(San Andreas, CA) On 12/12/12 the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office
was made aware of a possible phone/internet scam. According to the
information provided to the sheriff’s office, a person with heavily
accented English places phone calls to potential victims and identifies
him/herself as being from a company by the name of Microsoft: VTech
Solutions. This person then tells you that they have received
information from your computer that there is a problem with your
computer’s Microsoft programs. They then ask for personal information to
access your computer.
This and any similar phone calls are a scam. The caller’s likely
intent is to either obtain personal identifying information from you or
gain remote access to your computer’s hard drive in order to steal your
information. Legitimate companies, such as Microsoft, will not call and
solicit information from you. If you should receive any similar phone
calls you should tell the caller to remove your number from their
database, and then hang up.
How to Protect Yourself:
1. Never provide personal identifying or financial information,
including your Social Security Number, birth date, and account numbers
or passwords over the internet or phone in communication that you did
not initiate.
2. Never click on any link provided in an email you believe to be suspect.
3. If you believe the communication might be legitimate, contact the
institution or business yourself using only the phone numbers or
internet address found on your account statements.
4. Do not be intimidated by an email or caller who suggests dire
consequences if you do not provide or verify financial or personal
information.
What to Do if You Fall Victim:
1. If you have disclosed sensitive information in a phishing scheme
you should contact your financial institutions immediately and notify
them of the situation.
2. You should also contact the fraud division of the three major credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your file. Equifax 800-525-6285; Esperian 888-307-3742; and TransUnion 800-680-7289.
3. Report the incident to your local law enforcement agency and/or the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.
