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===Initiation===
[[File:MediaWiki recent changes spam by cold-callers.png|thumb|A Recent Changes page from a [[MediaWiki]] site affected by technical support scammers promoting fake "help lines"|alt=A Recent Changes page from a MediaWiki site affected by technical support scammers promoting fake "help lines".]]
Technical support scams can begin in a variety of ways. Some variants of the scam are initiated using pop-up advertising on infected websites or via [[cybersquatting]] of major websites. The victim is shown pop-ups which resemble legitimate error messages such as a [[Blue Screen of Death]]<ref name="najmeh-et-al">{{cite journal |last1=Miramirkhani |first1=Najmeh |last2=Starov |first2=Oleksii |last3=Nikiforakis |first3=Nick |title=Dial One for Scam: A Large-Scale Analysis of Technical Support Scams |journal=Proceedings 2017 Network and Distributed System Security Symposium |date=2016 |doi=10.14722/ndss.2017.23163 |url=https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.06891 |access-date=28 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="bsod-popup">{{cite web|last1=Harley|first1=David|date=October 7, 2015|title=Tech Support Scams: Top of the Pop-Ups|url=http://www.welivesecurity.com/2015/10/07/tech-support-scams-top-pop-ups/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727112339/http://www.welivesecurity.com/2015/10/07/tech-support-scams-top-pop-ups/|archive-date=July 27, 2016|access-date=July 28, 2016|website=WeLiveSecurity|publisher=[[ESET]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=October 30, 2015|title=Do not respond to scam pop-up messages in your web browser|url=https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/internet/stay-smart-online/alert-service/alert-priority-moderate-do-not-respond-scam-pop-messages-your-web-browser|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420192531/https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/internet/stay-smart-online/alert-service/alert-priority-moderate-do-not-respond-scam-pop-messages-your-web-browser|archive-date=April 20, 2016|access-date=April 19, 2016|website=www.communications.gov.au|publisher=[[Department of Communications and the Arts]]|language=en}}</ref> and freeze the victim's [[web browser]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Segura|first=Jérôme|date=November 2, 2016|title=Tech support scammers abuse bug in HTML5 to freeze computers|url=https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/social-engineering-cybercrime/2016/11/tech-support-scammers-abuse-bug-in-html5-feature-to-freeze-computers/|url-status=live|access-date=December 30, 2021|website=[[Malwarebytes]]|archive-date=December 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230222304/https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/social-engineering-cybercrime/2016/11/tech-support-scammers-abuse-bug-in-html5-feature-to-freeze-computers/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wang|first=Samuel|date=April 29, 2019|title=Tech Support Scam Uses Iframe to Freeze Browsers|url=https://www.trendmicro.com/en_gb/research/19/d/tech-support-scam-employs-new-trick-by-using-iframe-to-freeze-browsers.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 30, 2021|website=[[Trend Micro]]|archive-date=December 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230222305/https://www.trendmicro.com/en_gb/research/19/d/tech-support-scam-employs-new-trick-by-using-iframe-to-freeze-browsers.html}}</ref> The pop-up instructs the victim to call the scammers via a phone number to fix the "error". Technical support scams can also be initiated via [[cold calling|cold calls]]. These are usually [[robocall]]s which claim to be associated with a legitimate third party such as Microsoft or [[Apple Inc.|Apple]].<ref name="ars-definitelynotcalling">{{cite web |last=Brodkin |first=Jon |date=October 3, 2012 |title=Hello, I'm definitely not calling from India. Can I take control of your PC? |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/hello-im-definitely-not-calling-from-india-can-i-take-control-of-your-pc/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121035544/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/hello-im-definitely-not-calling-from-india-can-i-take-control-of-your-pc/ |archive-date=November 21, 2014 |access-date=November 16, 2014 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref><ref name="mbam" /> Technical support scams can also attract victims by purchasing [[keyword advertising]] on major search engines for phrases such as "Microsoft support". Victims who click on these adverts are taken to [[web page]]s containing the scammer's phone numbers.<ref>[http://searchengineland.com/tech-support-ads-search-still-consumer-quagmire-197905 "Despite Crackdowns, Tech Support Ads In Search Are Still Cause For Consumer Confusion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328061606/http://searchengineland.com/tech-support-ads-search-still-consumer-quagmire-197905 |date=March 28, 2015 }}. ''Search Engine Land'', Ginny Marvin on August 5, 2014</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=February 15, 2019|title=How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams|url=https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218071418/https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams|archive-date=December 18, 2021|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=[[Federal Trade Commission]]|language=en}}</ref>
===Confidence tricks===
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