scam

Fri
24
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Scammed by Live Network Help? Here's What to Do

Infopackets Reader Gina S. writes: " Dear Dennis, Last week, I was using my PC when suddenly a red screen appeared, stating that my 'PC ran into a problem' and to call 1-855-935-0555 to speak to Microsoft. I tried to close the window but the screen ... was locked. That's when I called the number and spoke to a person with a very thick Indian accent . I later discovered that the company name was Live Network Help ( livenetworkhelp.com ) (also known as Live IP Support / liveipsupport.com ), which was different than the phone number on the red screen virus alert. At any rate - after about 10 minutes ... (view more)

Fri
17
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Scammed by Fake PayPal Tech Support? Here's What to Do

Infopackets Reader Kathleen S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I really need your help! I have been scammed by fake PayPal technical support . Here's how it happened: beginning some time in March, 2019, I received invoices from PayPal claiming that I paid ... for some kind of technical support for my computer. I have no recollection of this, so up until now I've kept deleting the emails, thinking they were sent in error. Flash forward to January 8, 2020, and I received another message stating that if I don't pay the original invoice ($399), I'm going to be charged an additional ' $500 late fee ,' and ... (view more)

Mon
06
Jan
Dennis Faas's picture

Scammed by Easy / Net PC Expert? Here's What to Do

Infopackets Reader Jerald B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I was using my computer the other day, then all of a sudden the screen turned red and started flashing, telling me my computer was at risk and I must call 1-855-551-6777 to find out the problem. I ... was on the phone for about an hour and a half, and the people that I spoke to had a very thick Indian accent . They told me that my IP address was open to anyone who wanted to use it and I must encrypt my IP address for the price of $399.00, otherwise hackers would get into my machine. I reluctantly paid the fee and felt uneasy about it. That's ... (view more)

Mon
16
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Cannot Remove System Mechanic (Manual Uninstall)

Infopackets Reader Gina F. writes: " Dear Dennis, Over the weekend my nephew visited me and I let him use my computer. Today I went to use the PC and now I have a program called System Mechanic alerting me of 2093 errors on my PC that need to be ... fixed. I've closed the warning window, but System Mechanic keeps popping up in my face. I've also tried to 'fix' the 'errors', but then it says I need to pay to do that. Smells like a scam to me! I have tried to uninstall system mechanic via control panel, but every time I try, I get an error that it cannot remove system mechanic . I have searched ... (view more)

Thu
21
Nov
John Lister's picture

'Windows Update' by Email is Actually Ransomware

A bogus "Windows Update" distributed by email is, perhaps unsurprisingly, actually ransomware. It shouldn't fool most users but makes it a good time to remind less tech-savvy PC owners of the need to take necessary precautions. The unsolicited ... emails have a subject line of either "Critical Microsoft Windows Update!" or "Install Latest Microsoft Windows Update now!" Those who open the email will then see a message that says (complete with opening typo) "PLease install the latest critical update from Microsoft attached to this email." (Source: trustwave.com ) $500 Ransom Demand It seems a safe ... (view more)

Fri
11
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

MUST SEE Video - Indian Tech Support Scammers Infiltrated!

Dear Infopackets Readers, For the past 5+ years I've been writing articles about fake tech support scammers based in India. In fact, I just published an article about "Expert4Help" scam last week. Here's how the scam works: While browsing the ... Internet, you may suddenly receive a full screen "virus warning". The warnings appear even when browsing legitimate websites (Amazon.com, for example). The warnings are often accompanied by a computer-generated voice, which says that the computer is infected and that you must call "Microsoft support" to "fix" the "problem". These warnings are meant to be ... (view more)

Fri
04
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

Scammed by Expert4help.com? Here's What to Do

Infopackets Reader Tricia B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I stumbled across your article on PC / Web Network Experts after researching Expert4help.com scam . A few weeks ago I was using my PC when suddenly I received a popup virus alert stating that my PC ... was infected. I called 1-833-257-8555 and spoke to a man with a thick Indian accent . They then connected to my PC remotely and installed some antivirus software to 'fix' the 'problems'. They then wanted me to sign a 3 year contract with them for $898 . I told them 'No,' and that I would pay $350 for a 1 year contract. They kept insisting that I ... (view more)

Tue
10
Sep
John Lister's picture

Android User? Delete These Apps Now

Nearly half a million users have been infected with "The Joker" malware through the Google Play store. The malware is particularly nasty and works by signing users up to premium services without their knowledge. The malware, spotted by researcher ... Aleksejs Kuprins, was found in 24 apps with a combined 472,000 downloads - though more apps may be found later. As of this writing, the 24 known apps have been removed from the Google Play store. (Source: techradar.com ) Infected Apps Need to be Removed If you have any of the following apps installed on your phone, they should be removed ... (view more)

Wed
05
Jun
John Lister's picture

Windows 10 Apps Plagued by Fake Tech Support Ads

Developers have been shocked to discover their apps for the Windows Store are carrying scam advertising. They are blaming Microsoft for not properly vetting the ads it inserts into the apps. The apps in question are for Windows 10 and are part of ... the "modern Windows experience" which lets users get software from an the official Microsoft Store similar to Google Play (for Android) and Apple's App Store (for iOS devices). The only difference is that Windows also allows users to download and install programs directly from software developers. App makers who use the Windows Store have ... (view more)

Wed
01
May
John Lister's picture

Mobile Chrome Users Could Be Scammed

A tech expert has spotted a security risk in the mobile edition of Chrome. The way the exploit works means that scammers could make the browser appear to show a fake website address. This type of exploit would be particularly useful in a phishing ... scam, where hackers could develop a bogus website (such as a major banking site) to trick people into handing over personal information or passwords to sensitive data. James Fisher noted a potential problem with what's meant to be a useful measure in mobile Chrome. As the user scrolls down the page - which is much more likely to happen on a phone ... (view more)

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