Tech Support Scam and How to Steer Clear of It

As most internet users already know, the World Wide Web is simply jam-packed with scammers just waiting to pounce on gullible and vulnerable users with the intention of scamming them out of money and/or information. One of the most well-known scams ever invented and deployed in the computer world is the tech support scam. The tech support scam entails a virus, malware, or spyware that generates pop-up advertisements on your computer. It can even go so far as to lock you out of your internet browser or prevent you from closing your internet browser, all due to being downloaded onto your computer when you visit a malicious website.

The pop-up advertisements that are generated mainly inform the user that it’s in their best interest to contact tech support professionals, providing a couple of numbers that the user should call. On the other end of these numbers are phony tech support “professionals” – mostly located overseas – who try their best to scam people out of money, or, if that is not possible, critical information such as billing addresses or credit card details. Thankfully, there are ways to steer clear of the tech support scam and even annihilate all traces of it in the event that your computer is infected.

If you have already been infected with the virus, malware, or spyware, which is the medium for this scam, do not fear. All you have to do to escape the clutches of this scam is remove the virus, malware, or spyware with which your computer has been infected. However, let’s address one thing at a time. If your computer has been recently infected and you have either been completely locked out of your internet browser or cannot seem to close it (a common occurrence), you need to:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

In the Task Manager, right-click on each of your running internet browsers one by one and click on End task. Doing so will successfully close the internet browser(s).

Next time you open the internet browser that downloaded the virus, malware, or spyware onto your computer, ensure you close the malicious website before it loads. This is crucial if your browser is configured to reopen the last browsing session upon launch.

After closing your internet browser, the next step is to eliminate the virus, malware, or spyware that has infected your computer. To be safe, close all running programs and save any progress on your computer. This is because the removal of all traces of the tech support scam might require a reboot. Here are the steps you need to follow to eliminate the infection:

Download AdwCleaner by going here and clicking on the Download Now button on the left side.

Install AdwCleaner. Once the program boots up, open AdwCleaner and click on the Scan button.

Wait for the program to successfully search for and detect any and all malicious or harmful files and threats to your computer.

Once AdwCleaner has completed its search, click on the ‘Clean’ button to eliminate all the invaders and threats that the program has found.

Since you have already saved all your progress on the computer and closed all running programs before starting this process, go ahead and click on OK in the prompt that appears.

Scanning and cleaning your computer using AdwCleaner will definitely eliminate the virus, malware, or spyware responsible for the tech support scam. However, there’s still a possibility that the scam hijacked your browser. To ensure the removal of any browser hijackers that were downloaded onto your computer to hijack your internet browsers, you will need to:

You can downloaded the Junkware Removal Tool program by following this link. This program is designed to successfully detect and remove browser hijackers that attack any browser, from Google Chrome to Microsoft Edge and everything in between.

Install the Junkware Removal Tool.

Open JRT.

If Windows asks you if you are sure you want to open JRT, confirm the action.

Once a Command Prompt window opens, press absolutely any key to initiate a complete junkware and browser hijacker scan of your computer.

Wait for JRT to do its thing. The scanning process may take up to 10 minutes.

Once JRT has successfully done what it is supposed to do, it will provide you with a log that contains all of the malicious files, registry keys and browser hijackers that the Junkware Removal Tool program removed from your computer.

Once all is said and done, restart your computer for good measure. Once your computer boots up, you will have successfully escaped the clutches of the infamous tech support scam.