From eWeek: Symantec issued a report on Aug. 3 revealing that technical support fraud scammers are using call optimization services to improve their results. The new techniques come as the volume of tech support scams blocked by Symantec continues to grow.
Tech support scams come in multiple forms, including malware advertising where an ad shows up on a user's screen warning that they have been infected with malware and need to call a certain number to get help. Symantec researchers found that scammers are making use of call optimization services to inject local numbers into malware alerts, as well providing additional features to improve call delivery.
"We were surprised to see scammers use legitimate optimization services for a couple reasons," Vikram Thakur, technical director at Symantec, told eWEEK. "First, it indicates the size of a specific scammer's operation spanning hired individuals in multiple countries; and second, it shows the scammer's brazen attitude toward using legitimate software platforms even though such vendors can be approached by legal entities."
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