Cyber crooks
Scam artists are using a well-known name to attack vulnerable consumers. Callers claiming to be from Microsoft are attempting to bilk consumers out of dollars while at the same time gaining access to personal data. The scam, which has circulated in the United Kingdom and Australia in the past, has surfaced in British Columbia, including on Vancouver Island.
“People should think twice when giving out any information, even if the name sounds legitimate,” said Rosalind Scott, executive director of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Vancouver Island. “Scammers often use familiar or well-established names in order to gain trust, which poses a real danger to the public.”
According to Scott, the scam always starts the same way: a caller asks for the householder, quoting his or her name and address before stating a variation of “I’m calling for Microsoft. We’ve had a report from your Internet service provider of serious virus problems from your computer.”
The caller warns that if the problem is not solved, the computer will become unusable. The concerned owner is then directed to their computer and asked to open a program that shows a long list of errors. In order to “fix” it, the computer owner is directed to a website and told to download a program that hands over remote access to the computer. It then becomes time to pay a fee for a subscription to this preventive service.
The catch: there was never anything wrong with the computer. The caller is not working for Microsoft and the owner has given a complete stranger access to every piece of data on his or her computer.
BBB has confirmed with Microsoft that it does not make unsolicited phone calls to help fix personal computers and warns consumers about cybercriminals using the company’s name in their scams. According to Microsoft, once the crooks have gained trust, they attempt to steal and damage computers with malware, including viruses and spyware.
Smart meters
BC Hydro is preparing to install smart meters across the province. The new meters will tell customers how much electricity they’re using at different times of the day.
The smart meter program is budgeted to cost $930 million, including meters, wireless networks and in-home displays for customers.
The agency’s plan is not to immediately implement higher rates for peak period use and lower rates for non-peak times such as late at night. In its business case for the new meters, released last week, BC Hydro says customers will be offered an opportunity to choose “time of use” rates if they want them. But that policy will only last until all the new meters are installed, by the end of 2012. The completion date was dictated by the provincial government’s latest energy plan, part of Premier Gordon Campbell’s effort to encourage new clean energy sources and stop net electricity imports to BC.
BC Hydro says it is still in the early stages of determining its rate structure for the smart meter era, and all rate changes must be approved by the British Columbia Utilities Commission.
BC Hydro estimates that the smart meter program will produce a net savings of $500 million over the next 20 years, through improved reliability and efficiency as well as conservation of energy. The smart meters will report consumption automatically, eliminating the need for meter readers, and the new meters will also detect power outages and electricity theft.
Installation is to begin by mid-2011, and customers will receive notices along with their bills when installers are coming to their community.
