Ip Address Scams
BBB Scam Alert: IP address scam uses scare tactics
Scammers have been duping consumers with a tech support scam that claims your IP address has been compromised. BBB is seeing an increasing number of these cons reported to There are two versions of this scam you should be ready to spot.
How the Scam Works
In one version of the scam, a pop-up suddenly appears on your computer screen with an ominous warning from a well-known tech support company. The pop-up will ask you to call a number to resolve the issue. When you call, a “technician” will tell you your IP address is being used by shady individuals. In some reports, scammers claim child pornography websites are using your IP address, and you could be held responsible for their actions. In a second version of the scam, you simply receive a call out of the blue from someone making similar claims.
In both cases, scammers say they work for a reputable company and can fix the problem, but you’ll need to pay a fee and give them remote access to your computer first. Of course, the claims are false! If you believe them, scammers will make off with your money and gain access to any personal information stored on your computer.
How to Protect Yourself from Computer Scams
Never open attachments or links in emails from unknown senders. These can generate the fake warning pop-ups that prompt you to make a call to scammers. If you do get a suspicious pop-up alert, don’t click on anything and restart your computer.
Be wary of unsolicited calls. A common scam tactic is to make cold calls. Scammers then try to scare you into giving them access to your machine. Don’t fold under pressure, simply hang up the phone and block the number.
Never give strangers remote access to your computer. You should only allow remote access to technicians of trustworthy companies that you contacted through a legitimate customer service number or chat.
For More Information
For more information on computer tech support scams, check out, as well as these videos and tips from the Federal Trade Commission
If you’ve been the victim of a tech support scam, report it on the BBB Scam Tracker. By reporting your experience, you can help others avoid falling for the same scam.
What can someone do with my IP address? | NordVPN
There are dangers to someone knowing your IP address, but they’re rarely discussed. Criminals can use your IP to launch various cyberattacks and scams against you and others. Before we begin, however, let’s start with finding out what your personal IP address is: What is my IP? By the end of this post, you’ll know what to protect yourself against and discover ways to hide your IP address. Pretty can someone find my IP address? Your IP address is a unique string of numbers assigned to you by your ISP – like a delivery address for online traffic. If you connect to a different Wi-Fi or move house, your IP address will change along with your ISPs use dynamic IP addresses, which aren’t fixed to your device, but you can have a static IP if you wish to (you can learn more about different types of IP addresses here). For example, if you want your computer IP address to always stay the same, you’ll be able to specify that through the device’s settings. This can be useful when port-forwarding, if you want certain data to be sent directly from your router to your computer IP your IP address holds certain information about you, someone may want to use it for malicious purposes. There plenty of ways people can get hold of your IP address. Here are just a few:If you torrent files. When you download content from torrent sites, every member of the swarm (total seeders and leechers) can see your IP address. All they need to do is check the list of borrowing your device. If somebody borrows or uses your computer, they can find out what your IP address is in seconds, as there are countless free websites that let you do an email. If you send an email to someone, they can check the header of the message, which could contain your IP address. Yahoo! and Microsoft Outlook are known to include IP addresses in the email icking on a link. Any link you click on will need to provide your iP address for the server at the other end to deliver the content provided by the link. Whoever owns that server will see your IP a VPN hide my IP address? Yes, it does. A VPN completely hides your IP address and encrypts your internet connection. Even better, a VPN prevents third parties like your ISP from eavesdropping on your data. Your online activity cannot be traced back to you, giving you a powerful layer of rdVPN has more than 5500 servers in 59 countries, providing you with the best speeds available. With one NordVPN account, you can protect up to six different devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more. You can also install it on your router and secure gadgets that don’t support VPN functionality can jump from one server to another in seconds, changing your IP address and masking your location. Protect your online privacy out NordVPN on the latest cyber news and tipsWhat can people do with your IP? While your IP address won’t give away sensitive information like your phone number or apartment position, hackers can still use your IP against you. If a cybercriminal knows your IP address, the consequences can be devastating:Someone can get your location and intrude on your privacy in real lifeYour IP address shows what city you’re in, so if someone ill-intentioned finds it out, you could be in trouble. Let’s say you’ve announced that you’re going on holiday on your social media. A criminal only needs to do a little extra digging to find your house and burgle it while you’re meone can use your IP to hack your deviceThe internet uses ports as well as your IP address to connect. There are thousands of ports for every IP address, and a hacker who has your IP can try all of those ports to brute-force a connection, taking over your phone for example and stealing your a criminal does get access to your device, they could also install malware on it, which could expose your meone can impersonate you to get hold of your IP addressYour ISP could reveal your IP address to someone else. Criminals who know your name on social media can contact your ISP and try to impersonate you or use a vishing attack to steal your personal details. Remember that telecom operators are only humans who use systems with vast amounts of personally identifiable information. Employers can track your activityIPs are owned by ISPs, and each IP is assigned to a user. When you’re connected to your work network your employers could potentially see and track everything you do online – giving you hardly any privacy at all. A hacker can hit you with a DDoS attackIf a hacker has your IP address, they could harm you with a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack. A DDoS attack uses an army of computers controlled by a hacker to flood your device with traffic so it disconnects from the internet and completely shuts bercriminals can frame you for illegal activityHackers are known to use hacked IP addresses to download illegal content that threatens national security as well as anything else they don’t want traced back to them. Protect your IP address, and you will protect do I stop someone from using my IP address? You should always protect any personally identifiable information even if you think the risks do not apply to you. With enough determination, a bad actor can stitch together an entire identity just by going online, and your IP could be the starting are three ways to protect your IP address and prevent yourself from being exploited by hackers: Change your privacy settingsChange the settings on all your instant messaging as well as any other apps to “private” and don’t accept calls or messages from people you don’t know. Hackers are known to gain access to your IP address through messaging apps like Skype. Update your firewall and routerA criminal can hack your router remotely and retrieve your IP address, especially if you’re still using the default one. Change the password of your router regularly and be sure to use a long mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. Use a VPNA VPN will protect your IP address and your private information. By routing your online data through a VPN server with its own IP address, you can prevent websites from logging information about your device and location. While you might be principally interested in VPNs for their IP-switching functionality, they also come with a range of additional other benefits can a VPN offer? A VPN will establish an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server. That means that no one can spy on your data as it moves from your device to the server — not even your internet service provider (ISP) has never been more valuable. Your ISP can monitor your activity and sell that information to advertisers and other third parties. Hackers can steal your passwords and use your private details to launch phishing attacks. It’s vital that you protect your rdVPN provides a number of extra features that you might find particularly useful. Our CyberSec system will enhance your protection against malware by shielding you from high-risk websites and other known threats. When Kill Switch is enabled, you can avoid any unexpected data exposure. And with the NordLynx protocol, you can enjoy unrivaled speeds, without compromising on out NordVPN on the latest cyber news and tips
Zen Bahar
Verified author
Zen likes to use her cybersecurity knowledge to help protect the privacy and freedom of others, otherwise, you can find her playing with paints in her studio in London.
Ask SAM: Is call about compromised IP address a scam?
Ask SAM: Is call about compromised IP address a scam?
Q: My husband keeps getting calls that say they are from Microsoft but come up on our caller ID with our own name and number, as if we are phoning ourselves. They tell us that our IP address has been compromised. We’re quite sure this is a scam. Is this a new scam and are other people getting these calls? J. It’s a scam alright, but it’s not new. We’ve written before about how scammers use spoofing technology to hide their true telephone number, sometimes using the phone number of the people they are calling to add to the explained on the Microsoft answers forum, “an IP address can’t be compromised, it’s just a number that identifies your system on the (typically local) network so that other computers can send responses to its requests. “The only true failure that involves an IP address is if another computer on your own network tries to use the same address, which creates a conflict and will be clearly displayed as such by a Windows error message on your screen if it did actually occur. Even if this happens this issue typically only results in flaky communications and can usually be fixed by simply restarting either PC. ”This scam has been circulating for several years now. The scammers are probably trying to talk you into paying them money to “fix” the problem or give them access to your computer, which will allow them to upload malware. Q: As I was remembering Thruway Shopping Center in its early years, I had a vague memory of a small hospital on Stratford Road, a few blocks west of the shopping center, named maybe Casstevens. Was there such a place? N. Yes. You are thinking of Casstevens Hospital, a 30-bed private clinic that was at opened at the corner of Knollwood Street and Stratford Road in 1946. “In 1954, the clinic became a hospital with obstetrics and minor surgery as its focus, ” according to “Casstevens Hospital was replaced in 1971 by Medical Park Hospital. ” The Stratford Oaks office complex is there lling DelaysWinston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities let us know about a change coming to utility bills. “Our billing cycle for bimonthly accounts is typically 60 days, ” they explained. “Recently, there have been delays, which have resulted in billing cycles of 75-plus days. ”If your balance due seems higher than expected on your next bill, check the “days” column to see how many days your bill covers. “You are not being charged more, ” they explained. “You are only paying for the water used. Payment due dates have been adjusted accordingly. ”For more information, contact CityLink Online or call 311 or anksOn behalf of the VFW Memorial Honor Guard, quartermaster Clifford Harris would like to extend thanks to two people who paid for the honor guards’ lunches on separate occasions recently at Pete’s Family Restaurant in Clemmons, on Feb. 22 and 27, after members had rendered military honors at services for deceased veterans. “Your generosity and patriotism is appreciated by all of us, ” he mOnline: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
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Frequently Asked Questions about ip address scams
What can scammer do with IP address?
There are thousands of ports for every IP address, and a hacker who has your IP can try all of those ports to brute-force a connection, taking over your phone for example and stealing your information. If a criminal does get access to your device, they could also install malware on it, which could expose your IP.Aug 30, 2021
What does it mean when IP address is compromised?
They tell us that our IP address has been compromised. We’re quite sure this is a scam. … As explained on the Microsoft answers forum, “an IP address can’t be compromised, it’s just a number that identifies your system on the (typically local) network so that other computers can send responses to its requests.Mar 5, 2019
What can I do with someone’s IP address?
With someone’s IP address, you can learn a user’s general location, and disable some parts of their internet browsing experience. Every device connected to the internet has an IP address, which helps websites identify your computer.Jun 2, 2020
