POLICE have issued a warning over fraudsters who are hacking into private computers to raid bank accounts or to trick victims into paying to remove fake viruses.
More than 120 people in Essex have fallen victim to the scam in the past two months and more than £60,000 has been stolen.
The tricksters contact their victims by telephone, claiming to be ‘computer software tech support’ experts from well-known companies such as Microsoft.
They claim to have detected a fault on the victim’s home computer and say they can fix the fault by being given remote access control of the device.
In some cases they download a file which they claim is a virus checker and which shows the victim how the computer has allegedly been affected. They then say they will charge a fee of £100 for the ‘work’ but then remove up to £400 from the victim’s bank account.
Other fraudsters have used remote access to infiltrate the victim’s online banking accounts and transfer funds to accounts that then cannot be traced.
DI Lee Morton of the Kent and Essex Serious Economic Crime Unit, said: “The fraudsters claim to be from a variety of computer service companies and say they are from software tech support.
“If remote access is not granted fraudsters may become aggressive. But once given access they will either load a fake virus on to the computer then give the impression that they have removed it, or they will gain access to bank accounts.
“The problem is that these crimes are not detected for weeks or months when the money taken as a fee or money taken from bank accounts actually shows on bank statements.
“However, computer firms warn that they never make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to fix your computer.
“If you receive one of these cold calls treat it with scepticism and don’t give out any personal information. The best advice is to hang up straight away.
“If you think your computer has been infiltrated, change your personal passwords and speak to your bank and ask them to change your online account passwords. If you are not sure about checking the computer and changing passwords always use a reputable firm to carry out the work.”
Anyone who has lost money to a scam like this should report it to Action Fraud, the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre, on 0300 123 2040.
