Scam switches from Microsoft to Telstra

The remote access scam where people ring up claiming to be Microsoft has changed to have a more local flavour, with callers now claiming to be from Telstra or BigPond, according to the government.

The scammers will claim that they have noticed problems with the user's computer or phone line, and might claim that the broadband connection has been hacked, according to Scamwatch.

This could strike a chord with some users, after a truckie hacked his way into internet service provider (ISP) Platform Networks, which many media outlets reported incorrectly as a National Broadband Network (NBN) hack.

Like the Microsoft scam, the caller will request remote access to the user's computer and will run a "scan" that will discover a fake virus, which will then prompt them to sell the user software or a service to fix the computer, asking for personal or bank details.

Telstra told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which runs Scamwatch, that it never asks for credit card details over the phone to fix computer problems, adding that it is not affiliated with any companies that do.

The ACCC recommended that users hang up if they receive a phone call out of the blue requesting remote access.