A technical-support scam is fraud that deceives people into contacting fake support agents or call centers. Scammers may use alarming messages, misleading websites, or search results that imitate legitimate support to make victims believe their device or account needs urgent help.
Once contacted, fake agents may pressure victims to pay for unnecessary services, disclose sensitive information, or grant remote access to a device. In some campaigns, web pages and traffic-routing systems guide visitors to fraudulent call centers. Defenders can reduce risk by verifying support contacts through official channels, blocking and reporting fraudulent pages, and warning users not to grant remote access or share credentials with unsolicited support representatives.