Authorities in western Iowa and Nebraska are repeating a warning issued earlier, about phone scams involving so-called Microsoft technicians. The Fremont County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office says it’s received several reports from citizens about calls from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Tech Support. The caller asked for the potential victims’ account information, but none of the persons receiving those calls complied with the request.

Authorities say if you give the caller your personal information, they can access remotely your information on the computer, including passwords and banking information. The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office Tuesday, also issued and alert to citizens about the same scam. A.G. John Bruning said his office had received six complaints over the past 30-days about Microsoft Technician phone scammers.

The scam works when someone posing as a Microsoft or other legitimate support group (Such as Dell, McAfee or Norton) claim an imminent security threat exists on your computer. Callers may directed the consumer to the utility areas of their computers (such as the system log), to demonstrate how the computer is “Infected.” They will then request to “verify” your information so they can help correct the problem. They sometimes also offer software for downloading to update your current system. The unknowing consumer may then be routed to a dummy website which allows scammers to remotely access your computer, and gain access to your accounts.