Pensioner warns others of scam from bogus Telstra workers
An elderly Doncaster woman has told how con artists claiming to be from Telstra remotely accessed her computer, before she wised up to the scam when they asked for her banking details. Has this happened to you?
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A Doncaster pensioner allowed suspected hackers pretending to be from Telstra to remotely access her computer before wising up to the scam and hanging up when they asked for her banking details.
The con artists phoned Nicola Michaels shortly after New Year’s Eve, offering to help improve the performance of her computer.
But when the crooks asked Ms Michaels for her banking details she smelled a rat and hung up.
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Now she’s warning others to be alert to scammers.
“They asked me if my computer had been running slowly and, well, it had,” Ms Michaels said.
A female hacker tricked Ms Michaels into allowing remote access to her computer.
“I hate to think she had access to my files but luckily there’s nothing of any value on there. I don’t use internet banking,” she said.
“It’s a warning for older people especially who are probably more likely to be sucked into giving out their details.
“I’m in my 70s and a pensioner and this made me think about the consequences of someone giving out their details. It makes me livid.”
Ms Michaels contacted Doncaster police after the incident and was referred to a technician in Nunawading, who has since checked her PC for malicious software and updated her security.
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