Did you just get a call from a pleasant sounding person with a foreign dialect letting you know that they have detected errors on your computer? They'll even offer to show you what is wrong and 'fix' it for you.

You've just become a target and potential victim of a PC Support Scam. This scam is known by many names, It's been called the Fake Tech Support Call Scam, The Event Viewer Scam, The Ammyy Scam, and The TeamViewer Scam (the last two names denote the name of the legitimate remote connection tool used by the scammers to connect to and take control over your computer).

This scam is global and has likely bilked millions of dollars out of victims worldwide. The scam has been around for several years and doesn't appear to be losing any steam. If anything it seems to be becoming more prevalent, with new variants cropping up everyday,

How Can You Spot a PC Support Scam Attempt? Here Are Some Clues to Help You:

Clue #1: THEY called YOU

This is the biggest tip-off of the scam. Microsoft, Dell, or any other major company's tech support organization is not likely going to waste their resources to call you. If you have tech support problems, they know that you will call them. They are not going to go looking for trouble. The scammers will tell you that they are doing this is a "public service". Don't buy into this, it's complete BS.

Clue #2: The Caller ID Says MICROSOFT, TECH SUPPORT, or Something Similar and Appears to Originate From a Legitimate Number

This is another key part of the scam. What's the first thing you check when the phone rings? The caller ID information, of course. This information is what helps the scammer establish legitimacy. Your brain tells you that the caller ID info validates the claims of the caller so they must be for real, right? WRONG. The scammers are trying to build a pretext for their scam.

If someone was trying to scam you in person, they would wear a tech support badge. Spoofed caller ID information is just like putting on a fake badge, it looks legit, so many people believe it. Spoofing Caller ID info is extremely easy via Voice Over IP technology, Check out our article on Caller ID Spoofing for full details on how the process works.

Clue #3: They Have a Thick Foreign Accent But Use a Name That is Usually of Western Origin

This is one of the funniest parts of the scam for me. The scammer will usually have an extremely thick foreign accent, but will claim that their name is something decidedly western such as "Brad". If