Warning Over Latest Scam That Can Affect Anyone With Laptop Or Computer

A widespread phone scam that started in the north of the country is going to become very popular throughout Ireland.

A Donegal Councillor has warned the public that a Microsoft phone scam where people are told they have viruses on their laptop or computer is in fact fake.  

Councillor Gary Doherty was on Highland Radio on Tuesday morning and was on hand to tell listeners that he had been in touch with Microsoft and that they had confirmed that the phone calls were part of a fraud by criminals. 

Microsoft stated to Doherty that they would never call an individual customer to warn them about viruses on their computer.

“It does seem to be quite widespread, this scam, and it seems to be persistent [and] that would show that they’re obviously getting some joy.

“If you do receive any of these calls, ignore them and inform them that you’ll be informing the Gardaí.”

“Microsoft and these large corporations have stated categorically that they do not contact individual customers regarding viruses on their computer,” he concluded. 

It is feared that the hackers will either ask for payment in order to deal with the alleged virus on your computer or instead they will make you hack into your desktop and steal information and corrupt files.

The scammers are targeting landlines instead of mobiles so it is harder for those investigating the matter to pinpoint exactly where the calls are coming from.

However, in the most recent instances, the person on the other end of the phone is a “man with an Asian accent.”

You can listen to Doherty explaining the situation to Highland Radio here.

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