Authorities are alerting the public of the well-used virus in your computer scam.
More than 330 Canadians have been defrauded of some $500,000 in a technical support scheme in which innocent users were tricked in believing their personal computer was hacked or infected with virus or malware.
One man has been arrested in the racket and members of a Peel Regional Police Cyber Support Services believe that there may be others.
Police said elderly Canadians were targeted in the cyber fraud which occurred from January 2020 to February 2022.
Police are alerting elderly computer users to beware of the cyber crimes.
The computer owners were tricked that their computers were infected with a virus or malware through various means; including spam phone calls or pop-up ads that appeared on their screens.
“Victims were put in contact with call centre agents who would convince them to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for unnecessary computer repair services,” police said in a release.
Victims were tricked into allowing the call centre agents to access their computers remotely.
The international cyber crime was carried out against users in Brampton, India and the U.S.
The scammers used the names of three companies including; A2Z Consultants Group Inc., QB Services, and SSS Consultants.
The scam operated in Brampton, New Delhi, India; New York and New Jersey. Police in India and the U.S. have also laid charges against the people who took part in the scheme.
“As the use of technology continues to evolve, so do the methods employed by online threat actors seeking to exploit unsuspecting individuals,” said Det. Sgt. Matthew Hutchinson, of Peel’s Intelligence Services, Cyber Support and Digital Forensics.
More than 330 elderly Canadians were defrauded of more than $500,000 in the scheme.
“We remain committed in our efforts to combat computer scams and online fraud, and we encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities,” Hutchinson said.
Jayant Bhatia, 34, of Brampton, is charged with unauthorized use of a computer, fraud over $5,000, and possession of property obtained by crime.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fraud Bureau at (905) 453–2121, ext. 3335. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca