By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON October 1, 2012 Halton Police want to warn residents to be on the lookout for phony telephone solicitations to repair your computer.
There are variations to the scam, according to police, but generally the caller identifies themselves as a representative of a computer service or repair firm and professes to know the resident is experiencing computer problems. The resident is tricked into accessing a particular website, providing personal information and eventually the caller gains access to their computer. The purported fee for ‘assisting’ the resident ranges, but in one recent case, a victim paid a few hundred dollars.
An offer to repair your computer by someone you don’t know is like giving them your wallet.
Police offer the following advice to avoid becoming victimized by persons claiming to be computer company representatives.
DO NOT purchase any software or services.
Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the ‘service’. If there is, hang up.
Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate representative of a computer support team with whom you are already a customer.
Take the caller’s information down and immediately report it to your local police.
Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from a computer technical support company.
Good advice.
