Almost got taken but thanks goodness my brain engaged on time to save me.
Be aware. Be prepared. Be wary.
Be vigilant, all the time. Let your guard down for an instant, and you’ll pay.
Instead of going to my phone list when I needed some serious computer tech support, I simply typed in “Dell support” in the search box in Google. I selected the first entry on the displayed list as it had a toll free number, had the Dell name. So I assumed it to be a connection to Dell. A toll free number was listed and I phone it.
The respondent answered with “Tech support.” I explained my problem and he immediately said it was to cost $100. My reply was that I had a warranty. He pushed, “$100 for one hour of tech staff time. And it will take only an hour.” When I repeated that my computer was only 2 mos old and he came back with the same lines. I hung up.
The site sure looked authentic:
There enough logos and info that the site looked very official and very authentic. I had no suspicions until the respond repeated his request for money even after I repeated I had a warranty.
It was fraud!
Later in the day when I had time to find the DELL number I had in my computer records, I phoned DELL tech support where in the course of repair I learned the phone number above was NOT a DELL number. In other words, fraudulent.
I was lucky. I took my time and rethought my first connection. Fortunately, I never got caught, but it was close.
Lessons to be learned:
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Keep your official phone numbers and use only those.
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If something smells, get out.
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Familiarize yourself fully with what you have a right to.
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If in doubt, get out.
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Use trusted, known sources only.
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If you don’t trust the source, ask someone you trust to advise you.
It’s your money !
