RCMP cautioning to beware of computer scam

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Morinville – after receiving several recent complaints, RCMP are cautioning the public to be wary of a phone scam circulating in the Morinville area.

The scam, seen across the country, involves someone phoning and claiming to be from Microsoft or another well-known software company. In the scam, the caller tells the listener their computer is running slowly or that they have a virus. The caller then offers to repair the computer over the Internet by installing anti-virus software of asking the customer to give the caller remote access to their computer. They are asked to pay for the service by credit card.

RCMP are saying the best way to combat the crime is through public education. They remind people not to give out any personal information over the phone and to report suspicious calls to local police. Complaints can also be registered with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1-888-495-8501, or www.antifraudcentre.ca

2 Comments

  1. oh i got a call like that. said he was from PC Solutions and affiliated with Microsoft. the phone number he used was 510-943-3040. I reported it Callercenter and guess what? 7 others also got a call from that phone number and filed a complaint at the website. how scheming can they get? i’ve warned all the people i know not to accept any call from that number. i’m hoping that other people get to be vigilant about this, too. these scams only continue because there are unsuspecting people who still become a victim but i hope that would stop soon.

  2. I also just received a similar call from a man (who would not give me his name or the company he was working for) asking me if my any of my micro-soft programs were running slow. When I replied I don’t have a PC therefore don’t have any micro-soft programs, he wanted to know what type of cell phone I was using. When I said it was none of his business he began to get rude and asked if someone else in the home would provide him with this info. I had enough of him and his disrespect, so I hung up. The phone number came up as unknown but when I redialed it, it appeared as 303-385-0493.
    Please beware and spread the word.

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