Don Grady is a CPA and Professor of Accounting at National Louis University, Chicago
Have you received any phone calls lately from computer technical experts informing you that your computer, smartphone, or tablet has a virus and they can fix it for you? We’ve had three of these calls within the last couple of weeks. Isnât it interesting that they know about the virus on your device? The caller certainly sounds legitimate and sure knows how to raise your anxiety level with technical jargon to convince you that you are in trouble.
Of course, we hang up on these callers before they can finish their spiel. But, it sure makes you wonder when they are so persistent and keep calling back.
I did a web search on the key words âscam watch.â What I found interesting was that the first resources listed in response to this search refer to an Australian website called scamwatch.gov.au. The site is maintained by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a member of the 22-agency task force in Australia called the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce.
Scamwatch has a section on their website called the Scam Radar that keeps track of the latest types of scams. You might think that scams in Australia are native to âdown underâ and wouldnât pertain to us. Well, guess what? One of the latest scams listed on their radar is: âComputer virus scams now targeting smartÂŹphone and tablet users.â It is a global issue and not unique to Australia or us.
The report on the site describes the scam as occurring when victims receive an unexpected call from a “technical specialist,” who claims their computer has a virus. The caller convinces the victim to provide them with remote access to their computer, claims that their security has been compromised, and then offers to fix it on the spot â for a fee. To pay the fee they want your credit card information and once they have that they will run up all sorts of fraudulent charges on your account.
How can we avoid falling victim to these scams? Well, just stop and think for a moment when you get a call like this. Ask yourself, how do they know about my computer? They donât, unless you give them access remotely. If you have caller ID on your phone, I would bet the caller ID is marked private or unknown.
The longer you stay on the line and listen to their message, the higher your anxiety will rise. So, what can we do besides just hanging up? You can report the incident to the Consumer Protection Agency of the Federal Trade CommisÂŹsion online. Just go to: www.ftccomplaintassistant. gov. Donât get scammed.
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