A pensioner from Aldwick, Bognor Regis paid out £250 to a company that telephoned him and tricked him into thinking his computer was full of viruses.
This scam, published by Which (Source: http://www.which.co.uk) on the 14th December 2009, where it was reported, “Which? Computing has heard from consumers across the country who have been called by scammers pretending to be from the computer software giant Microsoft or an internet service provider. They say there's a virus on the consumer’s PC and take them through steps to fix the ‘problem’ which ends with the consumer allowing criminals remote access to their PCs. To add insult to injury, consumers are also asked to provide their credit card details in order to pay a fee for the repair.”
Mr.A, who has requested to remain anonymous, stated, “I have been fooled before by timeshare scams and should have seen this one coming. I contacted Pierre Towers of Bognor PC Doctor, who has now fully cleaned my computer and advised me to contact my bank to secure my card details, for which I am very grateful.”
Pierre Towers from Bognor PC Doctor (http://www.bpcd.co.uk) advises computer users to “ treat any phone call of this nature as highly suspicious and never give an unknown person access to your PC. We also recommend users have their computer checked and cleaned as soon as possible, should any slowness or abnormal behaviour be observed, to avoid cases of potential fraud or identity theft.”
Notes to editors
Bognor PC Doctor, Small Computer company recommended by Checkatrade (http://www.checkatrade.com) and approved by West Suusex Trading Standards Buy with Confidence (http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/trading-standards/buy-with-confidence/ ) is based at 101 Felpham Way, Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, PO22 8QB
Managing Director: Pierre Towers
Telephone: 01243 855755
