Are Millennials falling for tech support scams?

Have you ever fallen into the prey of trending tech-scams? While browsing through a specific site, have you encountered a pop-up disclaimer that sounds loud and claims that your device is infected with a virus, thereby, asking you to run a program, to keep your device safe and protected. If you haven’t experienced such scams, chances are that you might know someone who has. Nearly one in ten users have lost money to such scams and the demographics showed the most affected are the Millennials.

Microsoft as a part of National Cyber Security Awareness had released a new global survey revealing 2 out of 3 people have experienced a tech support scam in the last 12 months. Moreover, the fraudulent interaction fell between the age group of 18 and 34. This might appear surprising to our prejudged belief that fraudsters target senior citizens. Among the participants who were over 66 years old, there was not much deception. While they encountered phone, e-mail and popup scams at roughly the same rates as their younger counterparts, they heard out scammers only 11 per cent of the time, and gave into them only three per cent of the time, the survey found. It has also been found that the fraudsters present themselves as Microsoft representatives, thus gaining the trust of the users and also defaming the brand’s image.

Cyber Attacks Affecting Businesses: Apart from that, tech scams, including cyber security attacks (majorly Phishing and malware scams) have proven to be top threats compelling businesses to protect their network security. Businesses need to reassess their network security protocols to assure that they are not fallen for cyber security threats. Phishing emails, malicious phone calls and fake applications are just few ways cyber criminals have targeted organizations and their staff.

With cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated, there is a need for companies to appoint Information Security professionals with the knowledge and capability to pace with hackers. We believe that anything connected with internet is prone to scams, organizations must consider on how to develop protocols for that will change the landscape of network security management.