The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) in Corner Brook is warning the public of a scam involving offenders posing as representatives of Microsoft or an affiliate.
On Thursday, a resident of Corner Brook received a telephone call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft or an affiliate, claiming that there was a problem with the victim’s computer. The caller offered to fix it once they were given a credit card number and was provided remote access to the computer in question.
Police caution when victims provide these offenders with remote access, they unknowingly give them access to everything on their computer. This can lead to identify theft, email takeovers and more.
The RNC is reminding the general public to refrain from providing their personal information to unknown people online or over the phone and to verify the authenticity of the person requesting information by contacting the organization directly. The RNC also advises not to provide your credit card number over the phone or allow remote access to your computer.
Anyone with information regarding this scam is asked to contact the RNC at 709-637-4100 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). People can provide information anonymously on the N.L. Crime Stoppers Website at www.nlcrimestoppers.com.
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