4 min Reading time
With computer helpdesk fraud, scammers pose as help desk employees of Microsoft, Apple or another computer company and call you by telephone. They ask you to turn on your computer and follow their instructions. Because there would be a problem with your computer. Nothing could be further from the truth: in reality they hack you and take over your computer, only to loot your accounts afterwards.
The scammers want to access your computer and always work in the same way. The fake employee asks you to connect to the internet. Once that's done, you'll need to install a piece of software on your computer. This is where it gets dangerous: one piece of the software resides on your computer and the other piece resides on the scammers' computer. That allows them to literally look into, control and manipulate your computer.
Do you receive a call from a helpdesk and the employee suddenly asks you to follow steps via your computer? Do not follow these instructions and hook up immediately! They can be very aggressive and efficient. Don't let them finish talking and certainly don't accept their proposal to turn on your computer.
If you are dealing with fake helpdesk employees of a computer company, you can report it to the CCB, the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium.
Did you download the software? Then you need to act quickly:
Did you lose money?