P.E.I. RCMP is issuing a public notice with respect to fraudulent telephone calls.
Police are warning the general public of fraudulent telephone calls in relation to fake technical support for computers infected with viruses.
The callers pretend to be part of a software company like Microsoft or Apple and trick the victims into thinking their computers are not working properly.
The fraudsters obtain access to their victims’ computers remotely and ask for an amount of money to repair the machines.
They request the victims to send funds to India via Moneygrams and gift cards with scratch PIN numbers on the back.
The public is asked to be aware that these fraudsters may use a variety of other scam tactics as well.
The scams are designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem.
Anyone who suspects a scam should stop and hang up the phone. Do not provide any banking or credit card information to them either.
Anyone who has received similar phones calls or know of someone who has is asked to contact their local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through their online reporting tool at antifraudcentre.ca.
