Microsoft Isle of Man, Computer problem Isle of Man, Phone scam Isle of Man
A GUESTHOUSE owner is warning householders to beware a virus phone scam which is targeting the island.
Wendy Allen, of the Danescourt B&B in King Edward Road, Onchan, was working online when she was contacted by phone by a caller claiming to be from Microsoft who asked if her computer was running slow and offered to solve the problem.
She said: ‘I did believe at first they were from Microsoft but started to smell a long-tail. I suspect some people are going to get caught. It does seem to be extremely authentic.’
It’s a scam that has been run by call centres in India since 2008 but has spread rapidly this year.
Unwary computer users are contacted at their home by someone, usually with an Indian accent, who asks for the householder by name and address before saying they are calling from Microsoft.
The caller claims they’ve had a report from the internet service provider of ‘serious virus problems’.
Victims are directed to ‘Windows Event Viewer’ setting out apparent system errors and are then persuaded to be guided through the steps to fixing the ‘faults’.
They are then told to go onto a website and dowload a program, unwittingly handing over remote control of the computer, and the caller ‘installs’ various ‘fixes’ for the problem which are in fact malware.
They are then asked to pay a fee of £185.
In fact, there was never anything wrong with the computer, the caller is not working for Microsoft or the internet service provider, and the owner has given a complete stranger access to every piece of data on their machine.
Microsoft says on its website that it does not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer.
