JerryBellune@yahoo.com

Unsuspecting Lexington County residents may get help from scams.

Online scammers have used Google search ads to masquerade as authorized agents for Apple and other companies, a Wall Street Journal investigation found.

Google verifies ads to weed out scammers who defraud customers seeking technical support online.

The first result in a recent Google search for the phrase “Apple tech support” showed a link to Apple.com and a toll-free number, with the suggestion: “Get instant help from our experts.”

The Journal found that the phone number didn’t belong to Apple and instead led to a call center involved in tech-support scams.

A Google spokeswoman told the Journal the company was committed to removing these ads.

Last year Google said it removed more than 100 such ads per second.

Google said it now has a more stringent crackdown on tech-support ads.

Google plans a verification program to ensure only legitimate providers of 3rd-party tech support can use their platform.

Tech scams have taken billions of dollars from unwitting Americans who gave credit or debit card information, according to government and industry experts.

Scams involving remote technical support are high due to pop-up messages warning of virus infections.

One study found 72% of sponsored ads on major search engines related to technical support queries led to scam websites.

These scams are on the rise. Microsoft reported receives 12,000 complaints about tech support scams every month and a 24% increase in complaints.