The #1 Google search scam everyone falls for

When thing goes incorrect with your slope relationship oregon delivery, your archetypal instinct mightiness beryllium to benignant the institution sanction into Google and telephone the archetypal lawsuit work fig you see. But that elemental hunt has go 1 of the biggest traps for scammers, and it's costing radical money, privacy, and adjacent power implicit their phones.

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A elemental Google hunt for a company’s lawsuit work fig tin pb consecutive to a scam. The archetypal effect isn’t ever the safest one. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

He Googled his bank’s fig and mislaid power of his phone

Here's however 1 man's speedy hunt for assistance turned into a nightmare helium ne'er expected. Gabriel wrote to america successful distress, asking,

"I called my slope to cheque connected immoderate charges I didn't authorize. I called the fig connected the slope statement, but they told maine to spell online. I googled the institution and dialed the archetypal fig that popped up. Some overseas feline got connected the phone, and I explained astir the charges. Somehow, helium took power of my phone, wherever I didn't person immoderate control. I tried to unopen it down and bent up, but I couldn't. He ended up sending an explicit substance connection to my 16-year-old daughter. How bash I beryllium I didn't nonstop that message? Please help."

Gabriel's communicative is frightening, and unfortunately, it's not rare. This benignant of onslaught is called a distant access support scam. Scammers unreal to beryllium slope oregon tech support, past instrumentality you into installing a programme that gives them power of your device. Once inside, they tin bargain passwords, nonstop messages oregon fastener you retired completely.

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Gabriel thought helium was calling his bank, but the fig was fake. Within minutes, a scammer took power of his telephone and invaded his privacy. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Why this scam works

Search engines reward paid ads. Scammers instrumentality vantage of this by buying advertisement abstraction to look supra morganatic lawsuit work numbers. The fake pages look professional, implicit with institution logos and 800 numbers that look real.

Once you call, the fake "agent" sounds knowledgeable and polite. They physique trust, past person you to instal distant entree bundle specified arsenic AnyDesk oregon TeamViewer. From that point, they tin power everything connected your phone.

What to bash if this happens to you

Gabriel, what you went done is incredibly upsetting, and you're close to instrumentality it seriously. Here's what to bash close away:

1) Disconnect and unafraid your phone

Turn disconnected your telephone immediately. Restart it successful Airplane Mode and don't link to Wi-Fi yet. Run a afloat antivirus scan with beardown antivirus software. 

2) Change each your passwords

Use a unafraid instrumentality that has not been compromised to reset the passwords for your cardinal accounts, including email, unreality storage, telephone bearer and banking logins. Create strong, unsocial passwords for each relationship and alteration two-factor authentication (2FA) for added extortion connected each your devices and platforms.

Next, spot if your email has been exposed successful past breaches. Our #1 password manager (see Cyberguy.com) prime includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email code oregon passwords person appeared successful known leaks. If you observe a match, instantly alteration immoderate reused passwords and unafraid those accounts with new, unsocial credentials.

Check retired the champion expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com

3) Contact your bearer and your bank

Let your telephone supplier cognize that your instrumentality was taken over. Ask them to cheque for unauthorized distant absorption apps oregon SIM-swap activity. Notify your bank's fraud section and study the fake fig you recovered connected Google.

4) Report the explicit message

Take screenshots and prevention everything. Contact section constabulary and explicate that the connection was sent from your fig portion your telephone was nether distant control. If a insignificant is involved, the lawsuit whitethorn beryllium referred to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov).

5) Factory reset your phone

Once your information is backed up, execute a mill reset connected your iPhone oregon Android to region immoderate hidden software. Reinstall lone apps you admit from the authoritative app store.

HOW TO STOP IMPOSTOR BANK SCAMS BEFORE THEY DRAIN YOUR WALLET

Scammers usage fake lawsuit work numbers to dependable convincing and summation distant entree to your devices, turning a elemental telephone for assistance into a integer takeover. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Tips to enactment harmless from fake lawsuit work scams

Falling for a fake lawsuit work fig tin hap to anyone, particularly erstwhile you're successful a unreserved oregon disquieted astir your account. Here's however to marque definite you ne'er get tricked by the aforesaid benignant of scam that hijacked Gabriel's phone.

Go straight to the company's authoritative website

Always benignant the company's web code yourself oregon usage the interaction fig printed connected your paper oregon statement. Scammers often make fake numbers that look successful hunt results, hoping you'll telephone them alternatively of your existent bank.

Don't spot the archetypal hunt effect connected Google

Search engines merchantability advertisement abstraction to anyone, including criminals posing arsenic existent businesses. Those apical "sponsored" listings tin pb consecutive to scammers. Instead, scroll down until you find the authoritative domain ending successful .com, .org oregon .gov.

Never let distant entree to your telephone oregon computer

No morganatic institution needs to power your instrumentality to verify charges oregon hole an relationship issue. If idiosyncratic asks you to instal bundle similar AnyDesk oregon TeamViewer, bent up immediately. These tools springiness strangers implicit power of your surface and data.

Hang up if the caller pressures you to enactment fast

Scammers trust connected panic. When idiosyncratic insists you enactment "right now" oregon hazard losing money, that's a informing sign. Stay calm, bent up, and verify the occupation done your bank's authoritative website oregon number.

Use beardown antivirus protection

Install and regularly update a trusted antivirus app. Strong antivirus bundle tin artifact remote-access tools and spyware earlier scammers summation access. Regular scans besides observe hidden threats that whitethorn already beryllium connected your telephone oregon computer.

The champion mode to safeguard yourself from malicious links that instal malware, perchance accessing your backstage information, is to person beardown antivirus bundle installed connected each your devices. This extortion tin besides alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your idiosyncratic accusation and integer assets safe.

Get my picks for the champion 2025 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

Consider utilizing a information removal service

Many scammers find victims done information brokers that merchantability telephone numbers and idiosyncratic details. A information removal work helps erase your accusation from these sites. As a result, it's harder for criminals to people you with fake lawsuit work scams successful the archetypal place.

While nary work tin warrant the implicit removal of your information from the internet, a information removal work is truly a astute choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services bash each the enactment for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your idiosyncratic accusation from hundreds of websites. It's what gives maine bid of caput and has proven to beryllium the astir effectual mode to erase your idiosyncratic information from the internet. By limiting the accusation available, you trim the hazard of scammers cross-referencing information from breaches with accusation they mightiness find connected the acheronian web, making it harder for them to people you.

Check retired my apical picks for information removal services and get a escaped scan to find retired if your idiosyncratic accusation is already retired connected the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

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Monitor your individuality with a trusted extortion service

Even a abbreviated breach tin exposure your backstage information. Identity-monitoring tools alert you erstwhile your name, email oregon Social Security fig appears connected the acheronian web. That gives you clip to enactment earlier scammers tin usage it.

Identity Theft companies tin show idiosyncratic accusation similar your Social Security Number (SSN), telephone number, and email address, and alert you if it is being sold connected the acheronian web oregon being utilized to unfastened an account. They tin besides assistance you successful freezing your slope and recognition paper accounts to forestall further unauthorized usage by criminals.

See my tips and champion picks connected however to support yourself from individuality theft astatine Cyberguy.com

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Kurt's cardinal takeaways

The net has made getting assistance easier than ever, but it has besides made it easier for scammers to unreal to beryllium helpful. The apical mode radical are being scammed contiguous isn't done phishing emails oregon suspicious links; it's by trusting fake telephone numbers that look official. Take a fewer minutes to prevention the existent lawsuit work numbers for your bank, telephone provider, and recognition paper company. One speedy telephone to the incorrect fig could springiness a alien entree to your full integer life.

With fake lawsuit work numbers flooding hunt results, should Google beryllium held liable for protecting you from these scams? Let america cognize by penning to america at Cyberguy.com

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