Watch out for Spammers!

The introduction of the internet brought with it a revolutionary advance in the way we communicate and share information. However, this new age also brought with it the introduction of viruses, spyware and spam. A recent review has shown that spam is responsible for over 90% of the internet’s ‘email traffic’. Over the years, companies such as TrendMicro, Symantec, and CA have been working tirelessly to protect home, business and corporate PCs alike. More recently, however, security software has been hard pressed to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of internet threats, and now there is a new challenger in the internet security arena: Phone Spamming.  

Phone spamming, otherwise known as phishing, is when an individual or group (not usually from Australia) will call you and typically have the following conversation.  

They claim to be from an internet security company, a local store, or even Microsoft. They then explain that your computer is going slow and request access to your computer to help fix the problem by instructing you on how to give them (the caller) access to your computer. Following being given access to your computer the access you have given them to gather any personal information they can find. 

Abuse of this information can take a number of forms, ranging from using your contacts to spam more people, to using your personal details in complete identity fraud. 

Now is the time to be aware and cautious when receiving calls similar to these. The majority of the time they are not legitimate, and all they want is your personal information. Microsoft does not call their customers to notify them that their computer is slow, and most internet software companies don’t either. If you’re uncertain about a phone call you receive, DO NOT give them any personal information, and whatever you do, DO NOT allow them to take control of your computer. If you have questions regarding the legitimacy of these calls, or are concerned that you may have already been spammed, we urge you to change all your passwords immediately (including Windows, email and bank) and check your credit cards with the bank and advise them what has happened.  The bank may recommend putting a stop on your account to avoid any fraudulent transactions to occur. 

One way to tell if the call is for real is to ask for their number and tell them you will call them back when you have time later. 

Remember that you are in control of your computer and data and therefore should be cautious of who you choose to give access to it.  When in doubt you should take your computer to your local computer specialist and ask them to do a virus/malware scan and remove any applications the spammer may have put on your computer.