Police are again issuing a warning to beware of scammers after a 62-year-old Brantford woman paid a large sum of money to someone claiming her computer needed repair.
Police say the woman was contacted by stranger claiming to be a representative of a technical support company.
They say the woman was told her computer had been hacked and he could fix it for her.
The woman gave the man remote access to her computer and was told she had to make payments for the repairs.
The woman, say police, sent a large sum of money in iTunes gift cards and money-grams to an address in China.
She then contacted police who confirmed it was a scam.
Police say cybercriminals may call victims on the phone or by e-mail and claim to be from Microsoft or a computer repair company. They will claim the victim has a virus on their computer and offer to fix it, asking for access to the computer.
Once they have access they can install malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords; request credit card information; or direct the victim to fraudulent websites.
Police say Microsoft will never make unsolicited phone calls to charge for computer security or software fixes.
Police advise people to hang up if they receive calls or e-mails from someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support or another computer repair company.
Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the “service.” If there is, say police, hang up.
They also say to never give control of a computer to a third party unless you can confirm it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team.
Never, say police, provide credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
[Source:-Brantford Expositor]
