Thursday, August 24, 2023 – Is that empty ink cartridge really empty? – What to do if someone asks to let them remotely control your computer

Well, it’s true, and it can be a lifesaver when you need help fixing a serious computer issue that you’re unable to fix on your own.

But it can also be extremely dangerous if the person asking you to grant them permission to take over your machine isn’t who they claim to be.

One of the most dangerous scams going right now is miscreants pretending to be from Microsoft, Apple or some other well-known company saying your PC or Mac has a virus or some other serious problem that needs to be fixed right away. If you’ll just grant them access to your machine they can take control of it remotely and fix the problem for you in no time flat.

What these scammers are really after is the ability to scan your machine’s hard drive for passwords and/or personal and financial info they can use to steal your identity and drain your bank account.

They usually won’t spend a lot of time initially going through your files. What they’ll do instead is remotely install malware onto the machine that will allow them to sneak back into it when they can take their time and go through every file and folder looking for whatever info they can find and exploit.

Bottom line: If you receive a phone call, a text message, a pop-up box or an IM via social media claiming to be from Microsoft, Apple or any other well-known tech company saying they need remote access to your computer, you can be certain that it’s a scam.

Every. Single. Time.

Neither Microsoft nor Apple will ever contact you from out of the blue to tell you there’s a problem with your machine. They just won’t do it. Ever. And neither will any other legitimate company.

If YOU contact a company that does offer remote troubleshooting and repair services as part of their legitimate business, it should be fine to allow them to remotely access your machine for the sole purpose of fixing the problem at hand.

Just make sure you know and trust the company you contacted before you grant them access to your machine. And whatever you do, make sure YOU contact THEM via a phone number, chat tool or email address that’s listed on the company’s official website.

There are numerous knock-off websites out there, some of which will actually come up in Google’s search results before the company’s official website when you do searches for something like [company name] tech support.

And finally, never, under any circumstances should you allow someone who contacts YOU from out of the blue to take control of your computer. I can promise you that it won’t end well.