ScreenConnect Scam
Criminals are contacting people pretending to have discovered a problem. Don't fall for it!
A small firm client just called to ask about a warning they had received from "ScreenConnect." Screen Connect is not a company. It is a remote control product owned by ConnectWise and marketed to IT companies to provide customer support.
ConnectWise offers a free, 30-day trial of ScreenConnect, which can be abused by scammer. They email you a warning that someone has connected to your computer from a suspicious location. Then they ask you to install ScreenConnect so that they can connect to your computer and "help" you resolve the fake problem.
Your antivirus software won't detect the installation as malware because ScreenConnect is commercial software with legitimate uses. It gives the fraudster access to everything on your computer and anything you can access on the web and your network.
This sort of Tech Support Scam can be perpetrated by someone contacting you via email or phone with a supposed urgent problem. Urgency language is a classic indicator of a scam. It can trigger our fears, causing us to react without thinking clearly.
Scammers use other free remote control services, too, such as:
AnyDesk
AnyViewer
AeroAdmin
Windows Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop
If you receive an urgent message, be sure you double-check its source. Check on the source of the email. It should include the website name of the company. If you receive a phone call and have any doubts, ask for a call-back number, company name and website. Go to the real website (be sure it's not a fake!), and call the number shown there.
Scammers keep coming up with new ways and new messages crafted to fool us. Be careful!