Filenews 9 June 2021
Particular attention is recommended to the public by the Police, regarding a new form of fraud through malicious telephone calls, aimed at accessing citizens' computers and their personal and banking data.
In recent times, the Electronic Crime Sub-Directorate has been receiving several new complaints of phone fraud, in which deft, cyber criminals claim to be Microsoft employees from abroad and guide users through some actions that may lead to data or banking data being intercepted. The course of action of the suspects is as follows:
- They make phone calls to subscribers in Cyprus and present themselves as engineers of the Microsoft Support Center. They are offered to help solve computer problems to remove alleged malware (virus) or even to install special software for purported data protection.
- To this end (a) request Remote Access to the computer and thus own the computer with all possible consequences that may arise, such as access to electronic data, bank accounts, passwords and other data, or (b) request bank card numbers or other data purportedly for verification.
The Police call on the public to be particularly careful not to respond to these calls and for citizens not to give their details to various experts.
