A PHONE scam which scares people into believing their computers are infected by a virus is continuing.

Callers posing as helpdesk staff from an IT company randomly telephone people and mislead them into believing their computer is infected by a virus and needs immediate attention. They claim they can fix the problem remotely and ask for access to the computer. Several local residents have been persuaded to part with fairly large sums of money for the company to 'fix' the problem, says Cornwall Trading Standards.

'These calls appear to be part of a global scam and are being made by organised criminal gangs,' explained Nigel Strick from Trading Standards. 'Victims are being left out of pocket and their computers seriously compromised.'

Nigel added: 'People don't realise that as soon as they give permission to allow this company access to their computer, the fraudsters will have access to all the information stored on the hard drive including bank details and passwords.

'Generally, it is a bad idea to get work done or to purchase goods as a result of an unexpected telephone call as you have no idea who you are dealing with.'