Security News > 2020 > March > Tech support scammers hacked back by vigilante

A UK cybercrime vigilante was so incensed by tech support scammers he reverse-hacked the call centre in India to reveal CCTV footage of perpetrators as they ripped off their victims in real-life calls.

During 2019, Browning said he was able to identify dozens of call centres in India where many of tech support scams targeting English speakers originate.

Tech support scams typically involve phoning people in the UK or US claiming to represent a large company such as Microsoft and tricking them into allowing remote access to the computer after claiming it is infected with malware.

Browning told the BBC his technique is to allow scammers to connect to his computer, which has been set up to attack the scammer's computer back using the same remote desktop connection.

Interestingly, the scammers nabbed by Browning were trying the classic Windows support scam, whose popularity shows no sign of waning despite attempts by Microsoft to shutter them.

News URL

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/03/04/tech-support-scammers-hacked-back-by-vigilante/