Cybersecurity

PC support scams net con artists $1.5bn

More than 3.3 million Americans will fall victim to fake PC support scams in 2015, Microsoft has said.

The scams involve calls from con artists who claim to work for Google, Microsoft or Facebook and tell victims their PC is riddled with viruses.

Those caught out typically pay a fee, often several hundred dollars, to clean up the bogus security problems.

In 2015, more than $1.5bn (£1bn) would be stolen by gangs behind the con,Microsoft predicted.