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No, it’s not really Apple or Microsoft popping up on your screen to tell you your computer has been infected.

It’s scammers trying to convince you to call them and divulge sensitive information, which may include passwords, bank or credit account information or Social Security numbers.

“They use the reputation of the brand [for legitimacy purposes] to make it seem more real,” said Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at The National Cybersecurity Alliance. “Because, who doesn’t know Microsoft or Apple as a brand?”

Consumers are likely to see more of these types of scams now, in the wake of Apple’s recent release of its new iPhone. There tends to be a rise in scams when a new product or version is released because it’s easier for scammers taking advantage of news headlines to strike while the iron is hot, said Nati Tal, head of Guardio Labs, which identifies, monitors and mitigates internet security threats. “In a very small time period, they will get tons and tons of potential victims.”

The scams can affect anyone, but as has been the case with other recent tech-linked consumer crime waves, such as bitcoin ATM fraud, the elderly are especially vulnerable. Last year, nearly 18,000 victims aged 60 and over reported tech support scams to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, making it the most widely reported kind of elder fraud in 2023. Fraud losses from tech support scams against the elderly amounted to $590 million of losses — and that’s only reported cases.

These types of scams are getting even harder to spot because of AI, especially when the scheme uses a known company logo to make it look legit. Here’s what people should know to protect themselves from scams targeting commonly used, trusted tech brands:

Never assume any online ad is authentic

People can be duped in a number of ways. One way is malvertising, in which bad actors pay for ads on search engines like Google or Microsoft’s Bing. These rogue ads can appear as sponsored content, or in small print as an ad, during a search engine query.

So, for example, a consumer searching for “Microsoft support” might be shown a fake Microsoft ad with a number to call. By calling this number, people are playing right into scammers’ hands, according to Malwarebytes, which has identified a number of these schemes. Malwarebytes also uncovered a malicious ad campaign targeting Mac users looking for support or extended warranty from Apple.

“People have all sorts of issues with their computers and they look for help, but a lot of the time the numbers they find will be a scammer’s number, not the real one,” said Jérôme Segura, senior director of research at Malwarebytes.

Pop-ups, emails from brands you know are often suspect

Tech scams also ensnare unsuspecting consumers through phishing emails for renewal offers that seem to come from legit places, including Microsoft, McAfee, PayPal and Norton. These emails could be laced with malware if users click on a link, or they could be phishing attempts to get more information from the individual. Sometimes simply opening the attachment could infect a consumer’s computer with malware. 

The other type of tech-support scam happens when a window pops up on a user’s computer to warn of an “infection.”

There’s often audio associated with this type of scam to instill a sense of urgency for consumers to call the number listed in the pop-up. There may also be a button that says “return to safety,” but when clicked, what was a regular browser window — with the address bar and window title visible — becomes a full-screen page, with a message about not rebooting the computer because it’s infected, Segura said.

“Imagine being the user and hearing the non-stop audio playing in the background saying your computer is compromised. This is very stressful and it will lead people to make a bad decision in calling the fake phone number,” he said.

Once people call, they often are manipulated into sharing personal information such as their credit card number or giving scammers access to their computer.

How to click without getting into online trouble

For starters, consumers should avoid clicking on sponsored ads obtained during a Google or Bing query. (Hint: These often appear at the top of the search results page, but they can also appear further down, so look out for the word “sponsored” or “ad” depending on the search engine.) Consumers should also avoid clicking on random links sent in an email, even if they think they know the sender. And don’t open attachments unless you’re sure you know what’s being sent.

In the case of a pop-up warning of a computer virus, Segura said the general rule is to only click on the browser’s own icons which are typically at the very top right corner. “Never click on any other ‘X’ within the web page itself, as it is fake,” he said. 

If people do click on the X or have clicked on “return to safety,” the webpage will likely go into full-screen mode. “If that happens, you must first exit out of full screen by long pressing on the keyboard’s escape button (Esc) and only then can you finally X out,” Segura said. 

Internet browsers come with basic protections, so be sure to keep your browsers updated. You might also want to install a free, or paid-protection service that covers multiple types of threats. 

What to do if you fall for a tech scam

Next steps depend on the type of information you shared with scammers. If, for instance, you called a number for “Microsoft” or “Apple” and gave usernames and passwords, change those. If you only shared your name, address and phone number, it’s not necessary to do anything because this information is readily available to scammers through data brokers, Jim Routh, chief trust officer at identity security company Saviynt, explained in an email. 

Consumers who share their credit card number, expiration date and CVV, should call their credit card company’s fraud line to report the incident and request a new credit card be overnighted.

If credentials are shared with the fraudster for other online accounts, the password for each should be immediately changed. It’s also advisable for consumers to freeze their credit with each of the three primary credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This is a good practice to do for your whole family and especially for children under 18, even in the absence of a particular threat. It’s also advisable to place a fraud alert with one of the credit bureaus, which will relay the information to all three.

People who are concerned they installed malware who don’t have anti-virus protection should choose a reputable brand and install it, Routh said. If they lack technical sophistication, they can call the Geek Squad or a similar service to scan the workstation and find the malware to remove. Consumers who have given remote computer access to scammers should bring their device to a service professional for assistance, he added.

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Indonesia wants Apple to sweeten its $100 million proposal as tech giant lobbies for iPhone 16 sales

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Indonesia wants Apple to sweeten its 0 million proposal as tech giant lobbies for iPhone 16 sales

An iPhone 16 signage is seen on the window at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store on new products launch day on September 20, 2024 in New York City. 

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The Indonesian government expects Apple to increase its proposed $100 million investment into the country, according to state media, as the iPhone maker seeks clearance from Jakarta to sell its latest phones.

The American tech giant’s latest smartphone model doesn’t meet Indonesia’s 40% domestic content requirements for smartphones and tablets and hasn’t been granted clearance to be sold in the country. 

The purpose of the ban is to protect local industry and jobs, with officials asking Apple to increase its investments and commitments to the economy in order to gain greater access. 

According to a report from Indonesian state media, the country’s Ministry of Industry met with representatives from Apple on Thursday regarding its proposal to invest $100 million over two years. 

The funds would go toward a research and development center program and professional development academy in the country, as per the report.

The company also plans to produce accessory product components, specifically mesh for Apple’s AirPods Max, starting in July 2025, it added.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

While the new offer is 10 times larger than a proposal that was reported earlier, the government is still striving to sweeten the deal to get a “fair” commitment.

“From the government’s perspective, of course, we want this investment to be larger,” industry ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arif told state media on Thursday.

He said that a larger investment would help the development of Indonesia’s manufacturing sector, adding that its domestic industry was capable of supporting production of Apple devices such as chargers and accessories.

While Indonesia represents a small market for Apple, it also offers growth opportunities as it has the world’s fourth-largest population, according to Le Xuan Chiew, a Canalys analyst focusing on Apple strategy research.

“Its young, tech-savvy population with growing digital literacy aligns with Apple’s strategy to expand [global sales],” he said, noting that it also offers potential for manufacturing and assembly that supports Apple’s efforts to diversify its supply chain. 

Success in this market requires a long-term approach, and Apple’s investment offer demonstrates a commitment to complying with local regulations and paving the way for future growth, he added.

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Intuit shares drop as quarterly forecast misses estimates due to delayed revenue

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Intuit shares drop as quarterly forecast misses estimates due to delayed revenue

Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi speaks at the opening night of the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 2024.

Rodin Eckenroth | Filmmagic | Getty Images

Intuit shares fell 6% in extended trading Thursday after the finance software maker issued a revenue forecast for the current quarter that trailed analysts’ estimates due to some sales being delayed.

Here’s how the company performed in comparison with LSEG consensus:

  • Earnings per share: $2.50 adjusted vs. $2.35 expected
  • Revenue: $3.28 billion vs. $3.14 billion

Revenue increased 10% year over year in the quarter, which ended Oct. 31, according to a statement. Net income fell to $197 million, or 70 cents per share, from $241 million, or 85 cents per share, a year ago.

While results for the fiscal first quarter topped estimates, second-quarter guidance was light. Intuit said it anticipates a single-digit decline in revenue from the consumer segment because of promotional changes for the TurboTax desktop software in retail environments. While that will affect revenue timing, it won’t have any impact on the full 2025 fiscal year.

Intuit called for second-quarter earnings of $2.55 to $2.61 per share, with $3.81 billion to $3.85 billion in revenue. The consensus from LSEG was $3.20 per share and $3.87 billion in revenue.

For the full year, Intuit expects $19.16 to $19.36 in adjusted earnings per share on $18.16 billion to $18.35 billion in revenue. That implies revenue growth of between 12% and 13%. Analysts polled by LSEG were looking for $19.33 in adjusted earnings per share and $18.26 billion in revenue.

Revenue from Intuit’s global business solutions group came in at $2.5 billion in the first quarter. The figure was up 9% and in line with estimates, according to StreetAccount. Formerly known as the small business and self-employed segment, the group includes Mailchimp, QuickBooks, small business financing and merchant payment processing.

“We are seeing good progress serving mid-market customers in MailChimp, but are seeing higher churn from smaller customers,” Sandeep Aujla, Intuit’s finance chief, said on a conference call with analysts. “We are addressing this by making product enhancements and driving feature discoverability and adoption to improve first-time use and customer retention.”

Better outcomes are a few quarters away, Aujla said.

CreditKarma revenue came in at $524 million, above StreetAccount’s $430 million consensus.

At Thursday’s close, Intuit shares were up about 9% so far in 2024, while the S&P 500 has gained almost 25% in the same period.

On Tuesday Intuit shares slipped 5% after The Washington Post said President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed “Department of Government Efficiency” had discussed developing a mobile app for federal income tax filing. But a mobile app for submitting returns from Intuit is “already available to all Americans,” CEO Sasan Goodarzi told CNBC’s Jon Fortt.

Goodarzi said on CNBC that he’s personally communicating with leaders of the incoming presidential administration.

On the earnings call, Goodarzi sounded optimistic about the economy.

“Our belief, which is not baked into our guidance, is that we will see an improved environment as we look ahead in 2025, particularly just with some of the things that I mentioned earlier around just interest rates, jobs, the regulatory environment,” he said. “These things have a real burden on businesses. And we believe that a better future is to come.”

WATCH: H&R Block, Intuit shares fall after report Trump administration is considering a free tax-filing app

H&R Block, Intuit shares fall after report Trump admin considering a free tax-filing app

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Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says X rival is ‘billionaire proof’

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Bluesky CEO Jay Graber says X rival is 'billionaire proof'

Bluesky has surged in popularity since the presidential election earlier this month, suddenly becoming a competitor to Elon Musk’s X and Meta’s Threads. But CEO Jay Graber has some cautionary words for potential acquirers: Bluesky is “billionaire proof.”

In an interview on Thursday with CNBC’s “Money Movers,” Graber said Bluesky’s open design is intended to give users the option of leaving the service with all of their followers, which could thwart potential acquisition efforts.

“The billionaire proof is in the way everything is designed, and so if someone bought or if the Bluesky company went down, everything is open source,” Graber said. “What happened to Twitter couldn’t happen to us in the same ways, because you would always have the option to immediately move without having to start over.”

Graber was referring to the way millions of users left Twitter, now X, after Musk purchased the company in 2022. Bluesky now has over 21 million users, still dwarfed by X and Threads, which Facebook’s parent debuted in July 2023.

X and Meta didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Threads has roughly 275 million monthly users, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in October. Although Musk said in May that X has 600 million monthly users, market intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimates 318 million monthly users as of October.

Bluesky was created in 2019 as an internal Twitter project during Jack Dorsey’s second stint as CEO, and became an independent public benefit corporation in 2022. In May of this year, Dorsey said he is no longer a member of Bluesky’s board.

“In 2019, Jack had a vision for something better for social media, and so that’s why he chose me to build this, and we’re really thankful for him for setting this up, and we’ve continued to carry this out,” said Graber, who previously founded Happening, a social network focused on events. “We’re building an open-source social network that anyone can take into their own hands and build on, and it’s something that is radically different from anything that’s been done in social media before. Nobody’s been this open, this transparent and put this much control in the users hands.”

Part of Bluesky’s business plan involves offering subscriptions that would let users access special features, Graber noted. She also said that Bluesky will add more services for third-party coders as part of the startup’s “developer ecosystem.”

Graber said Bluesky has ruled out the possibility of letting advertisers send algorithmically recommended ads to users.

“There’s a lot on the road map, and I’ll tell you what we’re not going to do for monetization,” Graber said. “We’re not going to build an algorithm that just shoves ads at you, locking users in. That’s not our model.”

Bluesky has previously experienced major growth spurts. In September, it added 2 million users following X’s suspension in Brazil over content moderation policy violations in the country and related legal matters.

In October, Bluesky announced that it raised $15 million in a funding round led by Blockchain Capital. The company has raised a total of $36 million, according to Pitchbook.

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