There have been numerous reports from customers all over South Africa of a
scam which hit Europe in 2010 and now seems to have spread to our shores. We
have been to 2 clients this week who have had this happen and 1 last
week.
Someone purporting to represent Microsoft or a company authorized by
Microsoft will cold call people and tell them that they have detected a
virus on their computer. They then offer to ‘clean’ the computer for a fee -
usually R1,000.00 and direct the unwitting person to a credit card payment
portal or provide a bank account for EFTs. Once they have payment they will
access the persons computer remotely, with their permission, and then
install malicious software, which is capable of tracking whatever is typed
onto the computer. The intent is to gather information for spammers and bank
login details.
If you receive a phone call which has any of these characteristics please
record whatever information you can (such as the ‘company name’ or phone
number they are calling from) and send it to us. If you have already had a
phone call like this and you suspect someone has installed something on your
computer please contact us and make a booking immediately. Please do not
perform any Internet banking until we have cleaned the computer.
How to spot fraud
Computer scams like this are extremely prevalent via e-mail and sometimes
even on websites which look legitimate. They will often use fear as a ‘hook’
to get you to click on a link or install software. The only warnings you
should ever believe will come from your anti-virus program (or your usual IT
Support guys). Anything else is extremely likely to be malicious. If in
doubt you can use Google, Hoaxslayer, Snopes to check too. Most hoaxes will
have been circulated widely before you receive it and there are many
websites which document them.