And, it’s also a chance to learn about how to avoid being conned out of hundreds of dollars and having your computer hacked by phone calls and emails from unscrupulous crooks.

Need a Nerd? manager Adam Soar said about 10 people a week came into the Lords Place store with disabled or infected computers after becoming victims of scams.

“It’s really bad in Orange to be honest,” he said.

“Most of them are by phone calls.”

He said cold callers conned people into giving them remote access to their computer, then infected the device with programs that took control of the computer before threatening the owner with having to pay up to get their device fixed or unlocked.

“It’s the same as walking down the street pulling a knife on someone,” he said.

Mr Soar said it took his firm up to a week to clean the dangerous programs off the infected computers.

He said the scammers usually demanded several hundred dollars from their victims.

“The worst one [in Orange] was a man with dementia, he lost his life savings,” he said.

Mr Soar said scammers often pretended to be from major companies but he said major companies did not cold call people seeking money.

“If you don’t know who it is, just hang up,” he said.

He said there were dangers in giving your personal details to people you don’t know over the phone.

“Who’s on the other side seeing all that data you are putting in there?” he said.

Need a Nerd? will have a stand at the Orange Function Centre during the expo.

Mr Soar said his scam-advice talk would be at 11am on Saturday and 11.30am on Sunday.

About 2500 people are expected to attend the expo at James Sheahan Catholic High School on Friday 10am-2pm and Saturday 9am-3pm and at the function centre on Saturday 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-3.30pm.

There will be about 40 exhibitors covering the home, business, education, agriculture and automotive industries.

Go to www.regionaltechexpo.com.au for more information.