Pembrokeshire County Council’s Public Protection Trading Standards team has been alerted to another computer scam.

A resident from the Fishguard area recently received a pop up message alleging to be from Microsoft, instructing her not to use her computer because it had a Trojan – a computer virus.

She rang the phone number given and was told she needed a new firewall at a cost of £350, which she paid for.

However, while she was on the phone to the hacker, they accessed her laptop and she noticed her credit card details showing up on the screen.

At that point, the resident ended the phone call and contacted her credit card company to alert them to potentially fraudulent activity. “Fortunately, no further funds were taken from her account, but it could have been a very different story,” said Cllr Huw George, Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services.

He continued: “What this lady experienced is known as phishing – the fraudulent practice of sending emails or messages purporting to be from a legitimate source to induce people to reveal personal information.

“The message may require you to confirm your personal details and provide a link which may take you to a convincing fake website.

“Once you enter your details, the scammer will have access to your bank or Paypal account. Legitimate banks will not ask you to click on a link.”

Cllr George recommended seeking advice as soon as possible if you think you’ve been the victim of a scam.

“It can – and does - happen to literally anyone,” he said. “If you think you’ve been scammed, then ask advice from a friend, or a member of your family, or contact Trading Standards at Pembrokeshire County Council on 01437 764551 who will be happy to help.”

TOP TIPS

• Ensure you have up-to-date antivirus software.

• Set up a junk mail filter to stop unwanted emails.

• Don't follow links to get to an official website unless you trust the sender.

• Make sure your payments online are secure, look for the padlock symbol in the address bar.

• If you do not wish to enter your phone number on a website, consider using a scheme called Truecall 38 which enables you to avoid giving your phone number online.

• Be wary of copycat websites, which charge for services that are actually free.