Dear Watch members,
Please find below an email I have received from one of our fellow Homewatch coordinators. The email warns of a scam circulating this area.
Dear Jane
I thought I'd draw your attention to a computer-related scam that has
surfaced in the area
I know of 2 people in our Homewatch group and one other person in the
Macclesfield area who have had this scam tried on them, unsuccessfully
fortunately.
The scammer cold-calls the potential victim (probably using the phone book
as a source of names/numbers) claiming to have been contacted by Microsoft
to ask [the scammer] to contact [the potential victim] to help fix a problem with their computer/PC.
The scammer claims that this was because the victim has recently sent a
number of error reports in to Microsoft.
The scammer then talks the victim through the steps necessary to grant
remote access to the victim's PC by getting the user to install some
software from the internet and/or enable Microsoft's own remote access
software.
If successful, the scammer can then do whatever they want to the PC to
further and permanently compromise the PC's security
they then have the further audacity to demand payment for this "service".
I have included a number of links below that contain further information on
this scam:
http://www.digitaltoast.co.uk/supportonclick-systemrecure-scam
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100820104809AAJqGM5
==============================================
Jane Thirsk
Watch Officer
Office: 01244 612725
Wilmslow Neighbourhood Policing Team 0845 458 6374
Knutsford Neighbourhood Policing Team 0845 458 6380
Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Team 0845 458 6371