14 DAY TRIAL // Tech support scams are not uncommon these days. However, every once in a while, the scammers come up with some new tricks. A perfect example is provided by Malwarebytes.
Experts have come across a YouTube channel with hundreds of videos advertising “antivirus support” on behalf of various major companies, including IT security solutions providers such as ESET, F-Secure, Bullguard and Malwarebytes.
The descriptions of these videos contain a lot of keywords to make sure they would pop up in search engine results. The description also shows a phone number that users must call in order to have their computers repaired or disinfected.
According to researchers, the company that operates the scam is called My Tech Gurus (mytechgurus.com). When users call them up, they’re instructed to contact a technician via the website’s chat service.
Similar to other scams, the bogus technicians ask victims to open various Windows services in order to convince them that there’s something wrong with their device. Of course, the services are not free. A 2-year tech support subscription costs around $350 (€255).
In reality, you don’t get anything for your money, although it might look like you’re getting a great deal at the rate the scammers are making things up about your computer.
The scammers say their company is located in the US. However, Malwarebytes has determined that they’re actually based in India.
Interestingly, the Malwarebytes researcher that analyzed the scam was led to believe that he was talking to a woman named Helen. However, when he asked Helen whether she was actually a man, she (he) admitted it.
In case you want to learn more about tech support scams, you can check out an interesting guide by Malwarebytes. You can also check out a video that shows the conversation between this particular scammer and the expert.
