(CENTRAL HURON, ON) – Huron County OPP officers continue to receive complaints about the “computer repair / anti-virus scamâ€Â. A resident of Clinton received a phone call on January 15, 2013 from a purported computer repair technician from “Windows†offering to fix her computer. The scammer stated he had obtained information that her computer had been hacked and he would provide her assistance in removing the virus. The scammer then provided her with instructions so he could gain remote access to her computer. He then offered to sell her a software package at a cost of $409 to help prevent future attacks by hackers. She followed his instructions and allowed remote access to her computer however she did not purchase the software package.
Don’t fall for this scam; if you require computer service, consult a reputable computer repair technician. Don’t hand over your hard earned money to a smooth talking con artist. Remember, you are not being rude when you hang up the phone on someone who is trying to steal your money or personal information. Some usual indicators of this scam are:
Unsolicited calls representing a computer repair company
Requests to remotely access your computer
Urgent and persistent solicitation indicating there is a threat to your computer
Credit card charges ranging from $35 to $470
Credit card charges from foreign banks, companies
Victims report the scammers often have a thick Indian accent
Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1 (888) 495-8501 or online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca