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SINGAPORE –\u00a0Media
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Of those surveyed, Gen Zers (aged 18-23) and Millennials (<\/span>aged 24-37) were found to have continued interactions
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Each month, Microsoft receives
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Mary Jo
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Fewer exposed to
The
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On a
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Millennials, Gen Zers,
Microsoft is seeing younger
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Males were also identified to
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Computer problems
Among those who continued with
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Following a computer-related
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What Microsoft is
The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) is working to help combat this issue
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The DCU works to combat tech
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“Tech support scams will remain an industry-wide
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Microsoft recommends keeping in mind the following tips
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Learn more about how consumers can protect themselves
Note to editors:\u00a0<\/i>For more information, news and
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[1]<\/sup>Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland,<\/b> France, Germany,
\nOutReach<\/a>\u00a0– 22 July 2021 –\u00a0Microsoft today released findings of its <\/span>2021 Global Tech Support Scam Research report<\/a> that looks at tech support scams and their impact
\non consumers. The survey saw an overall fall in scam encounters \u2013 three out of
\nfive consumers (59%) were found to have been targeted by a tech support scammer
\nin the last 12 months, a drop from 64% in 2018. One out of six consumers (16%)
\nwere then tricked into continuing with the scam, a three-point decrease from
\n2018. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nmost when targeted with the scams \u2013 23% for both age groups. Across the Asia
\nPacific (APAC) countries surveyed, results were diverse: Consumers in India
\nwere three times more likely to continue with a scam interaction (49%) than the
\nglobal average (16%), while consumers in Japan performed best globally, with only
\n5% of those surveyed proceeding to interact with a scammer. Australia (<\/span>19%)
\nand Singapore (14%) saw rates on-par
\nwith the rest of the world. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nabout 6,500 complaints globally from people who have been the victim of a tech support
\nscam; this is down from 13,000 reports in an average month in prior years. To better understand how the problem with tech support
\nscams is evolving globally and to enhance efforts to educate consumers on how
\nto stay safe online, Microsoft <\/span>commissioned YouGov for this global survey in 16 countries<\/span>[1]<\/sup>, including four APAC markets \u2013 Australia, India, Japan and
\nSingapore. This is a follow-up to similar surveys that Microsoft fielded in <\/span>2018<\/a> and 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nSchrade, Assistant General Counsel, Regional Lead, Microsoft Digital Crimes
\nUnit Asia<\/i><\/b>,<\/i> said: “Tech support scams are perpetrated globally and target people of all ages.
\nWhile we do see progress made in the percentage of people who declined to
\nengage with the scammers, there is continued need to monitor and address how
\nthe attacks are evolving. Tactics used by fraudsters to victimize users online
\nhave evolved over time, from pure cold calling to more sophisticated ploys, such
\nas fake “pop-ups” displayed on people’s computers. Across the diverse region of
\nAsia Pacific, we are seeing attack rates vary according to demographics and habits
\n\u2013 yet tech support scams continue to affect all countries. We are committed to
\nonline safety and hope these survey findings will help to better educate people
\nso they can avoid becoming victims of these scams.”<\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nscams, but more lost money<\/b><\/p>\n
\n
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\nglobal fall in scam exposure rates between 2018 to 2021 was largely driven by a
\nreduction in scams involving pop-ups (-8%) as well as those with redirects to
\nwebsites (-7%). This trend was also reflected in the region, with Japan
\nrecording the greatest decrease among the APAC markets surveyed, at a 12-point drop
\nfor encounters relating to pop-ups and a five-point drop for website scams
\nacross the same period. Australia, India, and Singapore also saw decreases of four,
\nfive and one points around pop-ups respectively and two, one and three points around
\nwebsite scams, respectively.<\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nglobal level, there was a one-point increase in consumers losing money during
\nthe scam interaction in 2021 (7%) as compared with 2018 (6%). This trend was
\nalso seen in the APAC markets with Japan (3%) and Singapore (5%) recording a one-point
\nincrease from 2018 to 2021; Australia (9%) recorded a three\u2011point increase
\nduring the same period. More significantly, about a third of consumers in India
\n(31%) who continued with such scams lost money as a result, an increase of 17
\npoints from 2018 (14%). <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nand males most likely to fall victim to scams<\/b><\/p>\n
\n
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\npeople fall prey to tech support scams more often, particularly the Gen Zers (aged
\n18-23) and Millennials (aged 24-37). Globally, one out of 10 Millennials and
\none out of 10 Gen Zers that encountered a scam fell for it and lost money. This
\nis correlated to the higher engagement that younger people have with riskier
\nonline activities, such as using torrent sites (16% for Gen Z; 15% for
\nMillennials) and sharing email addresses in exchange for content (30% for Gen
\nZ; 28% for Millennials).<\/p>\n
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\nbe the hardest hit and most likely to have lost money as a result of such scams.
\n20% of males globally continued with such tech support scams in 2021, with half
\nof them losing money as a result. In contrast, 13% of females globally
\ncontinued with such tech support scams, with about one in three losing money in
\nthe interaction.<\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nthe most common issue during scam interactions<\/b><\/p>\n
\n
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\na scam, the most common issue experienced globally during the interaction was
\ncomputer problems (30%), followed by compromised passwords (23%), and
\nfraudulent use of credit\/debit\/store cards (18%). <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nscam, 77% in Australia and 82% in India surveyed spent time checking and
\nrepairing their computer, slightly higher than the global average of 76% in
\n2021. It is crucial to carry out checks, as some scammers are known to install
\nmalware on computers, allowing them to maintain remote access to people’s
\ncomputers long after the victims believed the interaction was terminated. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\ndoing to combat scams<\/b><\/p>\n
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\nby partnering with law enforcement, strengthening technology, and educating
\nconsumers. Microsoft has been fighting against tech support scams since 2014 and
\nhas supported law enforcement officials to take legal action against scammers across
\nthe years in Asia, the U.S., and Europe. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nsupport scams by (1) investigating tech support fraud networks and referring
\ncases to law enforcement as appropriate, (2) strengthening Microsoft’s products
\nand services to better protect consumers from various fraudulent tactics, and
\n(3) educating consumers about this type of fraud by providing guidance and
\nresources on how to identify, avoid, and report them. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nchallenge until sufficient people are educated about these scams and can avoid
\nthem. The best way consumers in
\nAsia Pacific can protect themselves is to learn about these scammers are
\ntargeting people, be suspicious of any unsolicited contact from purported tech
\ncompany employees and avoid letting people they do not know remotely access
\ntheir computers,” added Mary Jo.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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\nshould consumers receive a notification or call from someone claiming to be
\nfrom Microsoft or any other reputable company:<\/p>\n
\n
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\n of pop-up messages on your computer, and do not call the number or click
\n on the link in any pop-ups received. <\/li>\n
\n software only from official company websites or the Microsoft Store. Be
\n wary of downloading software from third-party sites, as some of them might
\n have been modified without the company’s knowledge to bundle support scam
\n malware and other threats.<\/li>\n
\n experience at www.microsoft.com\/reportascam<\/a> and also file
\n reports with law enforcement authorities, such as your local consumer
\n protection authority.<\/li>\n
\n
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\nfrom tech support scams here.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
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\nperspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at\u00a0http:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/<\/a>. Web links, telephone numbers and
\ntitles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For
\nadditional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid
\nResponse Team or other appropriate contacts listed at https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/microsoft-public-relations-contacts<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nIndia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, <\/b>Singapore, Spain<\/b>,
\nSwitzerland,<\/b> United Kingdom and the United States \u2013 countries in bold are new
\nin 2021.<\/i><\/p>\n