Lincoln – Attorney General Doug Peterson, in coordination with attorneys general from across the country through the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), has joined the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other regulators to announce a nationwide takedown of tech support scams.

According to General Peterson, “With today’s announcement, we hope to help consumers recognize the red flags of a tech support scam. I applaud the efforts of my colleagues in law enforcement to identify these scammers, hold them accountable, and educate consumers on how to avoid falling victim to these scams.”

These scam artists use phone calls and online ads resembling security alerts from major technology companies to trick consumers into contacting the operators of these schemes and providing access to the consumers’ computers. The scammers will claim consumers’ computers are infected with viruses or experiencing other problems. They then try to pressure consumers into buying unnecessary computer repair services, service plans, anti-virus protection or software, and other products and services.

The attorneys general and the Department of Justice focused particular attention on tech support scams as a threat to senior citizens.  Attorney General Peterson, NAAG and the FTC have released updated guidance for consumers and businesses on how to spot and avoid losing money to one of these scams. This guidance may be found on the Attorney General’s website, ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov.

General Peterson co-chairs the NAAG Consumer Protection Committee, which works to coordinate and support the attorneys general’s consumer protection work across the country. In addition to Nebraska, other state participants included Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington, D.C.