Computer security phone scam hits SA
According to Khomotso Kganyago, chief security advisor at Microsoft South Africa, a common scam overseas where people posing as computer technicians offering free assistance in ridding consumer computers of threats, is now cropping up in South Africa.
“The way the scam works is that criminals, posing as computer security engineers, call people at home telling them they are at risk from one or another computer security threat,” says Dr Kganyago.
“The scammers tell the victims they are providing free security checks, throwing in the names of legitimate companies and using telephone directory information to refer to their victims by name.
“Once tricked, these victims are left believing they have a problem and that the caller can help. From there, it’s a few short, scary steps to permitting remote access to their computers or downloading software code, provided by the criminals, which sources credit card and purchase information.”
According to a Microsoft investigation:
- 79 percent of 7 000 people polled in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada suffered some sort of loss following the scam
- 17 percent said money had been taken from their accounts
- 19 percent reported compromised passwords
- 17 percent were victims of identify fraud
- 53 percent said they suffered subsequent computer problems.
Kanyago offered the following advice for consumers:
- Never provide personal information, such as credit card or bank details, over the telephone
- Never install anything, visit any web sites or follow any other instruction given to you by a stranger on the phone
- Ensure that your operating system is fully updated and that any security updates have been downloaded
- Make sure your system is protected by strong passwords, which are changed regularly.
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