Victim Falls For Computer Repair Scam

(SOUTH HURON, ON) – Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind residents that the computer repair scam, commonly known as the “Microsoft Scam” is still active. Two reported cases have surfaced just in the last week. One Huron County resident recognized it was a scam however another one didn’t and is now out thousands of dollars. The crux of the scam is a con artist phones to inform you that your computer is running slow, it needs service and is vulnerable to a hacker. The caller then will offer help to clean up your computer to get it running smoothly.

To gain your trust the scammers use company names like “Microsoft Support”, “Windows Computer Maintenance” or “Online PC Care”. The scammer will request personal information including bank account numbers and credit card numbers. Sometimes the scammers will install malware on your computer, enabling them to remotely control your computer for identity theft crimes.

Last week a South Huron resident received a call from a scammer purporting to work for “Windows Computer Maintenance”. The “technician” told the senior that a hacker was trying to hack into his computer to create problems and to slow the computer down. The senior allowed the scammer to remotely access his computer and download software onto his computer. As the scammer was installing the supposed anti-virus software he advised the senior he could offer him computer protection for a year for $125, 3 years for $325 or lifetime protection for $400. The victim was convinced the $400 protection offer was the best deal and proceeded to wire the scammer $400.

The scam did not stop here. The victim realized he misspelled the recipient’s name on the wire transfer so he sent the scammer an additional $400. The technician called the senior back and informed him that he had a refund owing for the overpayment but it was against company policy to send out such a small refund. The scammer convinced the victim to wire him $4,000 in order to receive a refund cheque for $5,000. The scammer showed the victim a picture of a cheque made out to the victim and assured him that it would be promptly sent to him once the money was received. The victim followed through with the scammers request and wired the money. The scammers then attempted to get more money from the victim by asking for an additional $5200 so they could send him a cheque for $10,000. The victim became suspicious and reported the matter to police.

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