We are all familiar with the terms ‘Computer Fraud’ and ‘Internet Scam’ but do we really know just how easily we could be sucked in and fall foul of this dirty business?

The following is an extract from an e-mail received by ‘Laptop Repair Bolton’, a local Bolton business selected to feature as a ‘thebestof bolton’ business and who is passionate about computer users keeping themselves safe from ‘scammers’.

‘You may remember that I bought a PC from you recently.

 I had a call from “Windows” this morning saying that I had sent a stream of error reports to them recently. They needed to show me how to sort this out. I said that I didn’t know they were from Windows and asked how they had got my phone number.

 He claimed that I had advised this when I registered the product.

 So was it in order to pass me through to his technical department who would show me how to prevent this corruption affecting my computer?

 I said that I wasn’t satisfied that he was who he claimed to be and that I had no intention of allowing them access to my computer.

 It was only when I was checking the Bradshaw and Harwood Red Rose directory for your e-mail address to ask whether this was a possible problem that I came across your article warning of a very similar scam, which had allowed the scammers to install a programme that copied key strokes into one of your customer’s computer. So somewhere your warning must have lodged in the back of my mind.

 Thanks for this, which could have saved me a lot of trouble and possible financial concerns if they could have got into bank account details.’

The fact is that it is very easy for unscrupulous people who know what they are doing to install all sorts of programmes or viruses onto your computer if given access and their plausible stories are ever more sophisticated and believable to those of us who can be easily intimidated by ‘technically articulate’ people on the end of a telephone.

The message is, DO NOT give anyone access to your computer passwords or input information given by anyone who contacts you uninvited or anyone you are not entirely sure of their credentials. Once they have access to your computer they can very quickly use the information obtained to cause you great harm or at the very least, inconvenience.

The 'Windows Scam' mentioned above is just one of many prevalent at the moment so if you are unsure of information you receive or hear about any computer or internet related subject, contact a professional like Urmash Fatania at Laptop Repair Bolton, who will be only too happy to help.