A US court has heard that a couple conned at least $6 million from the great-grandson of an oil industry tycoon after he brought his virus-infected computer in for repair.

Although the victim’s name has not been released by the authorities, media reports have named him as jazz pianist and composer Roger Davidson, an heir of oil tycoon Conrad Schlumberger. According to reports, prosecutors in Westchester (NY), have charged 36-year-old Vickram Bedi and his girlfriend Helga Invarsdottir.

The couple are said to have tricked the composer into believing that, while investigating the virus, they had found evidence that his life was in danger – concocting a story that the virus had been tracked to a hard drive in Honduras, and that evidence had been found that the composer’s life was in danger.

“Stories don’t get much more farfetched and oddball than this, but they do underline the importance for all of us to be on guard against scams,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“Savvy computer users may be clued-up enough to dismiss such a scam, but can they honestly say that the same is true of every member of their family or social circle? Could there be an elderly or vulnerable person close to you who uses the internet, and might easily be hoodwinked by merciless scammers?”