Dyfed-Powys Police is warning computer users of scammers claiming to work for Microsoft after receiving a number of calls about it this week.

The Digital Communications and Cyber Crime unit (DCCU) has received reports of residents receiving calls from someone pretending to be from Microsoft attempting to extort money from them.

Police are keen to reinforce to residents throughout Pembrokeshire and the rest of the Force area that this is a scam and to never give personal details or banking details over the phone.

The Microsoft computer scam is one of many currently happening throughout the UK and beyond. It is normally a cold caller claiming to be from Microsoft asking if the computer user is experiencing any problems with their IT equipment or claiming it may have a virus.

Detective Sergeant Rob Gravelle, a specialist within the DCCU, said: “Thankfully people who have reported the calls to police did not fall for the scam, but others may believe the call to be genuine and end up losing money.

“Fraudsters often use the names of well-known companies to commit their crime, as it makes them seem more legitimate. Computer firms do not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer. Fraudsters make these phone calls to try to steal from you and damage your computer with malware or other viruses.

“I would urge anyone who thinks they have been a victim of this, or any other scam, to let us know by calling 101.”

The DCCU is a specialist team at Dyfed-Powys Police brought together to reduce cyber and cyber-enabled crime. It is a busy unit consisting of specialist detectives, high tech forensic investigators, analysts and researchers. They investigate all manner of digital and cyber-crime ranging from online fraud to child sexual exploitation.

To prevent cyber-crime, the DCCU works in partnership with Get Safe Online providing people with the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves from cyber-crime.

Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, said: “Ultimately, the best way to protect yourself against online fraud is to take responsibility for your own security. At Get Safe Online, we are committed to providing advice to help people use the internet confidently and securely. Armed with the right knowledge, we can all continue to enjoy using the internet safely.”

Top tips on how to avoid cyber scams:

• If you weren’t expecting the call, do not enter into conversation with them, provide them with any personal details or send them any money

• Never log onto your computer as a result of a cold call claiming your computer has a virus or viruses – again do not engage in dialogue on such a call

• Install up-to-date antivirus security software

• Keep your computer up-to-date with the latest software patches and updates

• Delete suspicious emails and social media messages without clicking on links

• Be security-conscious on social media sites: log out when you’re done and don’t connect to people you don’t know

• Regularly change and use strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Make sure that you don’t use the same password for all of your accounts. This will mean that even if one password is compromised, it will only affect one of your accounts

• Be careful about what you share online, don’t give away more personal information than you need to on social media sites and back up important files and media content to safe and secure storage solutions i.e. external hard drive/ trusted cloud storage.