Scammers who pretend to be from tech heavyweights, including Microsoft, are targeting West Australian consumers with offers of support for computer problems.
The state's consumer protection unit has issued a warning about the scams, urging people to hang up on anyone who calls with such an offer.
"The caller may say they are from Microsoft, Windows Support, Telstra, BigPond or Apple but that doesn't mean they are and, in fact, we know these organisations would not call you uninvited to provide technical support via remote computer access," the commissioner for consumer protection, Anne Driscoll, said.
"The truth is they're overseas-based scammers who want to put free software on your computer and charge you, or install dodgy software that can spy on you to steal personal details such as a bank account log-in."
Ms Driscoll said the scam had been around for years but was becoming more sophisticated.
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"Up until recently, the consumer has to pay by credit card but now we are seeing the option of an online wire transfer payment through a webpage the scammers bring up on your computer screen.
"We have also heard of requests for direct bank transfer to an account in South Australia and it's likely this is going to a money mule - someone unknowingly being used to launder money."
In 2010, the average financial loss for each complainant was $256.
This year the median loss is $695.
Individual losses range from $100 to $11,300.
Ms Driscoll said trying to stop the scammers was tricky.
"The fact that they are based overseas, where it is hard to apply Australian law, and that they are often using a telephone re-routing system, which prevents us from identifying exactly where the original call is from, limits our ability to track the scammers and take action."
