jhoak
Super Member
Friday night I got a call from a friend of mine telling me that he was having some computer "issues". I talked to him the next day and got the story...
He had received a phone call from the "Microsoft Support Group". At least that's what his caller-ID displayed. He said the caller sounded legitimate and directed him to a web site. Near as I can tell from there they were able to install a remote access app and basically hijacked his PC. The next thing he knew EVERYTHING on his PC, every application, every file, and every menu was password protected. They're answer was cough up nearly $400 and you can have your computer back. He did the right thing and hung up the phone and pulled the plug on the PC.
Yea... I know... He did something pretty freaking dumb but it shows just how convincing these con artists can be. He's a fairly clever guy but "Joe Average" when it comes to computer skills. If he can get suckered in by this scam then so can many if not most folks out there.
I'll be looking at his PC in a few days. Depending on how well this hijack is written (I've seen a BUNCH of them) I may or may not be able to recover his data or OS. My guess (without seeing it) is that it's toast and he's looking at an OS reinstall and a total data loss. I've been watching this type of hijack (known as ransom ware) become more and more sophisticated over the last few years.
SO... Here's the straight poop on phone calls from the "Microsoft Support Group" or ANY like call. Microsoft will NEVER call you for any reason unless you call them first and request a callback. If your phone rings and the caller-ID displays anything of the like you have exactly two options (1) Ignore the call or (2) Answer and unleash and endless stream of obscenities and continue until they hang up on you. I've never received one of these calls but if I ever do I'll opt for number 2.
Tell your friends. Tell your family. This is some serious SH!T and people are being scammed out of real $$ just because they're not very computer savvy.
P.S. I've been actively using PCs for more than 30 years either as a hobbyist or for a living. For the last 20+ years as an IT professional. I have a full alphabet of "letters" behind my name on my business cards. Lately all of those certs and a dollar will buy me a bad cup of coffee at the local 7-11 on a good day. I've been doing this for a while. I haven't seen it "all" but I've sure seen most of it.
He had received a phone call from the "Microsoft Support Group". At least that's what his caller-ID displayed. He said the caller sounded legitimate and directed him to a web site. Near as I can tell from there they were able to install a remote access app and basically hijacked his PC. The next thing he knew EVERYTHING on his PC, every application, every file, and every menu was password protected. They're answer was cough up nearly $400 and you can have your computer back. He did the right thing and hung up the phone and pulled the plug on the PC.
Yea... I know... He did something pretty freaking dumb but it shows just how convincing these con artists can be. He's a fairly clever guy but "Joe Average" when it comes to computer skills. If he can get suckered in by this scam then so can many if not most folks out there.
I'll be looking at his PC in a few days. Depending on how well this hijack is written (I've seen a BUNCH of them) I may or may not be able to recover his data or OS. My guess (without seeing it) is that it's toast and he's looking at an OS reinstall and a total data loss. I've been watching this type of hijack (known as ransom ware) become more and more sophisticated over the last few years.
SO... Here's the straight poop on phone calls from the "Microsoft Support Group" or ANY like call. Microsoft will NEVER call you for any reason unless you call them first and request a callback. If your phone rings and the caller-ID displays anything of the like you have exactly two options (1) Ignore the call or (2) Answer and unleash and endless stream of obscenities and continue until they hang up on you. I've never received one of these calls but if I ever do I'll opt for number 2.
Tell your friends. Tell your family. This is some serious SH!T and people are being scammed out of real $$ just because they're not very computer savvy.
P.S. I've been actively using PCs for more than 30 years either as a hobbyist or for a living. For the last 20+ years as an IT professional. I have a full alphabet of "letters" behind my name on my business cards. Lately all of those certs and a dollar will buy me a bad cup of coffee at the local 7-11 on a good day. I've been doing this for a while. I haven't seen it "all" but I've sure seen most of it.
