Page 60 - Cyber Safety C-6

Tech Support Scams

In this type of scam, fake messages on
your desktop say your computer has a
virus and ask you to call a number. Once
you call, the scammers ask for money to
repair your system (there is no problem
with your system!) or permission to
access your system over the Internet.

Once, you give permission, the scammers
can see everything on your computer and
even other devices connected to the same
network.

21 st
Century #Critical Thinking
Skills
SPOT THE MISTAKES IN A SCAM
Ritika, a Class 6 student from Hyderabad, loved participating in online art contests. One evening,
she received an email titled:

“Congratulations Ritika! You won the NATIONAL KIDS ART CHAMPIONSHIP! Claim your prize now!”
The email looked colourful and professional and even used the contest logo. Without checking the
sender’s address, Ritika clicked the link: “www.art-prize-winner-free.in”.

Immediately, a download started named “PrizeForm.apk.” Excited and nervous, she opened it.
Within minutes, her phone slowed down. Strange pop-ups appeared saying, “Your device has 39
viruses! Call this number for help!”

Panicking, Ritika dialled the number. A man claiming to be a “Technical Support Officer” asked her
to install a “repair app” and grant remote access. Thinking it would fix her phone, she agreed.
The next day, her father received bank alerts for multiple failed login attempts. Ritika’s school
email was also locked. A cyber expert later confirmed that the downloaded file was malware, the
scam pop-up was part of a tech-support scam and the remote-access app allowed a person to
steal data.
Based on the above case, answer the following questions:

1. Tick ONLY the six mistakes Ritika made.

(i) She clicked the prize email without verifying the sender.

(ii) She checked the link with a link checker before clicking.

(iii) She clicked a suspicious link: www.art-prize-winner-free.in.

58 Computer Science - VI