This morning I had a call from a man claiming to be from BT Open Reach. He told me that there were problems with my internet, and he would help me fix them. I thought it was odd, and asked him to confirm where he was calling from, and he got a bit annoyed, saying “I just told you, BT Open Reach”. He then told me to “just quickly turn on your laptop and I’ll show you how to fix the problem”. Seems like the old Microsoft PC support scam is back.
I told him that if BT Open Reach had identified a problem with my internet, they should send an engineer – this is the response everybody should give them. Internet problems are not the same as PC problems – the only reason to access a computer would be to then access a router, but this “engineer” had already said he was going to show me the errors on the computer. It really is the same trick that they have been running for years.
The worst thing is, I think more people will fall for this one. People here in the UK are more likely to believe that BT are calling them than Microsoft. They are praying on vulnerable people who do not understand computers, and will no doubt scam many people out of thousands of pounds.
Top tip: If in doubt abour a BT Open Reach call, ask for a name and number, and then contact BT Open Reach direct to double check – https://homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/get-in-touch.aspx.
