The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is warning customers to hang up on scammers, pretending to be from the bank, who claim the customer's computer has been hacked.
Reports have emerged of CBA customers receiving calls that ask them to install TeamViewer remote access software on their PCs in order to run a scan.
The scammers will also try to convince customers to purchase anti-virus software to remove the infection.
A CBA spokesman said the bank is aware of this type of telemarketing scam which has been around for a few years.
He advised customers not to give out their personal, credit card and online account details over the phone unless the customer made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
“If customers believe they have been a target of a hoax or scam, they should immediately contact CBA,” he said.
A SCAMwatch spokeswoman said the calls were a variation on the Windows Event Viewer scam which it regularly receives complaints about.
The scam involves telemarketers requesting the recipient's authority to run a Windows program by the same name in order to fix bugs in the operating system. Other callers claim they can remove the virus for a fee and ask for people's credit card details.
SCAMwatch provided the following tips:
- Don’t accept anything at face value. If it sounds unlikely or too good to be true, it probably is.
- Recognise the signs. If you’re being pressured to act, disclose personal details or send money to a stranger, it’s almost certainly a scam.
- Act quickly. Tell SCAMwatch and stop scammers in their tracks.
- Never respond. Just hang up, or delete the SMS or email after reporting.
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