A new phone scam on Tygerberg attracted our attention this week and the possibility exists that it might spread other campusses. Please be aware of this scam that has left some victims hundreds of rands out of pocket.
Scammers are using several well-known brands, including Microsoft, to fool people into believing that something is wrong with their computers, and now they seem to be phoning university numbers.
The scam typically works as follows:
Somebody, claiming to be a representative of Microsoft, one of its brands or a third party contracted by Microsoft, tells the victim they are checking into a computer problem, infection or virus that has been detected by Microsoft. They will trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge them for the removal of this software.
The victim is directed to help and connect their computer to a website that then allows the scammers to take control of the computer remotely, adjusting the settings and leaving the computer vulnerable.
These callers claim to be from Windows Helpdesk, Windows Service Centre, Microsoft Tech Support, Microsoft Support, Windows Technical Department Support Group and even Microsoft’s Research and Development Team.
(INFORMATION BY DAVID WILES)
Every year we send out literally dozens of warning e-mails, and continue to do so, because despite the frequent warnings, people still get caught falling for these tricks.