Grey County Ontario Provincial Police and Bruce Peninsula Ontario Provincial Police urge the public to protect themselves from Service Fraud scams. Service scams extort money and personal information from unwitting victims.

Service scams typically involve individuals who use official sounding jargon while offering support for telecommunications, Internet, finance, medical and energy services. These types of scams may also include offers such as extended warranties, insurance, and door-to-door sales.

One service scam commonly known as the Microsoft scam is when someone calls pretending to be a representative of Microsoft and claims that your computer has a virus or has been hacked and must be cleaned. The scammer will gain remote access to the computer and may run some programs or change some settings. The scammer will then advise that a fee is required for the services and request a credit card number to cover the payment. In some cases, the scammer will transfer money using the victim's computer through a vendor such as Western Union or MoneyGram. Bottom line is the victim pays for a service that was never needed as the computer was never infected.

Tips to Protect Yourself

- Never give anyone remote access to your computer. If you are having problems with your operating system, bring it to a local computer technician.

- Beware of scammers advising you of an unauthorized charge on your credit card account and requesting your credit number.

- Verify any calls with your credit card company by calling the phone number on the back of your credit card.

- Never provide personal information of banking details over the telephone unless you initiated the call.

- Beware of solicitations for products or services offering lower energy bills

- Do your homework before hiring a company.

- Do not be afraid to ask questions and, if you feel pressured, do not hesitate to hang up.

- Contact your financial institution or credit card company immediately if you paid someone by credit card or through an electronic funds transfer.

If you or someone you know suspect they've been a victim of a service scam, contact your local police service. You can file a complaint through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website or by phone at 1-888-495-8501.

source: media release, OPP