12/17/09
Cold-calling scam mimics online rogue anti-virus software
Perhaps trying to bypass malware and anti-virus protection, some scammers are taking their computer phishing scam low tech. Residents of the United Kingdom are being warned of a threat from a 'cold calling' scam, which, when executed successfully, could result in a victim inadvertently handing over sensitive banking information. Reported by magazine Which? Computing, the scammers initiate phone calls with their targets claiming to be representatives from either software giant Microsoft or an internet service provider (ISP). According to Which?, the scam works much in the same way as a piece of rogue anti-virus software, insofar as the caller attempts to convince the target that their computer has been infected but can be fixed by following a few simple steps. In order to achieve this “fix” the victim is required to grant the caller remote access to their system and also provide personal credit card details to pay a fee for the bogus remote repair. So far the scam has not yet gathered significant momentum – Which? has only received around 10 calls from various parts of the UK – the UK's official Trading Standards office has also apparently taken a number of calls regarding the old-school scam.
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