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It's A Trap

Your suspicions would be raised if a stranger knocked at your door and said they were from Online PC Doctors and they suspected your personal computer was suffering from a virus.

The last thing you would do is let the stranger in and give them unrestricted access to your personal computer and then pay them a whopping fee for 10 minute's work.

Bad medicine

In a bold new scam in personal computer users are receive cold telephone calls from somebody claiming to be from Online PC Doctors who says he, or she, wishes to check their machine for viruses. He or she will ask for remote access to the machine, over the internet, during which time they are given free rein to access any information stored on the machine.

In one case, reported on Symantec’s website (the makers of Norton Internet Security), the Online PC Doctors allegedly lied to a personal computer user about a virus on his machine. He scammed the scammers by pretending to know nothing about computers but he knew full well his machine was virus free. He let them think he was falling for their scam so that he could write about it and warn others. The company wanted to charge him several hundred Euros to have the software removed, demanding all sorts of data including credit card details.

The website, rendered in poor English, has since been taken down and its address now displays the words “Coming Soon” which can only mean that the perpetrators will be back with a more suave and sophisticated con delivered in better English.

Even Need A Nerd is not immune

In a similar scam Need A Nerd staff were targeted by a scammer pretending to be from Microsoft, with the same mode of operation. When Need A Nerd asked the caller which office of Microsoft he was calling from he hung up.

Symantec warns that: “Peddlers of misleading applications, such as rogue antivirus software, are taking their efforts to a whole new level.”

Government PC health warning

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, on its Scamwatch website, is advising personal computer users to treat the phone calls in the same way as an email that looks suspicious – be very wary about giving out information over the phone to strangers.

“Although there are legitimate companies who specialise in fixing computers, you should always be on your guard,” the ministry says on its Scamwatch website “After all, would you ever hand over you bank details to a stranger over the phone?”

The silly thing is somebody, somewhere, must be being duped by the scammers otherwise they wouldn’t be continuing with the scam.

Safety tips

The ministry’s website, www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz, offers some basic tips for keeping your computer safe.

•        Keep your protection software up to date.

•        Don't respond in any way to unsolicited emails.

•        If in doubt, delete.

•        Make sure all your software is kept up to date, including web browser applications.

•        Install security software that protects your computer from viruses and other malicious programs.

•        If you do not have this software already, install it, along with an internet barrier called a "firewall".