Public urged to be aware of Microsoft ‘cyberscam’

CRIMINALS pretending to work for Microsoft are trying to hoodwink people into disclosing personal data by convincing them they have a virus on their computer.

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) yesterday issued a warning to anyone receiving a call from someone purporting to be from Microsoft and said no one from a computer firm would ever ‘cold call’ a customer.

The cyberscam also prompted a warning from Microsoft, which said anyone receiving such a call should immediately hang up.

It is understood gardaí were notified when the scam first hit Ireland some months ago.

However, there appears to be a variety of scams targeting homeowners at the moment, many of them from people claiming to work on behalf of computer firms.

A spokesman for the NCA said the Microsoft scam had been “gathering momentum” but the exact number of people contacted and whether or not any of them had been ripped off was not yet known.

In the scam people are called on their home phones by someone claiming to be from Microsoft, telling them they have a virus on their computer. They are then asked to download a file from a website, allowing access to their computers and possibly to sensitive financial information.

In other cases the person is simply asked for credit card details, while in other cases people’s computers are damaged with malware including viruses and spyware.

The scam is being operated on a global scale, and those making the calls are thought to be living overseas, while those contacted appear to have been cold-called, and not because of any specific information regarding their ownership of Microsoft products.

John Shine, NCA director of commercial practices, said: “Microsoft or any legitimate technology company would never cold-call customers to tell them there is a problem with their computer. The scammers are also using different company names so if you get a call from anyone claiming that there is a problem with your computer — regardless of what company they tell you there are from — hang up immediately and report it to the NCA on 1890 432 432 or get further information on nca.ie.”

* More information on the scam on microsoft.com/protect/fraud/phishing/Msname.aspx