Older Tasmanians robbed of $100k in malware scams, with police warning computer users

Tasmania Police has issued a warning after six older Tasmanians, targeted by malware scams over the past two months, were fleeced of nearly $100,000.

Six older Tasmanians have lost money to scammers in malware attacks over the past two months. Picture: iStock

Six older Tasmanians have been targeted by malware scams over the past two months, losing a combined sum of nearly $100,000.

Detective Sergeant Paul Turner, of Tasmania Police, said the victims were aged between 74 and 86, losing between $600 to $30,000 each since June.

“In some cases police have been able to recover the funds, but this has not been possible for all victims,” he said.

Det Sgt Turner warned other Tasmanians of the dangers of malware scams, which he said often occurred when a “pop-up” warning appeared on a screen, asking the user to call a phone number to fix the problem.

“Malware like this often makes its way onto people’s devices after they have unintentionally clicked on a malicious link or adware, or visited a suspicious website,” he said.

Det Sgt Turner said when the victim rang the phone number, the scammer would often tell them their computer had a virus or had been hacked, requesting remote access to the computer.

The scammer would then steal from the victim’s online accounts or coerce them into transferring funds or buying gift cards.

“We’re asking all Tasmanians to beware of these sorts of scams, and to check that older family and friends are also aware of the risks,” Det Sgt Turner said.

For more information, visit www.cyber.gov.au

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Originally published as Older Tasmanians robbed of $100k in malware scams, with police warning computer users