About time! Microsoft phone scammers arrested in UK

Police have arrested four people in the UK following a two-year investigation into phone scammers who pretend to be part of Microsoft’s IT support team.

Victims are usually told that their computer has a fault, and that they need to give the callers access so they can fix it. If they gain access, the scammers install malware, or download images that seem to show evidence of an infection. In most cases the scammers demand a fee from their victim, or simply steal money from their bank account.

Sometimes scammers phone the victim again to say they are due a refund for the earlier theft. If they hand over their bank details a second time, more money is stolen.

The inquiry, conducted by the City of London Police with Microsoft’s help, indicated that many of the calls originated in India.

All four people were arrested on suspicion of fraud. A 29year-old man and a 31-yearold woman from Woking in Surrey were later bailed, while a 37-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman from South Shields were released pending further inquiries.

Phone scams are a huge problem in the UK, with over 34,500 incidents reported in the 12 months to April 2017. The average age of victims is 62, suffering an average loss of £600. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been stolen worldwide, it’s estimated.

Microsoft said its work with the police is a “collaboration which can cohesively combat and investigate computer service fraud”. It promised that “today’s arrests are just the start”. The company confirmed that it will never cold-call customers, or display tech-support pop-up messages on computers Read its advice for more info on avoiding scams: www.snipca. com/24802. What happens when you scam the scammer?