The RCMP is warning the public about the latest scam that now makes up somewhere between 70 and 80 per cent of calls to its fraud reporting hotline.
The “virus scam” first started popping up in March 2010, with calls to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and now makes up the vast majority of calls it receives every day.
The scam has callers phoning people at home, usually purporting to be with a large reputable software company like Microsoft and suggesting that if the recipient’s computer has caused them problems or is running slowly it’s likely because of viruses.
The scammer offers to repair the computer over the Internet and will often ask for access to the computer or will ask the victim to install software.
A dramatic spike in the number of calls means that the scam is likely working, thus encouraging fraud artists to use it, said RCMP Sgt. Paul Proulx of the anti-fraud centre.
“If a scammer is able to log on to your computer then he has access to all the personal information you have stored there, including your banking information,” said Proulx in a news release.
The scammer also typically charges for the repair work and the fraud centre has reports of the cost ranging from $35 to $470 per call.
The scam can have wide-reaching implications for victims, because it often means both bank account and credit card information becomes compromised, which can mean everything from fraudulent credit card purchases to more major frauds.
Proulx said there are plenty of other ways for a person to keep track of possible viruses on his computer.
“If you’re really worried about viruses on your computer, be pro-active and use anti-virus software that you’ve acquired from reputable sources and keep it up to date. If someone calls you out of the blue offering to provide this kind of help, it’s probably a scam,” he said.
Sgt. Patrick Webb, with the Alberta RCMP, said the scam is just as prevalent here as it is in the rest of the country. He said scams tend to come in waves, but this one has reached epidemic proportions.
When the scam takes place a person’s computer essentially becomes open to the scammer.
“They are essentially hijacking the person’s home computer,” Webb said.
It’s very difficult for the police to follow up on these crimes after the fact as the calls tend to come from Africa, Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, he said.
“The police forces in these countries have no interest in co-operating,” he said. “We hit a dead end at that point and essentially the investigation ends.”
Webb agreed that the best way to deal with the scam is for call recipients to hang up.
