Criminals posing as computer security engineers and calling people: Microsoft survey

          Ask for remote access to steal information and banking password. Microsoft has warned English speaking computer users about cyber crooks posing as computer security experts.

          The company has asked people to be suspicious of unsolicited calls related to a security problem, even if they claim to represent a respected company. It has also said that people should note down the caller information from fraud call and pass it to the authorities. A survey into an emerging form of Internet scam, released by Microsoft, found that such scams target English-language markets and cost victims on average $875.

          The scam works by fraudsters posing as computer security engineers. They call people at home and warn them of a security risk in their computers. They then trick users to gain remote access into their computers and steal banking passwords and other information, saying that they are providing free security checks.
 
          The survey was conducted by Microsoft and questioned 7,000 computer users in the UK, Ireland, US and Canada. The survey found that across all four countries, 15% of people had received a call from scammers. The scam is at its peak in Ireland at 26%.

          On an average 22% said they received such calls, and 3% of the total survey sample said they were deceived into following the scammers' instruction. Most of these (79%) revealed that they suffered some sort of financial loss after following the instructions, with 17% saying their money was taken from their accounts, 19% reporting compromised passwords and 17% said they were victims of identity fraud. More than half (53%) had to face subsequent computer problems.

          The survey calculated that in the four countries, the average amount of money stolen was $875. It was $82 in Ireland and $1,560 in Canada. The average cost of repairing damage caused to computers by the scammers was $1,730 -- rising to $4,800 in the US, said the study.

          Microsoft. International Public and Analyst Relations director Richard Saunders said the security of software is improving all the time, but at the same time we are seeing cybercriminals increasingly turn to tactics of deception to trick people in order to steal from them."

          Saunders said, "Criminals have proved once again that their ability to innovate new scams is matched by their ruthless pursuit of our money."

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