A number of our customers have fallen victim to the fake “Microsoft” callers who tell them they have serious issues with their PC.  This is not new and we were warning people of this two years ago. Indeed  the local press carried an article we wrote alerting local people to the scam.  Instead of going away it seems to have got a lot worse.  Even the BBC technology reporter Rory something Jones was called up by them and he recorded the conversation for his blog.  That might be funny but the reality is not because a lot of vulnerable people are being caught out.  The going rate seems to be about £75.00 for the “fix” but then you have a problem with ID theft and the malware they leave behind.  If you report the scam to Trading Standards they say they can do nothing because the fraudsters are in another country.  True.  If you report it to the police they say the same thing.  Being on the Caller Preference List to stop cold calling doesn’t work for the same reason.  Is it possible to identify the source of these calls and block them at a telephone network level?  There must be something that can be done to stop this.  It is also giving the legitimate IT support industry a bad name as remote support sessions and constant monitoring get mixed up in the public mind with these underhand and crooked catch-penny traps.

If you think you have fallen victim to this scam, or want advice on computer security issues then please call Computer Troubleshooters Medway on 01634 867800.