Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning residents to be wary of pop-up messages and phone calls regarding viruses on their computers after a senior was scammed out of more than $20,000.
Police were contacted on Nov. 19 by a Norfolk County senior who had fallen victim to a computer scam.
The senior had received a phone call from a stranger who claimed to be from tech support. They told the homeowner that their computer was running slowly and the caller could help fix the issues.
“During the course of the conversations, remote access was provided to the unknown person and payment was made,” said OPP in news release. “The same person then contacted the victim and indicated that they had overpaid and provided several refunds to the victims banking account after they had accessed them.”
The senior was told to go to their bank and make several withdrawals due to the overpayment. They were told to tell the bank teller the money was for renovations.
Once the funds were withdrawn, a stranger went to the victim’s house on three different occasions where they were given approximately $20,500.
Police say the victim contacted police once they realized the person had gained access to their bank accounts and was moving money from one account to another.
OPP is urging everyone that owns a computer to be very skeptical if you receive a pop-up message that indicates your computer is infected with a virus or a phone call stating that your computer is running slowly.
“Please hang up the phone. It’s a SCAM,” said OPP. “Computer users are reminded, that unless you initiate the call, do not allow anyone access to your computer. Don’t give out personal, banking or credit card information to anyone unless you are sure of whom you are dealing with.”
Police have provided the following tips to help protect yourself against scammers:
Tips to protect yourself:
- Never download anti-virus software from a pop-up or link sent to you through an e-mail.
- Update your anti-virus software often and scan your computer for viruses regularly.
- Don’t click on links or attachments in e-mails sent to you by someone you don’t know.
- Turn on your browser’s pop-up blocking feature.
- Never click on a pop-up that claims your computer has a virus.
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