Beware The Scammers

Posted by Gold FM on 21/07/2011

If you have someone claiming to be from Microsoft ring to inform you that your computer may be infected with a virus, hang up! Nearly one third of New Zealand adults have received a call asking that a fix for a computer virus is downloaded to their computer. Then a fee ischarged for the so called repair, and your computer files may be exposed to the scam artists, who could remotely access stored passwords in your system.

Microsoft do not cold call and offer to repair your computer. We've had a couple of these calls here at Gold FM, and we can understand how some people can be convinced they should allow remote access to their computer. The callers can be quite pushy and we've even had one scammer get quite aggressive when he's been told that we're not interested.

The same applies if you receive emails from a bank. Banks do not email you asking you to click a link and follow the instructions. Even though the email says your account may have been compromised, never ever click a link and give out your information. If in doubt, contact your bank directly.