Letter: Your only option: Hang up on these out-of-the blue calls

I received a phone call the other day from a woman asking whether I had a computer that was running slow and offering to fix it.

I told her my computer was running just fine and hung up.

This sounded suspicious so I did some research and it looks like it’s a scam that others might want to be aware of.

A complete description of the scam is at http://www.entrepreneur.co.uk/2010/04/04/if-you-receive-a-phone-call-about-your-computer-running-slow-hang-up.html, and I have condensed it here:

If you receive a telephone call out of the blue about your computer running slow, hang up.

The scammers claim to be calling from Microsoft about a computer running slow.

The scam centers around trying to get control of the computer and getting your credit card details.

The caller will walk you through a series of steps that may convince you have a problem that needs fixing, and then suggest you do some things that will give them control over your computer, and anyone who has remote access to your PC will be able to access everything on your PC whenever it is on and connected to the internet.

The caller will also offer to fix your computer for you or will ask you to buy software to prevent problems happening again. If you agree, the scam artist gets your credit card details too.

No reputable company will call you out of the blue offering to fix your computer. Nobody from Microsoft or Windows will ever call you.

If you get such a call, hang up.

Tags: opinion, letters, crime, technology