It is of course a total con. A quick search on the web about this outfit shows they are doing this all over the world and they've been doing it for some time.
Please be aware and also let any elderly friends or relatives (who can be a bit more trusting then us younger cynics), know that they should just put the phone down if they get a call from someone saying they can fix their pc. All the callers have Indian accents by the way.
He has had to alert the credit card company who have told him to cut up his card and are sending him a new one so the details he had given couldn't be used.
I think my dad got off quite lightly, a number of people have been asked to download software that has given the scammers access to the victims computer with predictable results.
![Mad :x](./images/smilies/icon_mad.gif)