Nelson police say fraudsters posing as representatives of an anti-virus software company have been targeting the area.
According to Sgt. Steve Bank, they cold call their victims and state that their computer is running slow or has viruses.
“They then offer to repair the computer over the Internet, which can involve the installation of software or the customers allowing the representatives remote access to their computer,” Bank says.
Payment for the software or repairs is done by credit card.
Allowing a third party to download software or remotely access your computer is risky, Bank says. Keyloggers or other malware can be installed to capture data including online banking user names and passwords.
For more information, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre.ca. or Phone Busters at phonebusters.com.