Issue 40.15
I just finished fixing a computer that fell victim to a scam we have talked about in these articles a couple of times. That of allowing someone you don’t know access to your computer.
In this case, the computer had been running a little slower than usual and there had been notices of upgrades from Microsoft and the Anti-Virus maker that had been ignored by the owner. Then came the phone call.
A person with a foreign accent (though this is not always the case) called and indicated that they were from Microsoft and had noticed that the person’s computer was not working correctly. They would be happy to diagnose the problem for free if the user would let them access the computer remotely. My first question is, “how do they know your computer has a problem if they need your help to access your computer?” The second question is “Why would anyone believe that Microsoft cares if your computer works well or not? If you try to even find a phone number to get their help, there is nothing available and if you do find a number, they are almost always completely unhelpful.”
Those questions aside, this is ALWAYS a scam. They do not know if you even have a computer (a number of people I know that do not have computers have received these calls). The only reason they call you is to create problems in your computer which they then tell you they can solve for $200-$400. If you give them the money they may or may not reverse the problems they have caused (usually not) but they will take your money and disappear and when you try to get the money back from most credit card companies, they will tell you that you authorized it and the company is not a US company so they can’t do anything for you.
In the computer I worked on, the scammers had installed a back-door into the computer so they could get in whenever they want and had changed the user password so the owner could not even boot up all the way. Luckily they did not encrypt the hard drive or destroy its contents as has happened to a few people. If those people don’t have a backup of their important information, pictures, etc., there is not much we can do for them. It was a complicated process to get into the computer, create new passwords and correct the damage that was done, but I was successful in this instance. It doesn’t always go that way.
Remember the rule of thumb. If you didn’t ask for it, you don’t want it. Call your local tech that you trust and don’t let anyone that you don’t know have ANY access to your computer for ANY reason – and make sure you always have a backup of anything important.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 33 years, 26 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently works as a computer consultant. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.