Instead of dealing with this frustration, many people try to Google it. Bad idea! As we’ve seen in the past, doing an online search for things like customer service numbers or tech support can lead you down a bad path. Tap or click here to learn how tech support searches can lead to scams.
Not everything is what it appears to be
If you call one of the fake numbers, an impostor will answer and ask for your credit card or banking information. Once they have this info they can cause all kinds of problems for you, like stealing money directly from your account or identity theft. Or, if you click on a malicious link it could infect your device with malware or other scams. That’s why it’s a bad idea to do online searches for things like customer service or tech support. RELATED: 6 sophisticated scams fooling even the savviest internet users Fake phone numbers and spoofed sites that appear in these types of ads are known as “malvertising.” Malvertising is when fraudulent ads contain malicious links that lead to serious problems like malware. If you need to contact your credit card company or bank, use the phone numbers found on the backs of your credit or debit cards. You know those numbers are official. A chat window will open and you can start chatting. When you first begin, you won’t be speaking with a human, it’s a bot; however, if the bot isn’t able to fix your problem, you will be connected to someone who can. RELATED: Scam alert! This fake phone call is very convincing And make sure to type official web addresses into your browser instead of following links from searches. That way you know you’re visiting a real site and not a spoofed one operated by thieves.
