South Bruce OPP is issuing a reminder to be vigilant online, after a Kincardine resident lost money to a scam.
According to police, the victim noticed a pop-up window advising of a problem with the computer. After speaking with the "service technician", they were told their computer had been hacked. The victim sent Bitcoin to cover the "repairs," totaling $5,800.
Police say the computer repair scam has been going for a long time because it continues to make money. If you believe that there is a problem with your computer, the best advice is to bring it to a local, authorized, computer repair shop.
Other tips the OPP offer to help protect you from a con artist are:
- If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
- Remember that you can't win a contest that you didn't enter in the first place.
- If you have a concern about your computer, take it to a reputable repair shop for service. Do not provide remote access to a "tech" that calls you out of the blue
- Gift cards are a red flag. If someone contacts you and directs you to buy gift cards, you need to hang up the phone.
- Your best defence is to verify any unsolicited contact. Unsolicited means that you didn't ask for it.
Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
