Police in the North West have warned people to be alert for a scam involving a caller claiming to be a computer technician.

There have been several reports of unsolicited phone calls from someone claiming to be from either Microsoft or Telstra Bigpond, informing the person that their computer is running slowly.

The caller asks the person to turn on their computer and asks for information such as their email address, and credit card details to pay for the technical help.

Police say the calls are mostly from people with Asian accent, perhaps calling from overseas.

The nature of these requests would suggest that the callers are running a tried and tested scam where they either acquire financial information from the target, or solicit a fee for bogus services.

Police would like to remind people never to give out credit card or other bank details to unsolicited callers.

Tasmania Police Media and Marketing Services
(03) 6230 2296