a ®eMark from eMark ™
Never will Microsoft, Apple, Comcast, Cox, Charter, gas, electric, Social Security, FBI, or CIA ever call you!
I’m sure most reading this already knew that, but I am writing to warn you of the peril you did not see coming. Almost everyone cares for an older family member or friend, that is prey for those disgusting lowlifes!
Yeah, I know! I have warned my friends and family all about this. Not an issue. Yep! That’s exactly what I thought until this morning. I got a call. ‘Hello?, Hey Ryan. Your Mom did what! Called a number on the screen? They said they were Microsoft and wanted a lot of money by using gift cards?
Then she got another call saying they were her bank calling. The bank said in order to catch the bad guys, just go ahead a pay them the $8000! The bank said they would reimburse her. She was told to ‘go to Target and get sixteen $500 gift cards’???
She went to 6 different places and at each she denied that she was caught up in a scam?’ Each store asked more than once, suspecting something was wrong?
‘So, she brought home all sixteen $500 gift cards and scratched them off, and read the numbers to the bank agent? So, the funds could be reimbursed she gave them her bank account number, credit card number and PIN and CVC code??
So, now your Mom calls you, thinking something may not be right?? And now you would like me to clean all malware, and forensically examine her computer to discover what else they may have stolen?’
I was able to see the browser history and show how they used log-me-in rescue to remote in, to go into her email, bank account, retirement account, Amazon and purchase a $500 GoPro camera, and use ‘forgot password’ to reset her bank web account, able to get the code through her email. They tried to transfer her money out but couldn’t figure out how to use Zelle! She was simply ‘filleted like fish’!
I found she had Malwarebytes Premium and the ‘vermin’ were blocked future access, after they left, but there is unfortunately, no way for Malwarebytes to stop her from inviting the scammers in and volunteering all of her information!
Ryan went on to say, ‘I have told her never take calls from anyone about your computer unless it is eMark or me! She didn’t “take’ the call…
She made the call! We just didn’t see that one coming!’
My forensic examination showed she stumbled on a website that locks you into a webpage and blasts you with warnings that ‘you are infected’ and if you do anything but call this number immediately, you will lose all your pictures, music, and documents,!
The truth is, if you just turn off the sound, hold shift, control and escape, then let go of all three keys, then right-click on the browser you were using, (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc..) and choose ‘end task’ (from the context menu shown), it will all go back to ‘nasty-land’.
Your computer will be alive and well, with no infections, no need to crash out of Windows, reboot, panic, or call anyone!
But if you don’t teach your elderly friends this one, easy trick, they may be out $8000 bucks and all their life’s memories!
‘nuff said
respectful comments are always welcome.