Guilford Police Warn Residents Of Malware Scams

GUILFORD, CT — With the holiday season here and online shopping kicking into full gear, the Guilford Police Department is warning residents about malware scams.

"In the last few weeks, Guilford and surrounding towns have had numerous victims fall for this malware," police said in a social media post, adding that some victims have lost thousands of dollars.

The cases started off with an alert flashing on their screens, some with a loud noise, and a phone number to "fix" the issue, police said.

"When victims call that number, a scammer impersonates either a representative of a company or a law enforcement agency," police added. "The scammer convinces the victim there is a problem, ie a virus, illicit photos on the computer or tax/law enforcement violations. The scammer will request to remote in to the victim’s computer to access bank accounts or request the victim purchase [gift] cards and provide the scammers with the codes on the gift cards."

Malware scammers have become more aggressive of late, police said, and they've even sent people to victims' houses to collect large sums of money.

"The money is being exchanged through money couriers and frequently leaves the United States quickly making it difficult to recover," police said.

Law enforcement and companies will never ask residents for money through a pop-up on the computer, police said.

"If someone mentions a gift card…. It is a scam. Never let anyone remote into your electronics if you do not know who they are. Never save passwords in your login screens for your email, banking or social media."

If a warning pops up, residents should not click it and should close their browsers, disconnect their internet connection and delete their browsing history and cookies.

"If you have clicked it, disconnect from the internet and contact a reputable computer repair store to have your computer checked before re-connecting," police said.

Anyone who feels they may have been a victim of a malware scam should report it, as sometimes there are ways to recover lost funds, according to police.