Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly in a Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing yesterday questioned testifying witnesses about computer tech scams and what can be done to prevent these scams. Computer tech support scams involve tricking individuals who own a computer into needlessly paying hundreds of dollars and giving out their private information in exchange for fraudulent tech support service. In some cases, the scammer will pretend to be associated with a well-known company or send alarming messages that “pop up” on a consumer’s screen telling the consumer that the computer has been infected with a virus and to call a provided number to resolve the issue.  

To watch Donnelly’s questions and witness’ answers, click here.

Donnelly commented, “Another woman from Indiana got a cold-call, and it said there was a problem with your computer. She didn’t have a computer, so she was able to deal with that, but for those who do, when that call comes in, what are some of the things you can do to detect that call, to deal with it, to handle it, what are some of the best recommendations that you have?”

David Finn, Executive Director of the Digital Crimes Unit of Microsoft, responded, “The first thing is, you get a call from someone that’s unsolicited talking to you about technical support, hang up. That’s the first thing - that is not a legitimate effort to sell anything to you… The fact is there are hundreds, thousands of reputable companies who provide technical support to people. And the guidance is simply just as if you have a problem with your car, and you want to go find a mechanic, you’re careful about what mechanic you go to, you want to have someone you trust who you’ve heard is a good mechanic, an honest one, I’d say the same thing goes for finding help with your technical [support].”

According to the testimony provided by Finn, there have been 245,000 cases of advertisements appearing on the computers of Indiana residents from the top six companies identified as criminal organizations just in the last 90 days on the Microsoft search engine.

As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Donnelly has continuously focused on scams and fraud targeted towards seniors. In July 2015, Donnelly helped introduce the Phone Scam Prevention Act (S. 1759) that would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to publish a public report on the current technology available to enable individuals to protect themselves against misleading or inaccurate caller ID information. The bill also would require the FCC to submit a report detailing a plan to develop reasonable caller ID authentication standards, and expand the regulations regarding caller ID information to include text messages and communications originating outside of the United States.

In August 2014, Donnelly held a field hearing in Indianapolis entitled, “Trust Your Instincts? Tools to Empower Seniors to Identify Scams and Fraud,” helping seniors identify and properly report scams and fraud. The hearing highlighted that many seniors fall victim to fraud from unsolicited phone calls by scammers and are apprehensive to report these crimes because seniors fear stigma and embarrassment, so there is greater need for education and awareness. For testimony from the field hearing and video highlights, click here.

The Indiana Attorney General reported a total of 48 consumer complaints on computer tech support scams, with 13 consumers falling victim. In 2014, the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Consumer Sentinel Network received 12,702 complaints about computer-related problems, including software, hardware, and computer equipment purchases and unwanted or unauthorized software installations and downloads. In January 2015, the FTC started tracking tech support scams separately from other computer complaints because the scams had become prevalent enough to warrant their own reporting category. Between January and August 2015, the FTC received nearly 19,000 complaints about tech support scams. The FTC believes that these crimes are substantially underreported because many people simply do not realize they have been victimized.

For more information on how seniors can protect themselves from scams and fraud, click here.

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