There are different figures on this subject but it is estimated that these types of scams cost US consumers between $8-10 BILLION each year. We need to do something with this. The only solution to this is simply the education of users like yourself. I’m using different web pages because there is a lot of information to put out here. It is a pretty broad subject. These pages will cover malware, computer scams such as the fake Microsoft popups, scam emails and scam texts. Right now I’ve got most of my info out there.
What I am finding is that there are few real virus type issues these days. Larger companies and various entities are getting hit with a lot of ransomware. With ransomware hackers lock down networks and assets until someone pays them the ransom fee to unlock them. I don’t run into near as much virus activity as I do the general phishing and other computer scams. The anti-virus companies have done a pretty good job keeping viruses at bay. What I am finding is that the biggest problems are occurring with the fake Microsoft popups, scam emails and scam texts. In most cases 99.9% are not a problem because they are simply fake and do nothing. The real problem occurs when you call these 800 numbers and let these scammers access your computer. If you follow the advice below you will just about never have any problems.
*******ABSOLUTELY DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE CALL THESE 1-800 NUMBERS AND ALLOW A PERSON THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW TO ACCESS YOUR COMPUTER WITH REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE********
I recently had an experience with a customer that had allowed someone to access her computer with remote software and it was a game changer for me. I had never encountered this before. In all cases I had dealt with previously it was simply a matter of removing the remote access software that the scammer had installed and the problem is solved. I check the computer out and the customer was in the clear. This time I noticed that two pieces of software had been installed. I removed both of them. We then proceeded to log into the affected account that was used for the scam to make sure no personal info had changed. I’m sitting there looking at the screen and the mouse moves a little. I moved it back and continued to check her info. Next thing I know the scammer moved it again and then a blue screen with “Software Updating” popped up to cover the entire screen. I immediately hit the power button and shut it down. I started it back up and went back into that account. Next thing I know the scammer logs us out of that and opens a new tab to go to Home Depot. He was going to buy gift cards. I shut it down again. I told the customer that we would have to reinstall Windows on that computer. I wiped it clean and reinstalled Windows. I did find that there were malicious files that had stayed in the computer in the hidden folders. This is a game changer. If you aren’t careful they can put this software on there and if you leave the computer on and walk away they can do whatever they want. DO NOT LET PEOPLE ON YOUR COMPUTER THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY!
I’m going to put up a number of web pages on my site here to cover what some of these tactics look like, how to avoid them and what to do if you get stuck in them. You will see actual examples of each so that you will be able to recognize them when they occur.
This is important to know! No amount of spending money on software or maintenance plans will stop this from happening. Nothing can stop you from having this problem except you.
These scammers thrive mainly on two things. That is shock and coincidences. They will use your emotion and fears against you. The shock of seeing that you’ve been charged several hundred dollars that you did not spend tends to make you react to that message. When I say coincidences I mean that you will get all kinds of emails and texts that you think are from retailers, financial institutions, etc. that you work with so you will think that it just has to be real. So many of these texts and emails are not real. They are what we call phishing scams. They are just playing on that coincidence that you bank and buy from these companies to get you to call them. The scam and the problems start when you call them.
A good example of a scammer using a coincidence is this. Last year in July, Apple was shutting down a feature in the photo app called Photo Stream. They said that you need to make sure that you are backing up your photos in iCloud and to have that turned on. The very day after Photo Stream was turned off the scammers were busy sending out scam emails to everybody and his brother saying that their iCloud was full. They played on that timing of shutting down Photo Stream to fake people into believing that their iCloud storage was full and they were going to lose a bunch of photos because of it. I can promise you that these scammers made a lot of money selling iCloud upgrades that did not actually exist.
The other factor they use is shock. Anybody will be a bit shocked or raise an eyebrow when they see an email with a subject with something to the effect of “Your $2,500 Amazon order has shipped.” Just take a deep breath! It’s normally fake.
On the coming web pages I will outline more on these types of scams. I’m just putting out some preliminary information.
*****IMPORTANT INFORMATION BELOW******
What should you do when you get an alarming popup, email message or text? Just stop right there and take a deep breath. DO NOT grab the phone and start calling these fake numbers or answering these emails. I hear over and over from victims of these scams that it sounded so real. One of the best things you can do is just call your local computer repair shop and talk to someone that can answer your questions and talk you through this. It should cost you nothing to make a phone call. As I said, 99% of this stuff is just harmless junk. You endanger your financial well being when you call these people. I have worked with people that have lost $30,000 to these kinds of scammers. Don’t cause yourself a problem when there isn’t one.