New phishing phone scam rips through Marquette

A new phishing scam has been making waves in Marquette County for the past two weeks.

Marquette Police say victims are receiving phone calls from an individual claiming to be associated with Windows. The imposter proceeds to notify the victim that they have detected a problem with their computer. The victim is then directed to log on and provide an IP address to the caller who takes remote access of the computer before detecting a problem that can be fixed remotely for a fee. A credit card number is requested, and if the victim provides that number, it will be used fraudulently. Police also say that by doing so, any personal information is accessible to the criminal.

Citizens are encouraged to avoid talking to the caller and to just hang up. If computer access is given, victims should turn off their computer immediately, monitor their bank accounts, and change all passwords on a different computer.

Cyber criminals have shifted their attention to citizens because government agencies, and large companies have hardened their security efforts.