submitted by St. Albert RCMP
St-Albert RCMP is cautioning the public, after receiving a report of a phone scam still circulating in the St. Albert area. The scam has also been seen across Canada for more than two years.
Someone who claims to work for Microsoft or Windows is calling individuals saying their computer runs slow or that they have a virus. The caller offers to repair the computer over the Internet by installing anti-virus software or asking the customer to allow the representative remote access to their computer. The customer is asked to pay for the software or repair service using a credit card.
The St. Albert RCMP is reminding people to not give out any personal information over the phone and to report any suspicious calls to your local police. Complaints can also be registered with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-888-495-8581, or www.antifraudcentre.ca.
Publisher’s Note: The Candian Anti-Fraud Centre offers the following cautionary information:
“Allowing a third party to download software or remotely access a computer carries inherent risks. Keyloggers or other malicious software could be installed to capture sensitive data such as online banking user names and passwords, bank account information, identity information, etc.”
