Technical Support Scams are a threat that has existed since the early days of the Internet, with cybercriminals and scammers using it as a common technique to compromise users’ devices and computers. The scam typically involves these scammers posing as helpful technical support staff and requesting users to install legitimate software such as AnyDesk. The tool allows the user to give the scammer remote access to his or her device, effectively giving them complete control over the victim’s machine. This article covers AnyDesk, a popular remote access tool, and how cybercriminals misuse it for malicious purposes.
How AnyDesk Scams Work
AnyDesk is a popular legitimate remote access tool that allows users to access computers and smartphones remotely. It is commonly used across companies of various sizes where the IT HelpDesk teams use it for troubleshooting and diagnosing problems. Unfortunately, the ability of the user to give remote access is something that cybercriminals are keen to exploit, leading to a rising number of AnyDesk scams. In these scams, scammers pretend to be technical support to gain access to their victims’ devices and compromise them, leading to identity theft, data loss, and financial losses.
The scam typically follows the below pattern:
- Cybercriminal contacts the victim pretending to be technical support. This is usually preceded by phishing emails or texts or the victim visiting a malicious website that shows pop-ups about the victim’s device being compromised by malware.
- The Cybercriminal then informs the user that their device is compromised and urgent assistance is needed to create a sense of urgency and not give them adequate time to assess the situation.
- The victim is instructed to install AnyDesk and give the criminal access to their device by informing them of the PIN that the software generates for the session.
- Once access has been granted, the cybercriminal can compromise the device and the victim’s data.
The impact of these scams can be severe, from losing access to your device to identity theft and even total loss of your data. The FBI has also released a notification informing the general public about the dangers of these scams.
Scammers have also evolved how they socially engineer users to fall for these scams. Some of the standard methods used are:
- Phishing emails and messages in which they reach out to their victims pretending to be tech support personnel from reputed companies. This is easily the most common and well-known scam.
- Website popups that inform you that your device has been compromised and to contact a particular email or person after installing AnyDesk.
- Fake Work-from-Home Officers: In this variation of the scam, the victims are informed about work-from-home opportunities that offer handsome salaries and require AnyDesk to be installed for onboarding and training purposes.
- Fraudulent transactions alert: The scammer pretends to represent your bank and informs you that your banking may have been compromised. He requests access to your device and possibly your account via AnyDesk.
- Fraudulent bills or invoices: In this scam, the victim is sent fraudulent invoices and requested to install AnyDesk to resolve the issue.
How to prevent AnyDesk scams
As is apparent, this scam is an evolving one and is successful due to the legitimacy of the AnyDesk software and the different ways in which users can be socially engineered into installing it.
Some of the key precautions that can be taken to prevent this scam are:
- Be highly skeptical of technical support staff contact you and ensure that you verify their identity first before granting any access
- Website popups that inform you about malware are malicious, and you should never install any software they are instructing you to do
- Work from Home offers that sound too good to be true generally are. Be highly vigilant about such offers and verify the legitimacy of these companies before granting any access
Despite these precautions, if you feel that you have fallen victim to this scam, then it is essential to take the following steps:
- Remove your device from the Internet so that the cybercriminal is unable to continue accessing your device
- Uninstall the AnyDesk software from all your devices so that future access is not possible
- Run an anti-malware scan on all your devices
- Change your credentials immediately and inform your financial institutions about any potential fraud
Conclusion
AnyDesk scams are unique in that they misuse legitimate software to compromise users and devices. Awareness is crucial for early detection of these scams and knowing what sort of messaging cybercriminals use. By spreading information about these attacks, companies and users can continue to benefit from AnyDesk while staying secure at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do AnyDesk scams work?
AnyDesk scams involve cybercriminals posing as technical support, convincing users to install the legitimate remote access tool. Once granted access, they compromise devices and steal data, leading to identity theft and financial losses.
What social engineering tactics do scammers use in AnyDesk scams?
Scammers use phishing emails, website pop-ups, fake work-from-home offers, fraudulent transaction alerts, and invoices to socially engineer users into installing AnyDesk and providing access to their devices.
How can I prevent falling victim to AnyDesk scams?
To prevent AnyDesk scams, be skeptical of unsolicited technical support contacts, verify identities before granting access, avoid installing software instructed by malicious pop-ups, be cautious of too-good-to-be-true work-from-home offers, and verify the legitimacy of companies before granting access.
What should I do if I suspect I’ve fallen victim to an AnyDesk scam?
If you suspect being a victim, take immediate action by disconnecting your device from the internet, uninstalling AnyDesk, running anti-malware scans, changing credentials, and informing financial institutions about potential fraud.