WARNINGS have been issued over a phone scam targeting people on the Isle of Wight recently.
The Isle of Wight Council's trading standards team said Islanders had been called by people claiming to work for Microsoft.
The council said in a statement: "The caller states a virus has been detected on their PC and they require remote access to clear it.
"The caller then asks for anything up to £400 to be paid using a credit or debit card and have also been known to try and trick the computer owner into giving details that allows them remote access to their PC.
"This is a scam and anyone who receives a call like this should never give out personal details and should hang up and contact Trading Standards."
Microsoft does not directly contact customers for any reason and advises anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of a phone scam to do the following:
•Change their computer’s password, change the password on their main email account and change the password for any financial accounts, especially bank and credit cards
•Scan their computer with the Microsoft Safety Scanner to find out if they have malware installed on their computer
•Contact their bank and credit card companies.
Isle of Wight victim Ron Watts, 84, who lost money after being targeted in a different scam recently, has added his voice warning Islanders to be on their guard.
Mr Watt's is supporting Trading Standards and is offering to talk to people directly about his experience.
He was cheated out of cash by a company called Dolices Gourmandises, which duped him into thinking he had won £8,000.
He has been forced to change his telephone number after receiving dozens of calls from scammers.
He also receives up to 35 scam letters a day, the council said.
Amanda Gregory, regulatory services manager at Isle of Wight Council and said: "Unfortunately Ron's case is all too familiar, especially among elderly people. Scammers can come across very convincingly and do trick some people into parting with their cash.
"We would again repeat the message that if it is too good to be true, it usually is and if you are unsure, contact trading standards or speak to your friends and family.
"We are very grateful Ron is supporting trading standards by giving advice to residents and hopefully his story will help prevent others from being scammed."
Trading Standards can be contacted on 823370.
In May, Isle of Wight firm Navigate IT and Telecoms reported a rise in the number of telephone scams and issued advice on how to avoid becoming a victim.