scam

Infopackets Reader "AJ" writes: " Dear Dennis, After having a conversation with Microsoft tech support yesterday, I realized that I was scammed. I took necessary steps to cancel credit card. I do not do business on my machine - just communication ... with friends, etc. I do see that the techs that took my money have done some work on my computer and it seems to run a lot better. Question: is it still harmful to leave my computer as-is, or should I hire another tech to clean my machine again? The people that took my money also gave me their phone numbers so that I can be in contact with them at ... (view more)

A newly-publicized take on a long-running scam involves on-screen messages that falsely appear to be from a user's Internet service provider. It's a trick with a variety of ways to profit from the customer. For many years, scammers have been calling ... people on the telephone claiming to work for Microsoft or other computer companies, saying the person receiving the call has a virus. The scammer will then usually try to get the victim to pay for bogus tech support services. While most people realize it's a scam, the idea is to call enough people so that even a small percentage of ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Robert C. writes: " Dear Dennis, The other day I received a warning that 'Your Avast! Firewall has been breached and a Trojan Horse is infecting your computer. Call 1-888-698-3247.' I'm a computer novice and I panicked. The ... warning seemed to appear as part of the operating system, and not the browser. I say this because the warning appeared on the screen, with a voice screaming at me, and I had no idea how to stop it. I held down the power button to force the computer to shut down. I waited three minutes, then powered back up ... but it went right back to the warning and ... (view more)

Have you ever received a suspicious phone call from someone claiming to work for Microsoft's technical support department ? Late last week Microsoft announced that it had sued two technical support companies alleged to have infringed on several ... Microsoft trademarks. According to the firm, these companies called people at home offering support for non-existent problems with the Windows operating system. Microsoft says many people were tricked by the scheme and paid the scammers money for their assistance. Scammers Claim to Represent Microsoft "Defendants have utilized the Microsoft ... (view more)

A new report suggests that hackers are using fake email orders with malicious links to fool victims into installing malware onto their machines. Security experts are therefore warning all Internet shoppers to take extra care when opening their ... emails this holiday season. According to Brian Krebs, a former Washington Post writer who covers cyber crime, the problem is becoming more and more prevalent. "If you receive an email this holiday season asking you to 'confirm' an online e-commerce order or package shipment, please resist the urge to click the included link or attachment, ... (view more)

A new form of ransomware has reportedly infected more than half a million computers in the past six months, making its creators an estimated $1 million. Ransomware is a type of malicious software (or " malware ") that takes control of a computer ... system and then holds it for ransom. In many cases, if victims do not pay the ransom, the data on the computer is encrypted and rendered unusable. The ransomware program in question is known as CryptoWall. According to Dell SecureWorks' Counter Threat Unit (CTU), CryptoWall has been spreading rapidly since late last year. In fact, in ... (view more)

Microsoft says the number of telephone scams involving fake Windows support technicians is on the rise. That means more criminals are executing schemes designed to dupe legitimate Windows users out of their hard-earned money. Most of the scams ... involve cold callers claiming to work for Microsoft. In this scenario, the victim is told that their computer is infected with some kind of damaging malware. Based on this author's experience, oftentimes the calls originate overseas - usually from India, with the caller having a thick accent. Scammers Sell One-time or Subscription-based "Solutions ... (view more)