Watch for computer scan scam: Police ‎

If you receive a decision from somebody informing you that your laptop is not operating properly which a replacement product can improve its performance, decision the police.

The scam is proving profitable for these scammers and police are asking you to be vigilant.

Police in Prince George, BC, say that when a laptop owner permits access to their laptop remotely, "the fraudster states that he's doing a 'scan' and fixing or up grading the pc however he's really putting in 'spy ware' or alternative malicious software which will capture sensitive information like banking info, dates of birth, user names and passwords.

"At the conclusion of the decision, the scammer requests a mastercard variety and will even raise the victim to send payment via a wire transfer company. On checks with the bank a handful hours later, the fraudster had already tried to use for a mastercard with the knowledge he obtained from accessing the victim’s laptop," police said during a statement.

They say that the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received over 350 similar fraud reports since the attacks started occurring in japanese Canada in February 2011, which mastercard transactions or wire transfers are created for up to $500 in every of those cases.

The crimes are exhausting to prevent since wire transfers cannot be traced or recovered by the police. And since the phonephone solicitors are from foreign countries, police say prosecution is unlikely.