WEB scammers and online criminals could use your smart TV or internet-linked fridge to access your bank account, Wiltshire detectives have warned.


The popularity of so-called smart devices have boomed in recent years. Amazon’s Alexa can answer your questions, while “smart refrigerators” allow you to check with a click of your phone what is in your deep chest chiller. 
But unscrupulous criminals are adept at using the devices to cream money from unsuspecting victims and link devices together to hack businesses in what are known as denial of service attacks.
Det Insp Gemma Vinton, who leads Wiltshire Police’s digital investigations and intelligence unit, said: “We’ve got so many products now, like fridges and smart doorbells. There are things that can be done through them by criminals. 
“When you look at some of the open ports of those devices, criminals can use them to conduct denial of service attacks. 
“So, whilst it may not have a massive impact on you in terms of your fridge, it could have an impact elsewhere because your fridge is being used along with millions of others to carry out attacks.” 
Jon Lee, of the force’s fraud unit, warned that hackers could also access bank details through devices like smart TVs that have applications paid for by a regular subscription or direct debit.
DI Vinton said it was vital was to ensure your devices were kept secure, adding: “The key message for anyone who has any protected device is make sure you’ve got firewalls and anti-virus software and you update those devices as and when updates become available. 
“Companies are constantly putting out security updates and it is really vital we keep our devices up to date.” 
The digital investigations unit was set up last summer. Its establishment came after Wiltshire Police was targeted in a massive hacking attack in the wake of the Novichok nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury. 
The Devizes-based unit’s role is to help the Wiltshire force investigate cybercrime. DI Vinton said: “The internet has certainly changed the landscape in which we work and therefore policing has to evolve to be able to deal with such a connected 
world.”
This month, the unit is running a children’s competition, getting youngsters to design a game to teach others about online safety.
Those who design the best game can win themselves a Raspberry Pi 
computer.