(TRENT HILLS, ON) – On Friday February 28, 2014 Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated a report of a female falling victim to the Microsoft Windows computer scam in Trent Hills, Ontario.
The 64 year old female victim contacted OPP on Friday morning to report that she had was having issues with her computer while doing online purchasing through email. She had received emails from a person in China telling her that her purchasing emails weren’t being sent through because her computer maybe infected.
She then received a telephone call from a male who told her he was from Microsoft and that he could fix her computer for $400 but the price was negotiated to $150. She believed she had granted the male “remote access†to her computer. The male asked for her credit card information in order to fix her computer.
The victim was vigilant enough to piece together that the male caller, who the victim advised spoke with a foreign accent; advising he was affiliated with Microsoft and asking for her credit card information was enough for her to recognize a scam. The victim took her computer to a reputable company for repairs who advised her it was most likely a scam. They upgraded her security features in order to prevent unknown persons from getting any more of her personal information from her and the victim contacted her bank to cancel her credit card. She was not out any money as a result.
Northumberland OPP would like to advise residents that March is “Fraud Awareness†month. Microsoft does not solicit people to repair computers. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) warns consumers and businesses to be on the lookout for a variety scams targeting senior citizens in our communities. The scammers are practiced con men that use tactics to befriend, gain trust and even scare seniors into parting with their money, in some cases their life savings. Here are 3 prominent scams affecting seniors today:
The Emergency – Grand Parent Scam” which is aimed at persuading seniors to believe a family member or friend is in trouble and in need of financial aid.
The “Prize Scam†which targets seniors into believing they have won a lottery/sweepstakes.
The “Bank Inspector Scam†targets seniors into verifying a possible fraudulent cashier at a bank by withdrawing funds for a supposed investigator
For more information on Fraud and how to protect yourself and loved ones please go on line to www.antifraudcentre.ca or www.opp.ca
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