FRESH warnings have been issued to members of the public after fraudsters managed to rake in thousands of pounds pretending to be from Sky.
Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has issued the warnings after it discovered successful scammers had conned victims of more than £270,000.
The scam, which involves a variety of lures, such as offering discounts and free technical support is being used by fraudsters posing as Sky customer service representatives.
How it works
The victim's mobile or landline is called and they are asked to 'press 1' at the end of an automated message.
As they do this, they are connected to the fraudster, who when attempts to remote access the victim's computer, in turn enabling them to access personal and financial information.
What Action Fraud says
Official guidance from the organisation say: "Never install software as a result of a cold call. Unsolicited requests for remote access to your computer should always raise a red flag.
"Always question uninvited approaches in case it's a scam. Instead, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number.
"Have the confidence to refuse unusual requests for personal or financial information. It's easy to feel embarrassed when faced with unexpected or complex conversations.
"But it's OK to stop the discussion if you do not feel in control of it."
What Sky themselves are saying
They advise customers should: Never state your name or phone number when answering a call.
If there’s no reply after giving a greeting, don’t say anything else. If you’re initially asked for your phone number, first ask the caller what number they dialled or require.
Never give out personal details or engage in conversation. Keep calm – some nuisance callers may want to gain an emotional response.
End the call immediately, or leave the phone off the hook and walk away for a while, then simply end the call without speaking or listening.
Press a digit on the keypad as if you’re attempting to trace the call, and make a comment about it as if you’re speaking to someone else in the room.
Record the amount and frequency of the calls to see if there’s a pattern.
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