One of our neighbours has been subjected to very sophisticated scam resulting in the loss of all their computer files – yes, ALL of them. Someone claiming to be from BT inquiring about their broadband speed spent 20 minutes on the phone, being very plausible, chatting about their Firewall, not mentioning money ’til the last minute, and when at last they were challenged, as they refused to click on a particular file which had appeared on their screen, became abusive and started the process of removing files. Even though our neighbour instantly switched the computer off, the removal continued apparently as they were still connected to broadband. They have contacted the fraud squad and BT and are told that there is nothing which can be done as these ‘phishing’ techniques are becoming more and more sophisticated. Restoring files from a hacked laptop can be unreliable and expensive.

A call may start with an inquiry about Broadband, or your hub, and may purport to come from BT or Microsoft. BT say they will NEVER ask for your bank details.

Personally, coming from an all-Mac household, I enjoy hanging up on calls pretending to emanate from Microsoft, but it’s only a matter of time before Macs become as vulnerable as PC’s.

Our neighbours are not daft or senile or gullible – they were dealing with very clever people. Beware!!!!!

One Comment