(LAMBTON, ON) Lambton Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding the public of the following points, especially in cases where someone you don’t know, has called you and asked for information. Obviously it is different if you make the call to someone for help, purchases or repairs:
Don’t give your personal information over the phone
Don’t give your personal information over the computer
Don’t give your credit card information over the phone
Don’t give your credit card information over the computer
Don’t allow remote access to your computer
Remember, that if you did not call someone to fix something for you, but rather they called you to make a repair, you need to consider that situation and what actions you will take, especially, as it applies to your computer.
In particular, the OPP continues to receive calls for service about citizens getting phone calls telling them that their respective computer is not functioning properly. The caller then wants access to that computer, and also wants the computer owner’s credit card number.
An example of a better solution might be to thank the caller for pointing out the problem and then ending the call. Then, if you believe you have a computer problem, you could take your computer to a local computer repair business. This way, you could talk face to face with a repair person, you could give your credit card information face to face with the person and you would have much better control of the situation and your personal information.
Recently a Lambton resident lost just under $200 in United States (U.S.) funds to this type of computer scam. Please, always be careful with your personal, and banking information, and don’t be afraid to consult with others to ensure you are not being defrauded.
As always, if you feel you are the victim of this type of fraud, please contact your local OPP.