We think she has been scammed...

I got a call at work today from my sister. Our mom had called her to tell her what was going on. Sis told her to pull the plug on her internet connections and call her bank and tell them what had gone on.

So C.W. and anyone else that may know better then us, this is what went on.

This morning mom goes to check her emails. There is a message that has blocked her account because there was someone trying to get into her account. She followed the help links to this page

http://www.windowslivehelp.com/solution.aspx?solutionid=f172cbee-3c73-4506-8a1d-4e6e82adb846

then decided she didn't have time to continue because she had an appointment. So she turned it off thinking she would check it out later.

When she got home later she got a phone call from someone stating they were from, and this is where she gets a bit confused, she's not sure if they said they where from Microsoft or from Windows Live. Either way she ended up buying something that will "fix her computer and make it faster".

This is what she bought...she printed the reciept.

http://www.mercaway.com/computers-s...m_listing&p=&id=229&main_id=229&s=i&ss=silver

The money has been taken out of her account, I'm not sure it she used Visa/MC or debit.

Whatever they were doing, she could see them opening things on her computer and that is when she called my sister. All together she had been on the phone with them for about an hour.

Sis called me I told her to get the bank on it, so now all her cards have been stopped, all her passwords have been changed and she going tomorrow to have her computer cleaned out.

This was some kind of scam wasn't it? :confused:

 

Dang Fannie, I am afraid to open the likes ytou provided ... might get my savings account cleaned out. Enter the names of the product/company in google .... see if snopes or one of those comes up . Let us know what happens ok.

Most legit companys dont provide a link when they try to contact you for info and never ask for bank info, passwords, etc

 

I did google Mercaway.com. The other link is from my hotmail account.

 

It doesnt look credible

http://www.scambook.com/report/view...(Paris-France)-Other-for-131.00-on-08-20-2011

 

She has been Ghosted. I have a buddy who can hack into a persons computer at random and can snoop around and access anything they have on their computer or any internet history they have done. I used to use AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ, one day my messenger popped up and started sending me messages. i was freaking out with chills down my spine. I asked who it was and they replied dont worry about it and started telling me things on my computer and some of the recent sites i had been on. Then he tells me it was a friend of mine so I jumped in my car and went to his house. I had him show me, so I knew it really was him. He then showed me that he could hack into the Dept of Motor Vehicles and then changed one number on my license plate in the syetem and then changed it back.

He said, remove AOL and ICQ messengers, they are the easiest to gain access to a computer for anyone wanting the easiest access. Then he gave me firewall software and a few other things that helped protect my computer.

The main thing you NEVER do, DO NOT click any links from any email or from any messages of people you do not know or trust. I will not even open a email unless I know who it is from, just opening it to view it can open a doorway to anyone Phishing or SPAM'ers!

 

We got one of those calls.
Microsoft does not place cold calls.
"hello this is microsoft calling...."

 

um....I clicked on fannie's link.

No doubt. A scam.

 

So is it a coincidence that her email had been blocked or were they able to do that to persaud her to buy their securtiy junk?
I can here her moving about up there, she's getting ready to take her laptop in to be cleaned out.
Thanks for checking this out guys.

 

Yep, this has become an increasingly common scam. Sorry your Mom got hit, Fannie. There has always been an element that prey on those possessing only basic computer skills but now that computer skills have become more common it's getting much, much worse.

A good rule of thumb is never to follow any links in an email if there is even the slightest doubt about where it may have come from. Phone calls from Microsoft will never happen unless you've contacted them and they are being paid to return your call.

All currently supported Windows operating systems should be updated regularly to ensure vulnerabilities get corrected wherever possible. Most PCs have automatic updating enabled by default but it is set to run at 3:00AM after the computer has been shut down for the night. If you don't leave your computer running 24/7, make sure that it gets left on overnight at least once per week to obtain updates or run the manual updated regularly. For every person on the 'Net who can tell you a story about a Windows update that did harm to their computer there are thousands whose computers have been compromised because they didn't have a recent update. Most aren't even aware that their computer is no longer entirely under their control.

I would suggest investing in a new network router with a tougher firewall. That will seal up many of the ports that get used for remote access at the gateway level and reduce the likelihood that something installed on the computer can pose a risk. The Windows firewall is somewhat less than impressive. A quick trip over to the Gibson Research Internet Security Detection System will point out any vulnerabilities in your current setup and help get you closer to being "invisible" on the 'Net. https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2


While they can be slightly intrusive, a third party software firewall like ZoneAlarm can go a long way towards giving warnings when odd stuff starts happening. It works almost like a network intrusion detection system for your PC and pops up a warning every time something that you haven't approved tries to connect into or from your computer.

Fannie, feel free to PM me if I can be of any help. I've been in the security industry for over 20 years and have specialized in network security for the last 10. There's no such thing as a computer security expert, in my opinion, as the field changes extremely fast but I can at least offer decent advice based upon my experiences.

 

She needs to learn how to distinguish scam emails from the real stuff and NOT OPEN THEM!
Most unsolicited email is tempting to open but they have viruses.
If you do not recognize the sender it's likely a fake.

 

Here's an update. Mom took her laptop in to have it checked out by the real professionals. He told her that he felt he could remove what had been installed without touching anything else. Apparently they have had alot of practise lately.
She also made the rounds to her banks. All her passwords and in some cases, the cards where changed. She did loose $130.00 for their so called product, that bank said they may be able to track once it posted, but no ones holding their breathe for that. Both banks reassured her that all her finances are intack, no harm done. She is difinetly very lucky.

Thanks again guys for all your support and suggestions. C.W. I'll check out your link. I've said before, but I'll say it again you guys are awesome...

 

Actually she never got into her email account it had been blocked by Windowslive(Hotmail)...apparently, this is a grey area.
The problem began with the phone call. They directed her to follow the prompts, starting with the Windowslive Help Desk. A few quick questions from them and they had access to her computer and they were able to convience her to buy their security program. All the while she believed she was talking to Windows staff. It was all very believable.
But, your right we have to be careful opening emails.

 

Yesterday I got a call from someone who claimed to be from "Microsoft service and support headquarters" I told them that I run a mac and don't need their help and hung up...Put their number into http://www.tellows.com and it says that it's scam.
You only have to insert the phone number and they show you a score of it, comments and where they're calling from

 

Cool!