Unfortunately phone scams are becoming more common in our society and more sophisticated. One such phone scam involves a person acting as a technical support agent who informs you that you have a problem with malicious files on your computer and he wants to walk you through fixing it. 

When you receive this call you think to yourself, “Yeah I could have a problem as there are so many viruses and spyware, or maybe my computer has been hacked.”  The scenario is possible and without question you may go to your computer and follow the instructions that the technician gives.  He may walk you through going to a particular website.  As soon as you visit the website some sort of program is downloaded to your computer without your knowledge.  Now that the program is on your computer, that person can access your files, can watch you go to websites and can capture the usernames and passwords (for example your email or your banking information.)  The sky is the limit as to what he can do with your computer.

Take caution, here are a few things to consider and some questions you should think about:

1. How did he know I had malicious files on my computer?
   1. Did someone call him and if so who and when? 
   2. Did he scan my computer?

                                                               i.      Who gave him permission to scan my computer?

1. What company does he work for? 

He may respond with “Support services for your Windows Operating System” but this definitely is not a company name.  He will try to dance around and avoid answering but be firm and ask for the Company name, his name and phone number.  You could even suggest that you call him back. 

Be safe never give out personal information, ask questions and if you have any doubts call either your local police or you can call PhoneBusters directly.  Their number is 1-888-495-8501. 

To learn more about scams you can visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center’s website http://phonebusters.com/.

If you believe that you are a victim of this scam and your computer may have been compromised then the fastest way to stop someone’s access to your computer is to unplug it from the internet.  Once disconnected from the internet you will then have to work at making your computer safe again.  If you do not feel comfortable completing this task then you may wish to seek the services of computer technician.