delhi, the capital of India. Recently, around 16 such centers were discovered and around 36 people were arrested for being part of a ring that was tricking users with fake alerts. The scammers were even using a fake Microsoft logo on the alerts to make them appear more trustworthy.
Ajay Pal Sharma, senior police officer, said: “Their method of operation was to send a pop-up notification to users' systems, using a fake Microsoft logo.”
The people behind the fake tech support called their targets and pretended to be Microsoft employees, telling them about a virus or that their system might have been compromised. Ultimately, they demanded money ranging from $ 99 to $ 1000 to fix a problem that didn't actually exist.
The fraud was carried out on a massive scale, as indicated by the fact that Microsoft receives about 11,000 or more fraud complaints each month.
Microsoft is collaborating with other technology companies such as Apple and Google together with law enforcement agencies, to solve this threat that is spreading across the world.
