Watch out for computer scam – Coquitlam Now
Port Moody police are warning residents about a telephonebased computer scam that could lead to money extortion and identity fraud.
The "Ammyy scam" is believed to be based out of India and is designed to remotely access information on computers.
In this scam, someone contacts victims at home claiming to be remote care support from a reputable computer company, such as Microsoft. This person says there the computer has a virus or some other problem.
The scammer gains trust of victims by providing easily accessible information about themselves, such as their name, address or phone number.
Then the scammer tells them he or she must access their computer remotely to stop it from crashing. The scammer directs victims to the www.ammyy.com website and has them run a remote tool with provided identification.
As a result, the scammer will have complete remote access to the computer and will be able to download personal information within minutes, while also uploading viruses, malware and keystroke recorders.
In addition, the scammer tells victims they need to pay the company for the virus removal and will ask for credit card information.
According to police, the ammyy.com program has legitimate purposes when used between two trusted parties. However, it is also being used by scammers to steal information for criminal purposes.
Companies like Microsoft do not call customers to report viruses, and neither do Internet service providers. To protect yourself, police recommend never allowing a person or company to have access to your computer, or to install or run a program, unless you are 100 per cent sure who they are.
If you believe you have been called by a scammer, hang up the phone and notify your local police department. If you've allowed them to access your computer, turn it off immediately, unplug your Internet connection and take your computer to a local computer store to be checked for viruses.
Police also recommend changing your passwords and monitoring your credit card bills.
If you provided credit card information to a scammer, contact the credit card company.
As well, you can check online information about active scams.
jmcfee@thenownews.com
twitter.com/jennifermcfee
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