VIRUS AVOIDANCE

Computer viruses have long been a threat to your computer’s data. Most of us accept the fact that we need to use an up-to-date virus checker and pay for additional protection when using the internet. Many viruses are transferred via email message attachments or links, often seemingly from people you know, who have had their email account hacked. Our advice is to use a webmail service, whereby you can only check your email messages via a secure website. Most email accounts provide this and it avoids the problem of downloading email messages and infecting a computer or device with a virus. Also, never click on any links or attachments in an email message unless you are confident they are OK. If you have to download a file, view it online first, then virus-check it once it has been downloaded.

In recent years, virus fraudsters have gone one step further, with popup screen messages claiming a virus has been detected on your device. In some cases, a freephone number is displayed asking you to call to remove the virus. This results in a payment being made over the telephone and the non-existent virus being removed. Some antivirus software can prevent these pop-ups, but they can be very difficult to block because their online address keeps changing.

A similar scam has long been in existence via the telephone, with victims being called and told they have a virus on their computer, which can be fixed by making a payment. This is fraud.