A Halton resident was called at 8am yesterday morning from someone claiming to be from BT.
The caller asked the resident to sit at her laptop whilst they checked her computer because there are hackers in this area trying to access her computer.
The resident explained that she was leaving for work and did not have time but the caller was very insistent saying that the resident had to do it and asking if she could ring back in half an hour.
The resident said this was not possible and the caller put the phone down.
This phone call is a scam. It is likely that the caller wanted access to the resident’s computer to either steal her personal information or to install ransomware and then demand payment to remove it.
If you are a BT customer and you are concerned that you may have problems with your service you can check your account online at www.bt.com/mybt >
Halton Borough Council’s Executive Board Member for Trading Standards, Cllr Dave Cargill, said: “If you receive any calls offering to fix a problem that you didn’t know you had, don’t give the caller any details.
“Explain that on the advice of Trading Standards you need to check first that the call is genuine and then put the phone down.
“Wait for five minutes and then contact the company they claim to be from on the usual number you have for them, DO NOT USE any numbers that the caller has given you.”
If you or somebody you know has been caught out by a scam please contact one of our specialist officers, Linda or Sue on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775, who are already working with people in Halton who have lost thousands of pounds to scams.
If you need advice on anything else please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06.