I know I paid my taxes, and I know if there’s a problem with them, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will send me a letter telling me so. Knowing the above has prevented me from falling victim to recent calls to my mobile phone claiming to be from the IRS. In fact, here’s a recording – caught by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – of what the messages left behind sound like.
Of course, I’m not the only one they’re calling, and many others may be falling victim to the scam. These scammers can even fool your caller ID into telling you they’re from the IRS.
This merely proves that hackers still use decidedly low-tech means to gain unauthorized access to information, money and other data that you’d prefer they not have.
Indeed, another scam being perpetuated is masked as a call from technical support.
As the FTC writes,
In a recent twist, scam artists are using the phone to try to break into your computer. They call, claiming to be computer techs associated with well-known companies like Microsoft. They say that they’ve detected viruses or other malware on your computer to trick you into giving them remote access or paying for software you don’t need.
These scammers take advantage of your reasonable concerns about viruses and other threats. They know that computer users have heard time and again that it’s important to install security software. But the purpose behind their elaborate scheme isn’t to protect your computer; it’s to make money.
