Was a 'PC help' phone call a scam?

Over the past few weeks, I have received four phone calls from people with Asian accents trying to tell me my computer is infected with malicious software. Finally I agreed to listen and, although alarm bells went off, I let them have remote access to my PC.

I was told that a considerable number of problems needed removing, but it would cost me a one-off payment of £130. This is my week’s pension, so then I was offered a year’s cover for £66 and finally six months for £39.99; which I ended up paying.

Derek Dawson

Mr Dawson told us on the phone that the callers in this case had claimed to be working with Microsoft. And he was right to be concerned, as his experience has much in common with an ongoing scam we reported last year – see our video report.

That scam involves cold callers, usually calling from Kolkata, India, claiming to work with Microsoft. They warn homeowners that they have detected a problem with their computer.

The callers then guide the unsuspecting user through a number of ‘checks’ that show up errors on the PC. Although these are harmless, the caller claims that they are signs of a virus or another infection.

Finally they offer to take control of the PC to fix the problem – but for a price.
We have worked with the victims of many such scams, but the names, phone numbers and website addresses used change regularly.

Microsoft is aware of the problem, as are the UK authorities. We contacted the company that had called Mr Dawson, Virtual PC Doctor. It told us that it had never claimed to be associated with Microsoft, and that it operated a 30-day, money-back guarantee.

We will follow up to see if Mr Dawson gets this refund. If he does not, he may still be able to get his money back.

Mr Dawson paid using a Visa debit card, and if he is the victim of fraud he can make a claim under Visa’s Consumer Protection policy.

This allows customers to pursue a refund if goods or services they’ve ordered aren’t delivered, or if they’re an innocent victim of fraud. The one drawback is that a bank can apply its own terms and conditions; so consumers should check out their bank’s policy on this.

Unlike with credit card protection, there is no lower or upper limit on the value of goods or services to be refunded.