ROCK SPRINGS – Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Haskell today issued a renewed warning to county residents concerning a telephone / computer scam once again making the rounds.

In this ruse, commonly called the “Computer Tech Scam” or “Tech Support Scam,” scammers cold-call people, very often seniors, and tell them that their computer has become infected with a virus, contains malware, or is otherwise experiencing problems. The caller then encourages the intended victim to turn on his or her computer so that they may work together to solve the non-existent problem.

Authorities said there was a wave of such calls in Sweetwater County in 2013, and now they appear to be starting up again.

The swindlers involved falsely identify themselves as representatives of a legitimate, well-known companies such as Microsoft in an effort to sound legitimate and may know their prospective victim’s name and address.

“That’s a big part of the overall strategy to make the con sound more convincing,” Haskell said.

In addition to providing sensitive identification and financial information to scammers, victims are charged anywhere from $50 to $500 in phony “repair fees” or “tech support charges.”

Officials offer the following tips for people to help protect themselves from the “Computer Tech Scam:”

• Remember that computer and software companies aren’t going to call you to tell you about problems that you are having, and don’t be deceived if the caller knows your name and address. Such information is readily available from a wide variety of sources, including ordinary telephone books.
• Never comply with instructions received during an unsolicited call, such as directions to click on links, download attachments, provide user names or passwords, or agree to subscribe to any “security systems” stemming from unsolicited calls.

“If you get an unsolicited call like this, just hang up,” Haskell said. “Even if the caller knows your name and address, it’s all just part of the con.”