SA Police have noticed a rise in reports of “Remote Access" scams – particularly involving mobile phones.

These scams involve a potential victim being contacted, either by phone or through a messenger service, and convinced to install a remote access or viewing application on to their device.

These applications allow the device to be viewed and accessed remotely - hence the name of the scam - giving the scammers all but unfettered access.

Traditionally scammers have focused on getting people to install remote viewing applications on their would-be victim’s computers, however, police have noticed a rise in mobile phones being the targeted device.

The scammers often impersonate employees of telcos or software companies.

Their scripts vary but two common themes are that the victim's computer or phone has been hacked or infected by a virus and the caller needs remote access to prevent loss or damage, while the other is that the caller needs remote access to enable them to fix a slow internet connection.

SA Police urge the community to:

• Beware of unsolicited phone calls or messages.
• Don't download any software or application that you are unfamiliar with.
• If in doubt, hang up and call the company back on a phone number sourced independently (not supplied by the caller).
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For more information about scam prevention please visit our website: www.police.sa.gov.au/scams