When Pauline Nicholls was searching for pet insurance on her computer, she received a message on her screen telling her there was a problem.
So she called the number that came up on her screen.
Highlights:
- BBC's Panorama program obtained recordings of 70,000 calls from one of the criminal call centres
- ACCC estimates that Australians lose more than half a billion dollars a year to scams like this
Little did she know it was a scam, run from an office in India.
Ms Nicholls ended up paying around 400 pounds to the fraudsters for a problem that didn't exist in the first place.
Victims are told to call 'Microsoft', but the number provided actually directs them to the call centre in India. Operators then ask for money to 'repair' the non-existent problem.
Learn how the scam was busted:
For more information on how to avoid becoming a victim, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au
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