Fake “Support” Listing Pushes Tech Scam Calls

Malwarebytes · Low sophistication
Last updated August 27, 2026

A fake “Malwarebytes Support” listing was found on BuzzFeed, apparently designed to trick people into calling a scam phone number. The likely goal is to socially engineer callers into granting remote access and/or paying for bogus support, using the credibility of a trusted platform and well-known security brands.

Key findings

  • A fake listing on BuzzFeed impersonated “Malwarebytes Support” and included a phone number intended to lure victims into calling.
  • The suspected scam type is a tech support scam, potentially pressuring victims to grant remote access to their device.
  • The same phone number has appeared in scams impersonating other security brands (McAfee and Norton).
  • The scam relies on “borrowed credibility” from trusted platforms (familiar design, domain, and assumed moderation).

Who’s being targeted

  • Commonly targeted roles: All employees, IT/Helpdesk, Finance (secondary, often targeted during tech support scams), Customer support/service teams.
  • Affected industries: Information / software, Online media / publishing, Consumers (cross-industry).
  • Attack channels: website, vishing.
  • Impersonated: Malwarebytes Support, McAfee or Norton support (brand-swapped callback scam).

Awareness takeaways

  • Don’t trust “support” numbers found in ads, listings, comments, or images, verify via the company’s official website/app.
  • A trusted platform can still host untrusted content; apply the same skepticism you would on unknown sites.
  • Never allow unsolicited “support agents” to remotely access your computer; stop and verify first.
  • Report suspicious listings to both the hosting platform and the impersonated brand to reduce repeat victimization.

Red flags to watch for

  • Support phone number is not from the vendor’s official support site/app
  • Listing appears in an odd/unrelated category on a general-content platform
  • Pressure to allow remote access from an unsolicited “support agent”
  • Same phone number appears across different brands’ “support” listings
  • Support contact is presented via a third-party listing rather than the official vendor site
  • Request to move quickly to remote access tools or payment methods
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Read the video transcript

You’re on BuzzFeed, you see “Malwarebytes Support” with a big phone number. Looks legit, right? That’s the trap. Scammers post fake “support” listings like this, reusing the same phone number for Malwarebytes, McAfee, even Norton, then push you on the call to let them remote into your computer or pay for bogus help. Here’s the aha: a trusted site plus a trusted brand name still doesn’t equal trustworthy. If the support number isn’t on the vendor’s own site or app, treat it as untrusted. One move: if you need support, ignore numbers in ads or listings, go straight to the company’s official website or app and get the contact info from there.

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