A financial watchdog has warned Scots that cyber-criminals have found a way to take advantage of the rise in screen-sharing to scam people.
According to the Financial Conduct Authority, fraudsters have been requesting access to people's computers to get hold of their personal details, such as the logins to online banking.
The surge in this new cyber attack comes as more people rely on video-conferencing and remote platforms for work as well as online socialising.
This has made screen-sharing more common, so people may not be as surprised by the request as they would have before remote working.
Colin Mathieson, spokesman for Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national consumeradvice.scot service, said: “Unfortunately, we have seen throughout the pandemic that fraudsters will seem to exploit the public health crisis at any opportunity to gain personal information and bank details.
“Previous scams have included attempts to target the contact-tracing programme and the vaccination rollout, as well as the sale of counterfeit PPE.
“This warning from the FCA shows that scammers are now targeting the increase in online meetings brought about by a shift towards remote and hybrid working.
“We urge all Scots to remain scam aware, and to think very carefully before clicking links from unknown parties.
“If you think a message, email or screen-sharing request doesn’t seem right, then it probably isn’t.”
If you receive a screen sharing request that doesn't look right - or a text, email, or social media message that looks like a scam - you can report it to Ofcom.
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