Victim Falls For Computer Repair Scam

(GODERICH, ON) – Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind Huron County residents on what to do if they receive a call from a computer repair technician offering to repair your home computer. This successful scam, commonly known as the “Microsoft Scam” has been around for several years claiming victims all over Canada.

Just last week Huron County OPP spoke with a Goderich resident that had fallen victim to this scam. The 66 year old male reported he received a phone call from an unknown male suggesting he purchase a computer program called “Magic Jack”. The victim listened to the sales pitch and he ultimately purchased the program for $338. The victim was led to believe he was purchasing a computer disk clean-up and a virus protection program. The victim allowed remote access to his computer desktop in order to complete the transaction. A couple days later he received a second call from the purported computer technician and this time he was told his Windows program he was operating needed to be repaired. Once again, the victim allowed remote access to his computer and a $500 transaction fee was paid.

The victim was tricked into thinking the technician was repairing his computer however the scammer was instead installing scareware and viruses on the computer. The victim was later alerted by his credit card company about the suspicious transactions being processed by a company in India. The victim was directed to unplug his computer and contact police.

If you receive an unsolicited phone call from someone offering computer repair services, simply hang up the phone. Computer users are reminded, that unless you initiate the call, do not allow anyone access to your computer. Do not give out personal, banking or credit card information to anyone unless you are sure of whom you are dealing with. Remember, reputable computer companies do not make cold calls offering to repair computers. If you have issues with your computer take it to a reputable, local computer business for repair.

If you would like additional information about frauds and scams or if you have been victimized by a scam please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre.ca