Scammer Calls and Phishing
Sadly this is something we hear of almost on a daily basis. We have had customers on the phone to us in tears upset and angry that they have fallen victim to these scams. We understand fully how distressing this can be but please don’t beat yourself up, these scammers are experts at what they do and can sound very convincing. We have had customers who have been charged upwards of £800 for someone to “fix” their computer when in reality there was nothing wrong with it, to begin with.
Don’t Panic, step back and think
It’s more common than you might imagine having a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, BT, Talk Talk, Sky, Your Bank or any bank, The Police, HMRC. They will almost always try to make it sound urgent and that you need to act straight away else you will be, cut off, money taken from your account, your computer is sending out data to people, you owe money etc.
If you get a call from a genuine company, they will not mind you hanging up and calling them back on a trusted number (ideally on another phone, as scammers can leave the line open). If they give you a number to call back on, check that number out first by typing it into Google. A scammer will try to keep you on the phone and we try to convince you to act now and not to hang-on and call them back on an official number. It is even possible for a scammer to call you from a number that displays as a genuine number.
Check who called you using this website Who Called Me
Sometimes you might come across a website that flashes up a warning that you have been infected and need to call a tech support line straight away. These more often than not, look like genuine virus warning and error but are is in fact completely fake. If this happens turn off your computer and restart it. If it still hasn’t solved the problem, call a local Island-based computer expert like ourselves for advice. 01983 299999.
Use our simple flowchart to help spot a scam.
If you have fallen victim to a scam, don’t panic or feel bad, it happens to many people.
- Change any passwords that you think might have been compromised.
- Contact your Bank if you think the scammers have had any chance whats so ever of getting your bank details.
- Keep a close eye on your bank accounts and check you recognize all of the transactions.
- Report the crime to Action Fraud which is the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre.
- Get your computer checked over by a local computer expert.
Call us if you would like any more help, 01983 299999