As a business who provides technical IT support to our clients, we often have a requirement to access your computer, software and systems remotely.

To do this, we ask you to run applications giving us access to your computer, request passwords for systems, and ask for delegate access to online software platforms.

Often, when we call and request this type of access, most users are willing to oblige, without first confirming the identity of the caller.

There are plenty of phone based scams where a caller will purport to be from an organisation seeking to assist or support you with a technical issue you may or may not be having.

So how can you avoid the scammers, and confirm the identity of the caller to ensure you are giving your information and access to the correct people?

Here are some ways that our clients have confirmed our identity, particularly that of technical staff they haven’t spoken with previously.

1. They confirm the name of the caller, and the company we are calling from. They then call our main number and asked to be transferred to the original caller (Never ask for the number from the caller. Always call a companies listed phone number as listed on their website)

2. Using Caller ID. If the number calling is the number of the business the caller is claiming to be from, it’s a fair indicator the caller is legitimate

3. They request the caller’s email address to confirm the domain name is correct, and send an email expecting reply. (Note, if the domain name is not exactly the same as the website address, something sounds off)

4. They request the caller get someone from the callers company who is known to them to confirm the identity. This can be as simple as requesting they send an email to confirm the caller’s identity

While there are plenty of other ways to confirm the identity of a caller, these seem to be the most common.

We recommend that you always confirm the identity of a caller you don’t know, particularly when that caller is requesting access to your software and systems.

Have concerns that an illegitimate entity has called you or has access to your information? Feel free to reach out to us on (02) 9146 6339 or email us enquiries@servicescaler.com for assistance.

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