Stay Alert: Rise in Computer Software Service Fraud

Fraudsters are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to commit Computer Software Service Fraud (CSSF) as the UK public continue to stay at home and utilise the internet more as a result of ongoing restrictions.

2,007 reports were made to Action Fraud in November 2020 in relation to CSSF, with a total loss of £2,148,976. This is a 22% increase in reporting compared to the previous month.

Suspects cold call victims, or use a ‘pop up’ window, purporting to be calling from well-known broadband providers primarily, claiming that victims have problems with their computers, routers, or internet.

The suspect persuades the victim to download and connect via a Remote Access Tool (RAT), allowing the suspect to gain access to the victim’s computer or mobile phone. Victims are persuaded to log into their online banking to receive a refund as a form of compensation, allowing the suspect access to the victim’s bank account, and the ability to move funds out of the victims account into a UK mule account.

There has also been an increase in the variety of service providers being impersonated, with multiple providers being affected.