Be wary of computer scammers (From Messenger Newspapers)

Be wary of computer scammers

4:16pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in News

COMPUTER users are being urged to be on the alert for a costly scam that results in infected PCs and, in the worst case scenarios, banking and credit card details can fall into the wrong hands.

The scam begins with householders recieving phone calls from people claiming to be from Microsoft or a Windows security company.

Householders are duped into beleiving their computers are infected by a virus and the scammers install software to supposedly remove the infection.

This leaves people with a “repair” bill and a computer that is now genuinely infected as a result of the newly installed software.

Altrincham-based Grapevine Computers Ltd have issued this warning after dealing with customers who have fallen victim to this racket.

The company said payments to the scammers can range from £80 to £160. Samantha Kiel, Grapevine’s owner, said Microsoft representatives do not call customers unless requested to do so.

The firm said any householder who receives a call from somebody claiming to be from a security company should put the phone down after telling the caller they are aware of the scam and threatening to call the police.

Angela from Timperley - she did not want to give her full name - said she felt “angry and stupid” after falling victim to the scam. She said the scammers - who she describes as “very clever” - offered to “remove” viruses from her computer for £130 and charged her a further £80 for a year’s security “protection.”