I Need Help! Computer Scam/Hack!

[davefan66]

2 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

Ironic that you mention LifeLock for it is owned by same company as Norton and may have common people working for it.  

 

I had Norton was preinstalled on computer at my house and it was hacked and the diagnosis determined it was the Norton anti-virus was what allowed the hack to occur.  The hacker knew how Norton worked so well and its holes that might have worked for company.  Fortunately it was a computer without any bank accounts  or any other sensitive information. Computer was wiped, reinstalled using CDs (back when computers came with CDs and the did not expect you to make a CD set) and Norton software immediately deleted.  Issue did not reoccur.

 

Lifelock was same company which I was offered a free one year subscription when my information was hacked at government computer and I turned it down.

Always hated Norton antivirus. Absolute resource hog in the day.  Preferred McAfee years ago, Avast. Liked Bitdefender when I first got it, got a virus on my Mac with it (wife and her goofy games).  Avast started out pretty good and then became more difficult to keep up to date, slowed my computer a bit.
 

Hate to say.  I’m back to Norton. Still not a fan of it.  It was one of the top rated when I got it a few years ago. A little slow, but not as bad as it used to be.  VPN is pretty easy to use, unlike NordVPN.
 

The issue you had with Norton and wondering if it was someone who worked on it is why I won’t use Kaspersky.  Rumored to be a “Trojan horse” type of program.  Probably not, just didn’t want to deal with it.

 

As for LifeLock, never had an issue to need to use it’s features.  I get notified every time we apply for an account.

[Einstein]

2 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I believe you once said you’re not good at reading the room. Do you understand nuance? Maybe read what you just posted to the OP. It could be read like “so now we know who the idiot is.”  I don’t think you meant it that way, but there should be no doubt. Saying sorry after that doesn’t clear the taste. 

 

I don’t mean this in a negative way, it’s just an observation. It’s not always WHAT you say, but more HOW you say it. It makes a big difference. 

 

And some things you just think 😋

 

You’re right. Thanks.

I’m still learning how to do this.

1 hour ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

He is Einstein, and brilliant geniuses are usually socially inept.

Way to go Einstein! Smooth as a burlap sack. 

 

It’s the neurodivergency.

[Punching Bag]

54 minutes ago, davefan66 said:

Always hated Norton antivirus. Absolute resource hog in the day.  Preferred McAfee years ago, Avast. Liked Bitdefender when I first got it, got a virus on my Mac with it (wife and her goofy games).  Avast started out pretty good and then became more difficult to keep up to date, slowed my computer a bit.
 

Hate to say.  I’m back to Norton. Still not a fan of it.  It was one of the top rated when I got it a few years ago. A little slow, but not as bad as it used to be.  VPN is pretty easy to use, unlike NordVPN.
 

The issue you had with Norton and wondering if it was someone who worked on it is why I won’t use Kaspersky.  Rumored to be a “Trojan horse” type of program.  Probably not, just didn’t want to deal with it.

 

As for LifeLock, never had an issue to need to use it’s features.  I get notified every time we apply for an account.

 

Whenever I sign up for a new service questionable I do something to distinguish it. Use a different City with correct zip code since post office uses zip code first, add something like Apt 3B to address, used desk phone of other desk in my cubicle unoccupied,  even spelled my name wrong and see what happens.  For Microsoft Hotmail almost immediately I had multiple junk calls and mail addressed to me with misspelled name.  Never used email after that.

[Just Jack]

I’m gonna agree with Einstein.  This scam ranks right up there with “your grandchild is in jail and needs iTunes gift cards for bail” and “we’re calling about your car extended warranty”.   Yet people still fall for these every day.  
 

https://fightcybercrime.org/scams/imposter/tech-support-scams/

[Big Turk]

On 3/23/2023 at 8:02 PM, Wacka said:

Mark, you live in Silicon Va;;ey and should have known better and switched to a Mac years ago😀.  Go to the spaceship (Mac HQ for those who don't live there) and buy one. I have used a Mac since 1985 and have had only one virus in almost 40 years.  That one was via an acoustic modem ( where you dialed up and put the phone handset in the modem cradle  after the screeching started).All it did was change the file type on one file to a .doc.

 

That's because nobody bothers creating viruses for Mac's since the overwhelming majority of computers are PC based.

 

There is nothing inherent about Mac's that protect them other than lack of interest from people who create viruses.

 

In the grand scheme of things Mac's are irrelevant.

Edited March 26, 2023 by Big Turk

[Augie]

4 hours ago, Just Jack said:

I’m gonna agree with Einstein.  This scam ranks right up there with “your grandchild is in jail and needs iTunes gift cards for bail” and “we’re calling about your car extended warranty”.   Yet people still fall for these every day.  
 

https://fightcybercrime.org/scams/imposter/tech-support-scams/

 

They exist because they do work at times, there is no doubt about that. Some are actually quite clever. I’m not sure how they know my 95 year old mother is such an easy mark, but they are ALL OVER her. We’ve taken away the bank accounts and credit cards, but the calls and emails are hard to stop. 

 

This is not just your typical Nigerian Prince stuff. This is his much smarter and better looking cousin. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

27 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

They exist because they do work at times, there is no doubt about that. Some are actually quite clever. I’m not sure how they know my 95 year old mother is such an easy mark, but they are ALL OVER her. We’ve taken away the bank accounts and credit cards, but the calls and emails are hard to stop. 

 

This is not just your typical Nigerian Prince stuff. This is his much smarter and better looking cousin. 

Getting tricky with emails. I never click on a link directly in an email. I will cut and paste it into a browser, but USUALLY never a hyperlink. 

 

Same with a text.  TRICKY, because some of these scams try to get you to inadvertently answer a question.

 

Just don't push the: "Alcatraz Ascot!"

😆

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by ExiledInIllinois

[ExiledInIllinois]

Then there's the red button... NEVER PRESS THE WED BUTTON!

 

"Elmer Fudd:
Say, I wonder what that wed button is for?

[he pushes the red button on the panel that says For Tidal Waves Only, the house raises into sky, Daffy Duck arrives in a helicopter]

Daffy Duck:
For a small price, I can install this little blue button to get you down."

[Just Jack]

4 hours ago, Augie said:

This is not just your typical Nigerian Prince stuff. This is his much smarter and better looking cousin. 

 

Not really, Steve from Microsoft isn't going to call out of the blue and tell you that your computer has a virus.  It's been reported for years to ignore those calls.  Or if you've got the time, to play along with them to keep them from calling others. 

 

 

4 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Getting tricky with emails. I never click on a link directly in an email. I will cut and paste it into a browser, but USUALLY never a hyperlink. 

 

 

When I get an email from Amaz0nord3rs about my delayed order, I usually hover over the email address to see if it's from 345hweqr@amazon.ffruiwe34.com

 

[Wacka]

5 hours ago, Augie said:

 

They exist because they do work at times, there is no doubt about that. Some are actually quite clever. I’m not sure how they know my 95 year old mother is such an easy mark, but they are ALL OVER her. We’ve taken away the bank accounts and credit cards, but the calls and emails are hard to stop. 

 

This is not just your typical Nigerian Prince stuff. This is his much smarter and better looking cousin. 

The mail ones don't even stop with death. My mom died 18 months ago. we sold the house this September. Any mail to her gets forwarded to my new address. Get  ones from AAA (stopped driving in 2013). One for car warranty, and one for selling your house months AFTER we closed on the sale.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Wacka

[Just Jack]

34 minutes ago, Wacka said:

The mail ones don't even stop with death. My mom died 18 months ago. we sold the house this September. Any mail to her gets forwarded to my new address. Get  ones from AAA (stopped driving in 2013). One for car warranty, and one for selling your house months AFTER we closed on the sale.

 

We get credit card offers for the previous owner of our house who passed away about 5 years ago.  Usually just toss them, but sometimes I'll fill them in, and send them back, wondering what they'll do when they see occupation as dead and income of $0. 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Mark, I can help but I need to install a program on your computer and need to get all your credit card info and SS#... let's not forget your bank account info for good measure

 

Never give anybody your info or access to your computer!!!

Edited March 27, 2023 by Sherlock Holmes

[Punching Bag]

Had online sales/scammer on line for almost an hour on extended warranty and then on another phone I picked it up and told person to please stop chatting with my father for he is almost blind and cannot drive.  I told him I drive a company car and have no need for a warranty when he tried to switch to me.

 

The WORST ones are those who got your name and number from a list via timeshare.  Some will not accept no for an answer and repeatedly call back trying same sales pitch.

[Augie]

20 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

We get credit card offers for the previous owner of our house who passed away about 5 years ago.  Usually just toss them, but sometimes I'll fill them in, and send them back, wondering what they'll do when they see occupation as dead and income of $0. 

 

Sure, it sounds like a bad idea, but they make up for it with volume. 

 

I remember a guy years ago asking “you know, I’m 85 years old, and you just gave me a 30 year mortgage. Does that seem like a good idea to you?”  😂 

[Just Jack]

13 hours ago, Augie said:

I remember a guy years ago asking “you know, I’m 85 years old, and you just gave me a 30 year mortgage. Does that seem like a good idea to you?”  😂 

 

Did they buy the insurance to pay off the mortgage if they die? 

[BillsFan4]

You were definitely hacked. 100%. There is no way someone else would have reports on your computer being hacked. In the future, never ever even click on a link sent by someone claiming anything about your computer. Usually as soon as you click on the link it executes/installs the virus.

 

 

It sounds like they installed a Remote Desktop program on your PC. They are remotely controlling your computer. That’s why you see the blue screen. They are using your PC when you see that screen.

 

How old is the PC? Was it expensive? If it’s old and/or cheap the easiest thing to do would be to replace it and start over. Don’t transfer anything. But that’s probably not reasonable so I’d seek out the help of a professional. Depending on how good the hacker was the programs they use could be very well hidden and/or could end up on your new PC if you transfer files from old pc to new.

 

 

change all your passwords immediately. do not change the passwords from the infected computer! Otherwise the hacker will likely have your new passwords too. I would also strongly recommend turning on 2 factor authentication for everything you can. So that way in the future even if someone manages to get your password it won’t matter since they’d need your cell phone too. I use 2FA on everything. It can be a PITA sometimes but it’s worth it.

 

Personally, I would assume any info you had stored on that computer is now unsafe and take the necessary steps to correct. credit cards, bank cards, banking info, anything else you had stored on the PC. Hopefully you didn’t have your social security number stored and haven’t had to enter it recently. If you did, then I would also take the proper steps there too.

 

they also very likely installed a key logger, which records every single key stroke. So that means anything you typed into the pc since this happened has been logged.

 

You got some good advise here. I’d lock all credit cards you had stored on that pc and look into getting new ones. Definitely have your bank issue a new debit card after you change your banking passwords on a new PC. Change all passwords from a new PC and turn on 2 factor authentication. Maybe consider something like life-lock to monitor your personal info for a while until you see what this hacker got.

 

Get that PC disconnected from the internet immediately. And change the password to your WiFi.

 

When changing passwords, the more random the password the better. Don’t use any personal info in the password since the hacker probably has all that personal info now. Just make up random number and letter sequences or use a password generator program.

[BillsFan4]

Also, in the future I would not click on any links sent to you. Just assume it’s someone trying to get your info.

 

I assume every unknown link sent to me is a virus. Most of the time I just ignore any link sent to me on phone, PC, etc. But if it’s something I need to open, the Very first thing I do before even thinking of clicking on a link or downloading any program is right click on the link, copy it then go to virustotal.com and paste it in and run a virus check. It will run the file or URL through 60-90 different antivirus and malware programs.

 

https://www.virustotal.com/   (you can even run this link thru virustotal before opening it if you want…lol. But It’s just the link to the site). 

 

also, any time I download a program I go to virustotal and check the downloaded file before I open it. I do this even after I have run the link to the file, just to be safe. This won’t help you now, but could in the future.

 

 

I would recommend changing these settings too.

 

-Open File Explorer from the taskbar.

-Select View > Options > Change folder and search options.

-Select the View tab and, in Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives and then hit OK.

 

 

Also, for the future I would change this setting too:

 

 

To Show File Extensions in Windows 11/10 via File Explorer Options, follow these steps:

 

Open Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization.

Now, click on Folder Options or File Explorer Option, as it is now called

Select the View tab.

In this tab, under Advanced Settings, you will see the option Hide extensions for known file types.

Uncheck this option

Click on Apply and OK.

 

Windows by default will hide known file extensions but this isn’t a good thing IMO.

It could allow a hacker to hide a .exe file (executable) as a simple .pdf. 

Then if you ever see an executable file that should be a pdf or something similar, don’t click on it because as soon as you do it will execute whatever program it is they are trying to install.

 

Some info on file extensions and what to watch out for:

 

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-file-extension-2625879

Edited March 28, 2023 by BillsFan4

[Augie]

3 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

Did they buy the insurance to pay off the mortgage if they die? 

 

It just goes into the estate. You can’t discriminate based upon age. That credit life insurance is just for shorter term consumer loans. 

 

I did a car loan for a little old lady one time. A week later her car is shown in the local newspaper half inside a retail shop. She got in the car and put it in drive instead of reverse, then hit the gas. I only want to get so old. 

[Beck Water]

On 3/26/2023 at 8:11 PM, Just Jack said:

 

Not really, Steve from Microsoft isn't going to call out of the blue and tell you that your computer has a virus.  It's been reported for years to ignore those calls.  Or if you've got the time, to play along with them to keep them from calling others. 

 

 

 

When I get an email from Amaz0nord3rs about my delayed order, I usually hover over the email address to see if it's from 345hweqr@amazon.ffruiwe34.com

 

 

So there’s an interesting tale here.

 

As you say…Steve from Microsoft is not gonna call and tell you your computer has a virus.  But it’s not always that easy.

 

Are you familiar with Jim Browning?  That’s the alias of a UK software engineer who started scam baiting and exposing fraudulent call centers after a relative of his was scammed.  He uploads the scambaiting and the info he gathers to a Youtube channel, since 2014.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Browning_(YouTuber)

 

All very well and good - but in 2021, he was scammed himself, into deleting his own Youtube channel!  He explains how he was had.

 

The point being, even an expert who is savvy to the tactics employed can get played himself, given the correct approach.

[Beck Water]

On 3/26/2023 at 8:21 PM, Wacka said:

The mail ones don't even stop with death. My mom died 18 months ago. we sold the house this September. Any mail to her gets forwarded to my new address. Get  ones from AAA (stopped driving in 2013). One for car warranty, and one for selling your house months AFTER we closed on the sale.

 

I’m sorry about the loss of your mom.

 

I’ve heard there’s some way to stop or cut down junk mail; does anyone know what that is?