Phone scams are on the increase and the callers are getting better and better at it (and therefore more convincing).  They will keep calling to convince you they are real.  

Also watch out for numbers advertised with Google (which might also show the real website).   If you can’t find that number on the real website it will be a scam.

The scammers contact computer owners directly via telephone in an effort to convince them that there is a problem with their PC and they’ll need to pay to have it fixed. In general, the scammers cannot fix anything, and instead they merely charge exorbitant fees for absolutely nothing. 

The call generally goes something like this:

1. The caller (often with a thick Indian accent) identifies himself as a support person for BT, Talktalk, Microsoft, Norton etc.

2. He informs you that you have a number of critical problems with your PC and that you will need to have it fixed.  Alternatively, he tells you your PC is causing network issues.

3. To convince you, he offers to connect remotely and pulls up your Event Log (eventvwr.msc). He then filters for Warnings, Errors, and Critical events and uses that as evidence that your PC will soon fail to work correctly if you do not pay him to correct it.  There will always be errors here !

4. As soon as you let them in, a backdoor will be installed so they can get back without your knowledge.

Be advised that the real companies will never ring you without you expecting a call.    You should know how difficult it is to ring them !

If you have already been scammed, please turn your PC off immediately and talk to us for advice before turning it on again.