computer shop fraud

Man Arrested After Sky News Laptop Probe

1:14pm UK, Tuesday October 27, 2009

Tom Rayner, Home Affairs Producer
A man has been arrested on suspicion of fraud and computer misuse following a Sky News investigation into laptop repair scams.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Fraud Squad detained a 28-year-old man at a computer repair shop in West London.

The Sky News investigation used surveillance software loaded onto a brand-new laptop to see whether engineers would misdiagnose a simple fault created by a Sky Engineer.

Six different computer repair shops were targeted during the three-month inquiry.

All but one misdiagnosed or overcharged for the fault.

Some computer repair shops illegally accessed personal data on customers' hard drives - and even tried to hack into their bank accounts.

However, the shop which appeared to be the most serious offender was Revival Computers in Hammersmith.

Sky engineer prepares for undercover investigation

Sky engineer preparing the laptop

Surveillance recordings in the shop appeared to show a technician browsing personal photographs and passwords and copying them across to a portable memory stick.

Sky News passed on the findings of its investigation to the Metropolitan Police and the Trading Standards Institute in July of this year.

An investigator from the Trading Standards Institute said he was "shocked" by the findings.

The man has not been charged with any offence, and has been bailed to return to Notting Hill police station on November 25.


just shows how we have to be careful when leaving computers in to be repaired.

taken from sky news site

Good info wheelo, can never know what the local computer repair shop might be up to on your machine whilst your not there.

I do this for a living and we aint all crooked dudes

i would never dream of accesing others bank accounts etc