Computer Repair Specialist Warns Of Rogue 'Computer Fix It' Callers
Damian Holland who is part of the nationwide network of qualified and fully insured PC PAL Computer Engineers is advising members of the public and business owners to be on their guard if they receive a telephone call from an individual alleging to be from Microsoft, advising them they had "detected problems with their computer" which they can fix remotely.
Says Damian from PC PAL Stockport "These unscrupulous individuals are not from Microsoft but instead are criminals hoping to gain access to the individuals' computer. They ring up the unsuspecting computer owner usually at their home number saying they are from Microsoft and that they have noticed security problems with their computer. They will direct them to the 'System Log' and show them the errors listed there. This in itself is designed to mislead as there are always errors here, and they are generally benign!
After they have convinced the person that help is urgently needed, they attempt to gain authorization to access the computer and ask for credit card details to "fix" it. If this is granted the "Microsoft Engineer" on the other end would have full remote control of the computer and could do almost anything to 'repair' it such as installing a virus, removing anti-virus or stealing all of the data on the PC. Potentially they could install a small piece of software called a key logger and monitors everything such as online banking passwords."
The advice is that if you receive such a call you put the phone down immediately and never, ever give out your credit card details or any other personal details for that matter, to these individuals no matter how convincing they sound.
"If readers have any concerns about this scam or are experiencing problems with their computer or laptop, please get in touch with me. We are part of a long established, trusted national brand and I am CRB vetted, Microsoft qualified and fully Insured," says Damian. "If they have suffered identity theft or financial loss as a result of this they should also report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
