- following latest scam where callers claim to be from British Computer Society -

19 April 2011

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is reminding members of the public to remain vigilant and be aware of phone scams, online spam and phishing emails. The warning comes as a phone scam known as ‘Support On Click’ features criminals calling home owners and pretending to be from the British Computer Society.

Adam Thilthorpe, Director of Professionalism, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT explains: ‘We’ve had reports that a few people have received calls claiming to be from British Computer Society and offering to help them repair their computer. They are then asked to login and read data from the screen, are told to install some software from a website, and subsequently charged a large fee.’

Adam adds: ‘These callers have no connection to BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. We are therefore warning people not to pass on personal or financial details to such callers, or to transfer money. If you have already done so, contact your bank as soon as possible to stop or check any unauthorised transactions and report the incident to the police. This scam has been around for several years in various formats, including calls purporting to be from Microsoft, but this is the first time we have heard our name being used in connection with it.’

BCS is advising anyone receiving such a call to:

• Remember that BCS does not make cold calls offering help with computers
• Contact their bank immediately if they have followed the callers instructions as their bank details may be compromised. Most banks should be aware of these types of scam.
• Report scam calls to Action Fraud
• Or contact BCS if they have noted any contact details or web addresses related to a call where the caller claims to be from the British Computer Society

Scams, whether online or not, are devised to trick people into parting with their money or personal details which could be used for fraud. Unsolicited email, commonly known as spam, accounts for around 90% of all emails sent. Spam is the online equivalent of ‘junk mail’ through the letterbox. ‘Phishing’ emails are slightly more sinister and usually purport to be from a bank or organisation asking for personal details, including passwords, or for donations to an organisation.

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT has compiled a list of top tips to protect against scams when using email and the internet:

• Don't respond to any unsolicited emails. Don't even open them - if you do not recognise the sender or are suspicious, simply put the email into your ‘Delete’ box. Spam emails are usually sent automatically to randomly generated email addresses some of which prove to be valid, by responding you are verifying the email address as active and will continue to receive spam
• Never respond to the ‘remove link’ that many spammers include in the email, it verifies your email address as active
• Never divulge your personal details, bank details or passwords in response to an email purporting to be from your bank or building society. Real emails from banks and building societies never request personal information or verification of password or account details. Don’t click on a link in such an email it will go a fraudulent site that looks like your bank
• Report spam by sending the message plus the full header of the email, to sites such as www.spamcop.net which can then add the sender to their blacklists. Do not to open the message - use the ‘forward’ button to do this
• Install virus protection software to help guard against the accidental download of a virus
• Make use of your internet provider’s spam filter if one is available

Adam concludes: ‘Phones, computers, the internet and email have transformed our lives and by taking some very simple and sensible steps we can all continue to enjoy these benefits whilst remaining safe from potential scams - whether online or over the phone.’

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