LCSO Advises Residents of Computer Technician Scam
Loudoun County, VA: The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is advising
residents on the latest telephone scam where the caller claims to be a
technician for Microsoft and advises the victim their computer has
been hacked.
In a recent case in June an Ashburn woman received a call advising
that their computer had been infected with a virus causing their
programs and files to become corrupt. The scammer on the phone states
that they have called to help fix the program but they would need to
remotely access her computer.
After receiving access the scammer possibly installed a virus or other
form of malware on the computer. The scammer then asked the victim for
their bank card information to purchase a virus protection program. In
some cases the victim may be directed to a website to enter payment
information. The scammer is then likely able to compromise the
victim’s debit/credit cards.
The Ashburn victim became suspicious of the call at this point and
contacted authorities.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office reminds Loudoun residents to never
respond to unsolicited requests for personal information received over
the phone – even if the request appears to come from a legitimate
institution that you do business with. This includes requests to
“confirm, verify or update” your information.
According to Microsoft they do not make unsolicited phone calls to
help you fix your computer.
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