Scam of the month: computer software service fraud

July 31, 2024

Action Fraud has noted a significant rise in reports of computer software service fraud in recent months.

This happens when fraudsters posing as legitimate companies like your internet service provider or Microsoft, call you and tell you that there is a problem with your computer. They might say that your computer has a virus, there ‘s something wrong with your computer, or your internet connection is not working properly.

They might say that they can fix the problem for a fee or offer you compensation for the problem.

What they really want is for you to grant them remote access to your computer by getting you to install software or visit a website, and for you to give them your bank details.

Most of these frauds are carried out overseas using international fraud call centres. While this makes it difficult for the UK authorities to investigate, reporting the incident to Action Fraud can help as they can block numbers and websites.

How to protect yourself

Legitimate companies like Microsoft and Google will never cold call you asking for your financial details or remote access to your computer Be very wary of cold calls, if you are not sure of a caller’s identity, hang up and report it to Action Fraud.

Even if a caller can provide some of your details like your full name, never give out personal or financial information during a cold call. Never grant the caller remote access to your computer, never go to a website they give you, and never install software because of the call If you think that you may have installed a virus, consider taking your device to a trusted professional technician to determine if this has happened and what you can do about it.

Also:

Fraudsters might keep your details so that they can call you again pretending to be a computer recovery service so that they can scam you for that There are free services like the Telephone Preference Service that can block unsolicited calls.

Anti-virus software, which is kept up to date, will prevent your computer from being infected with malicious software