CORNER BROOK John Kennedy was trying to help one of his clients avoid being scammed, but instead ended up in the thick of the scam himself.
Kennedy is the owner of Jay’s Computer Repair.
He said a client called him and said she had gotten a call that she had a virus on her computer.
Kennedy told her is was scam and got the contact information for the caller and told her he would confirm it for her.
Kennedy said one number, which has a 760 prefix, is actually one set up through a calling service operated by Google. The other number the client provided was a direct number.
Kennedy called it and started to make some inquires and was told “to basically go fly a kite.”
But now the scammers had Kennedy’s number and were able to determine he had a computer business. And they’re using his identity and that of his business as part of their scam.
“There’s like about a dozen types of scenarios that they go through when they make these calls,” said Kennedy.
Sometimes they identify themselves as Kennedy or as someone working with his company. Other times they say they’re from Microsoft or Rogers or Bell, and sometimes they portray themselves as IT support staff.
The caller will tell people they have a virus or some other issue with their computer and ask them to go to the computer so that they can fix the issue.
Kennedy said they’ll tell you to look at certain areas which will say you’ve got issues with your computer of you have a virus.
“But every computer has an issue,” said Kennedy.
The caller will then say they can fix the problem and will ask to take remote control access of the computer. Now they have access to all the information they need.
Things like online banking information and credit card numbers.
Kennedy has a client who had $38,000 in charges applied to two credit cards because of the scam. Another lost more than $700 and he’s heard from someone else who was scammed to the amount of $18,000 through another scam.
Since the scammers have started using Kennedy as part of their con he said things are “really getting annoying,” and he worries about how it may affect his business.
A lot of people who’ve gotten the calls have been calling to find out if his is a legitimate business.
Some just take the yes and hang up, which Kennedy said could mean they will accept the service being offered by the scammers the next time they call.
What he’s been trying to do is tell callers that yes he is operating a legitimate business but that the person calling him isn’t. He even has a message on his voice mail to inform callers of the scam.
He encourages everyone contacted by a scammer to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, formerly known as Phone Busters, to report the scam.
“One call doesn’t make a difference, a thousand calls make a difference,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy said people should be wary of strange phone numbers like 760-705-8888 and 208-639-2222.
If you get a call, just hang up and then contact the anti-fraud centre.
And most importantly “don’t call back.”
