Taieri residents should answer their phones with caution to anyone claiming to be from ''Windows Support'' following recent reports of cyber criminals requesting bank account information.
Mosgiel resident Dawn Morrison said she had received about four phone calls from an organisation claiming to be called ''Windows Support'' although she did not own a computer.
''I knew it was a scam as soon as I heard them.
''When you answer the phone it's a crackly line and it sounds like no-one is there.
''They said something about computers and then asked for my bank account information.''
Another Mosgiel resident, who did not want to be named, said she had received calls every night for some time.
''There is a particularly bad reception line and the caller normally has a strong Indian accent,'' she said.
''I told the woman not to call me again and she shouted at me to 'shut up'.''
The resident was concerned Mosgiel was targeted due to the older population, which might not be computer-savvy.
Age Concern Otago executive officer Susan Davidson said older people were more susceptible.
''They [computers] can still be a big mystery,'' she said.
Ms Davidson had been targeted by the callers, receiving at least 20 calls in the past two to three months.
''I told them many times not to call.
''I even put the phone down instead of hanging up and walked away, leaving them on the line. I haven't had any more since I said I would call the police.''
Typically the callers had a foreign accent, the connection was bad, and they claimed to be from ''Windows Support'' or Microsoft.
-Holly Bagge
