Should companies do more to educate customers about potential security risks? Perhaps. In the case of the fake Amazon calls, there is another solution: a phone that displayed caller ID and could block nuisance calls. Knowing what to be on the lookout for is key. The only thing that gave it away as a fake was a slight misalignment of the text – something that would never have made it into the final version of the software on your computer. It claimed to be Windows Defender, mimicking the software’s aesthetic almost to a tee. I’d had the same pop-up on my own machine a few days before, and it was extremely convincing. His credit card number was probably being sold on as he spoke. If you know what to look for, you are less likely to be fooled.Ī few years ago I overheard a conversation on the bus about paying for upgraded security software after a pop-up – undoubtedly a scam – had alerted the user to a large number of viruses on his hard drive. It’s a new twist on the fake “Windows support” calls that try to persuade you to pay money for security software upgrades that ultimately leave you with a depleted bank account or suspect charges on your credit card. Amazon don’t call your home – a number they’ve never been given – to renew or cancel a subscription they will send you emails instead. You subscribe online and give your credit card details to the company through its website. If you are familiar with Amazon and how it works, the signs are there. But this is a case where prevention is definitely better. Your best bet is that you may be saved from disaster by your own bank: some require a second method of verification before they will transfer large amounts of cash to unknown accounts. I was there when the second call came in and it is easy to see how people, momentarily wrongfooted by the news that their account has been charged for something they never agreed to, would be taken in by the scam. An alternative scenario, going by reports, is that she would have been offered a refund and, naturally, they would need her to disclose her bank details or card details to process it.

Amazon asking me to download anydesk