It never fails to amaze us why some people who seem smart enough to do legitimate work would rather choose to bilk others out of their money.
The latest reports focus on fraudsters claiming to be from Microsoft trying to sell a “file-cleaning” service. A Penticton man is one of the latest to be targeted by the scam. Fortunately, the man became suspicious. And when he told them he would call them back, his phone line went dead.
Alain Fortier with Doc’s Computers said he’s received several local reports of the scam in recent months. He said the scammers try to gain access to your computer to fix a non-existent problem, then charge your credit card.
It’s unfortunate that computer-related fraud continues to be age-sensitive — seniors are most likely to be bilked — but people of any age can and will be targeted.
We live in an era where technology and online business are often in the grey area of entrepreneurship because they’ve developed new methods for selling goods and services.
Most are trying to find legitimate opportunities to supply what’s in demand.
Some, however, push the envelope and even go over the line — promising something for a price that they have no intent on delivering.
Fraudsters, of course, are not limited to the Internet. We just have to look at the latest efforts the Bank of Canada has undertaken to create bills that will foil counterfeiters (for now) to be reminded that humanity has a long history of trying to deceive one another.
If you are simply wary by nature, you probably already are cautious about opening yourself up to anything that could be a fraud. Perhaps there’s a new demand for that quality, both to avoid being burned ourselves and to educate those in our lives about the pitfalls of living in an interconnected world.
— Black Press