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WEST Mercia Police is warning people about unsolicited phone calls from companies telling them their computer has a virus and they need to access the system to repair it. Once trust has been gained, the caller will ask people to visit a web page and download a program which lets them access the computer remotely. To gain trust, the scammer will direct people to the event viewer in Windows. The scam operates by householders being called by someone claiming to be from Microsoft or a company working on their behalf. "This scam has been around for a few years, but we have had a good deal of reports recently from residents saying they have received these varieties of calls. Mr Roberts said: "Unfortunately, it is often the most vulnerable in our communities who are taken in by these scams. The caller will then ask for credit card details for payment to fix the 'problem'. "In the worst cases, people have paid up to £150 to these tricksters to pay them to repair a problem they didn't have in the first place. "Many have downloaded harmful software which allows scammers to access their computers and installs viruses, as opposed to remove them. "Microsoft does not make these kinds of calls and I urge anyone who receives an unsolicited call like this to hang up immediately and not give the scammer the time of day. |
Sunday 12 February 2012
Police warn residents not to be duped by computer virus scam
