Don't Do Online Tech Support

That exact same thing nearly happened to me a few years ago when I tried to access help for a temporary Facebook account I'd set up.

As soon as the person I was speaking with suggested downloading an app on my phone I hung up because I knew I was talking to a scammer.
 
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KSav said:
That exact same thing nearly happened to me a few years ago when I tried to access help for a temporary Facebook account I'd set up.

As soon as the person I was speaking with suggested downloading an app on my phone I hung up because I knew I was talking to a scammer.
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Yep. Seniors on this forum and even senior visitors are big targets so I hope many people see these stories.

It is so much safer to deal with local support companies, even if the cost is higher.
 

officerripley said:
I've gotten good computer help on YouTube.
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True. I've gotten a lot of device advice on YT.

The 2 sure paths to a tech scam are 1) calling the phone number on an ad you see when you do a search for tech support - I'd say only 1 out of 3 of those is legit, and 2) when a scammer calls you saying they're from Microsoft and got an alert that your device has been hacked, which doesn't happen; Microsoft doesn't get alerts and they don't call customers.
 
You may want to ditch the computer and buy a tablet. They are simpler to maintain and less prone to computer bugs, and give you everything you can do on the computer, plus touch screen and the ability to magnify things. I love them. Personally I prefer an Android based one.
 
KSav said:
That exact same thing nearly happened to me a few years ago when I tried to access help for a temporary Facebook account I'd set up.

As soon as the person I was speaking with suggested downloading an app on my phone I hung up because I knew I was talking to a scammer.
Click to expand...

In some cases one needs an application on a phone to do things on Facebook. I found this out (through Facebook articles, not some support person helping me) when I needed to post videos to the Facebook account used for the company. There wasn't a way to post them from my computer.

I'm not saying you weren't being scammed, I'm just saying sometimes that is the correct information.
 
asp3 said:
In some cases one needs an application on a phone to do things on Facebook. I found this out (through Facebook articles, not some support person helping me) when I needed to post videos to the Facebook account used for the company. There wasn't a way to post them from my computer.

I'm not saying you weren't being scammed, I'm just saying sometimes that is the correct information.
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This guy was using a VOIP, which set off my suspicion straight away. Plus, I should have clarified: As soon as I said I was about to hang up, he ended the call.
 

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