Scammers are not hackers. Hackers break into systems used by companies, organisations, governments and sometimes also normal people like me and you. Scammers contact us directly and try to persuade us to give them access to our money, data, and stuff. They will typically call or send messages on social media, messenger apps and in e-mails.
If I seem nitpicky, bear with me because the difference between hackers and scammers matters a lot. If you get hacked or if your information was stolen somewhere else, you might not be liable for the damage. When you are scammed, though, you give the scammers permission and your protection goes out the window.
My credit card details were stolen but I got my money back eventually from the credit card company. However, when a friend was scammed the bank did not refund the money. Because my friend “gave” the scammers access to her computer and phone, the transaction was legitimate.
She had no idea who she was talking to though. What’s more, scammers are trained professionals who know exactly what to say to sound legit. But once you know what to look out for, you’ll spot a scammer easily.
Angry and scary
Scammers will either get angry with you, especially if you ask questions to figure out if they are legit, or they will try to scare you by going on and on about how terrible “the virus/problem/blablabla” is. They do this because anger and fear are two strong emotions that make it difficult to think clearly. When we are scared or angry ourselves, we are much more easily manipulated.
So when someone calls you to offer you tech support but gets impatient for no reason, raises their voice or becomes angry with you, hang up the phone. When you notice that you feel afraid even though you were fine when the conversation started, hang up the phone. If the person keeps explaining how terrible the problem is, definitely hang up the phone.
Tech support never calls you first
The scammer who called my friend claimed to work for Microsoft’s tech support. If there really is a problem with your computer, the company who created the operating system, like Microsoft or Apple, does not know. They cannot know because they don’t have access to your computer.
Tech support never calls you. You always have to call them. Let’s say there really is a computer virus going around and Microsoft/Apple/Company-That-Created-An-App notices. Here’s what they do: They start fixing the problem. While that is happening, they might tell you about the virus. But they probably won’t until they have a solution ready to go. Once they do, they create an update.
Other companies, like banks, insurance companies, etc. won’t tell you until they’re already working on a fix either. Chances are, you hear about a hack or a leak in the media because these companies fail to tell you that there’s a problem. Real companies don’t want to upset you.
If/when they contact you, they will send a mass e-mail to their users but they will never call you to fix the problem with you. NEVER! If you have any trouble at all, even with the update, you always have to contact them first. So any time “tech support” calls you first, it’s a scammer. Hang up the phone.
Remote Access
Scammers will ask you to download an app that gives them access to your computer. This is often a perfectly legitimate app created for just that purpose. That’s why the program will ask you to give them an access code. Never give anyone access.
Once you give scammers remote access, they can pretty much do whatever they want with your computer. Next, they repeat the process (download remote access app, give them the access code) with your phone in case you have 2FA (2-Factor Authentication) enabled and to confirm transactions with your bank so they can steal all your money.
Nobody ever needs access to your phone. Seriously. No one ever needs access to your phone. Legitimate companies/people will never ask for it. If you weren’t suspicious so far, now is the time to definitely hang up the phone.
More red flags
There are other signs that you are talking to a scammer. The ones I’ve written about so far are my personal favourites because they are easy to remember. Just in case though, here are some more signs to watch out for:
- They transfer money to you. Seems harmless but isn’t because they’ll also ask you to “quickly check that you got it”. As soon as you log into your bank account, they see your log-in details and can steal your money.
- If it’s the kind of scam where you “won” something, they’ll ask you to pay some kind of fee first. It might be a “transaction fee” or even “shipping cost”. The point is, if you are supposed to pay them first, you didn’t win anything. It’s a scam.
- If it’s a message on WhatsApp or via e-mail they’ll again ask for money. Big fat red flag. Often they will pretend to be a relative (child or grandchild) in trouble. If it’s via e-mail they might tell you a sob story. Never answer. Just delete.
Always remember to trust your gut. If the person who just called you makes you feel uneasy, tells you stories that don’t make sense and gets angry when you have questions hang up the phone.
Why do I repeat “hang up the phone” so much? Because as soon as you engage with these people, either by talking or by exchanging messages, they will use persuasion techniques on you and you might despite all the red flags end up believing them. So the best protection for you is to always hang up as soon as you notice something is wrong.
Movie recommendation
The Beekeeper is an action movie with Jason Statham. Lots of gratuitous and gory violence. If you do not enjoy that, that’s fine. I would still highly recommend that you watch the first ten minutes or so because one of the characters is called by a scammer.
If you see what is happening on screen you are much more likely to notice fast if you are ever in the same situation. And then you hang up the phone.