Microsoft Bing Ads Ban Third Party Online Technical Support Services Advertisements Due to Scams

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May 12, 2016 2016-05-12T14:51:48-05:00
May 12, 2016 2016-05-12T14:59:14-05:00

Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Microsoft Bing Ads Ban Third Party Online Technical Support Services Advertisements Due to Scams

For the past few years, Cybercriminals / scammers have been using fake "Microsoft Tech Support" online advertisement to reach their potential victims. Cybercriminals/scammers trick their victims into visiting fake online support websites and calling fake online support telephone numbers. Once scammers are able to reach their potential victims, they will attempt to trick them into installing software that will open back doors to their computers or allow the cybercriminals/scammers remote access to their computers. With remote access to their potential victims’ computers, cybercriminals/scammers will steal their victims’ personal information, financial information, online account credentials and other sensitive information that they will need in order to rip their victims off.

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To help protect online users from technical support scams, Microsoft has decided to ban or disallow third party online technical support services advertisements in their Bing Ads network. Microsoft said user safety is their priority, which is why they made the change or revision to their ad policy that will help provide a safer experience for their end users, especially the ones that are vulnerable to online scams and other fraudulent activities. Please see the Microsoft Bing Ads safety policy revision below.

The Microsoft Bing Ads Safety Policy Revision

User Safety is a core priority at Microsoft, which is why we are announcing a revision to our Bing Ads policy on the promotion of third party products and services:

Bing Ads disallows the promotion of third party online technical support services to consumers because of serious quality issues that can impact end user safety.

This policy change reflects Microsoft’s commitment to lead the industry in providing a safer experience for all of our end users, including populations most vulnerable to online scams and other fraud activities. Read more on our efforts to tackle online technical support scammers here.

We at Microsoft believe a safer online experience benefits our Advertisers and Users alike!

For more details on this global policy revision, please see our Misleading content policies page.

See an ad that you think violates Bing Ads policies? Report it!

Have you, a family member, or a friend ever received a suspicious cold-call from someone claiming to be ‘Microsoft Tech Support’, telling you that something is wrong with your computer? Tell us about it here

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search engine. Search

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Sep 22, 2016 at 9:42 PM by info

Received via email: "Recd email stating they were MICROSOFT SECURITY alert and to call 8008681782. Man who answered had heavy accent. Hung up as I knew it was fake. Recd call back immediately (same voice) from 8668637942 asking if I called w/computer problem. Said no...wrong #. He didn't want to hang up. I called MICROSOFT SECURITY & THEY SAID IT HAS A SCAMMER."

May 12, 2016 at 5:41 PM by an anonymous user from: Brandon, Minnesota, United States

Thank you Microsoft...I was scammed about a year ago; lost 239 dollars. My computer was later crashed by these scammers when I refused to allow them access to my bank account to deposit a "refund". They were terroristic and very threatening with repeated phone calls. I had my computer wiped clean and changed all my passwords and account numbers. It was a nightmare.
They represented themselves as Microsoft technicians and were initially very friendly and had all kinds of "credentials" to give me including phone numbers, employee identification numbers, supervisor names, etc. It was a terribly frightening thing to go through.

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