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Updated over 9 years ago, 06/27/2015
Max PC Support-is this a scam?
Had a very bad experience yesterday and not being tech savvy cost me $439.
They say a sucker is born everyday but I must admit this was a great con job, if in fact this was a con.
I came home yesterday afternoon and was expecting 2 emails that required a prompt response. I talked with a glass company and asked for an invoice which I received and when I tried to print it my printer would not print it, then my computer just started acting on its own and I lost control of its functions. Next, my screen went to a message that said there is a problem with your email and you need to call this number with an error code.
When I called they said my computer was at that minute being hacked and that a worm was implanted in my email that gave them access to all my financial data and if I didn't do something immediately they would have access and I could have some liability if I didn't do something. I am thinking, hmm, scam?
They assured me they work with Microsoft all the time etc. It was weird because you can't google anybody to find out about them. I could have gone to Office Depot but they keep your computer for days and these guys said the worm was in my email so if I used another computer I would infect the other computer.
I paid them $439 and they cleaned my computer for a couple hours. It seems to function as it should.
Later I was convinced I was ripped off after reading about them on Google and another source thought that they hacked the computer themselves.
I tried to cancel payment but was told they performed a service and I would have to prove they were the ones that hacked my computer. You are my first attempt at understanding this situation. What would you do at this point?
What would you do at this point?
Not much you can do...
BUT I would buy a Mac !!!
Since Win7 & 8 I got rid of all our PC's.
Never regretted it.
Macs were harder to hack but heard the hackers are getting better. Wow, that is an interesting thought.
Just FYI, you can hack anything that's connected to the internet. Mac's aren't a free pass. In the future I would download Malwarebytes, Norton cleaner and spybot to sniff our some of these villians. That is when you have control of your computer.
Lastly, make sure your firewall is turned on whether it's a pc or mac. On a mac I would disable remote control and remote assistance. These are just some of the preventive measures any user can take on their own without spending the big bucks for a fix.
This is specifically called "Ransomware," and is when an attacker holds the use of your computer ransom until a monetary sum is paid. I know you're already out some money, but I would consider having someone that specializes in virus/spyware removal look at your computer. Simply because they have restored functionality to your computer does not mean the malicious software has been removed, and your data could still be at risk.
As for the $439, if this was paid with a credit card, you should call the bank and attempt to cancel/chargeback the payment. They may push back, but I would be insistent that you were defrauded. Having filed a report with the relevant authorities may aid your argument with the bank, but I wouldn't expect much response outside of this. FYI - computer crimes are normally handled by your local FBI office and the Secret Service.
As for the Mac vs. PC debate, that's one that has been ongoing for a long time. Macs used to have an advantage in this field, as they were less prevalent and the economies of scale didn't make sense to write malicious code that targets them. However, as Macs have become more popular, there has been a notable increase in malware targeting that platform. The best defense is to be extremely cognizant of which files we execute (especially those contained in untrusted or unsolicited email), ensure your system has all updates installed, and to generally treat the Internet as an untrusted medium.
Hope that helps!
Thank you @Marcus Johnson I have been careless with antivirus stuff because it seems to slow the computer down and act like a virus in itself but I KNOW NOTHING. Will need to get a firewall. How is the best way to accomplish that?
Wow @Reed Wilkins thanks for the knowledge. Pretty cool first post. Welcome!
Do you consider this a crime? Do you think they planted the worm themselves? Can I say I was defrauded or maybe just not too bright?
They were suspicious to me because they misspelled some common words and were foreign sounding, (along with other red flags), but out of the country tech centers aren't unusual.
The first question they asked was if I'd used Paypal or Amazon and yes, I had used Paypal in the last couple days.
Ransomware does describe the feeling that options were pretty limited.
First post perhaps, but I've been lurking for a while :)
If your computer was locked/unusable and you could only restore functionality by paying to have the the malicious software "removed," I would say it's safe to say you were indeed the victim of a crime. However, keep in mind this kind of thing happens all the time and due to the (most likely) foreign nature of the criminals, you have little legal recourse. Wikipedia actually has a great description of the methodology behind ransomware, if you'd care to take a gander.
It looks like you paid via PayPal, which means you're most likely out of luck for recovering your funds. PayPal has a poor track record of working with customers on these issues, but again you may have more leverage with evidence of a report made to local authorities.
Sorry you got taken by these scumbags - it's a shame that people exist with the sole intention of defrauding others. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more in depth about the situation.
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Ransomware indeed, Jeff. You were hacked, defrauded, and it’s extremely likely your computer is still infected. Malwarebytes and Norton will not necessarily detect and clean this. Many virus’s now are very sophisticated and dig themselves well into operating system files that cannot be deleted or cleaned without disabling your computer.
I bet you also gave these scoundrels admin access to your computer and you have no idea what they looked at, planted, or took. Your only safe option is to back up your data now and completely reinstall Windows. Otherwise, you have no idea who has access to your files (including passwords, bank account access, Quickbook files, credit reports, SSN numbers, etc.). Sorry to scare you but you probably want to call your bank, CC companies, PayPal, etc. and have your access refreshed with new passwords and even account numbers.
Hopefully, your credit card company knows these characters and will work with you for a refund. If not, you might have a fight on your hands but should certainly protest the charge.
Sorry to hear this happened, Jeff.
Jeff
Actually Jeff , Firewall is part of the OS in both Mac and PC. For macs just go under System preferences/security and for PC's go under Start/control panel. I would download the programs I mentioned asap and run them at least once a week. Good luck!
When ever I get a new Computer, I keep the old one, just in case something like that happens. That way, I can search the Internet to see if someone is trying to scam me.
At the present time, my spare PC is eight years old, that runs XP Pro, etc.
I hook it up about once a month, and get the necessary updates needed, to keep it safe, in case I have to use it.
Another thing that was suggested to me, is have two Computers.
Use one for just Financial Transactions, and the other one for every day use.
Raymond
Did call the FBI and they suggested it was a scam and that I should close the credit card acct. Called to do that but was advised that since I provided the numbers I was not defrauded but was then was transferred to the fraud unit.
The fraud guy with Bank of America US Airways Visa had just dealt with the same issue the day before and called the company to get a refund. The guy he called was very aggressive. The funny thing was they sent me a certificate yesterday and now it is nowhere to be found. The US Airway credit card guy said obviously the email acct still has problems and we need a refund. The company said they will refund the money.
Thanks @Pat L. @Marcus Johnson @Reed Wilkins @Jeff S. for your help. This was very helpful.
Thanks for bringing this out, had never heard of it before. Good luck dealing with this turds.
Good thoughts @Raymond B. Looks like everything will work out here.
How do you search the internet to see if someone is scamming you?
So what is the correct move when being held ransom by these guys? Just cut the internet connection?
Oh I forgot the last part. Make sure you change all of your passwords for everything from bank logins to email logins, everything.
Concerning how to find the scam:
What kind of information did they provide you, so you could pay them? Name of Company, etc? Go to another computer, and use a search engine to see what you can find out about that company.
Do you have a lot of personal Items saved on your hard drive? Pictures, music, documents?
If you don't have any of those items, you can reinstall the Operating system yourself. The operating system is in a special partition on your hard drive.
If you do have Pictures, etc., you will need to back them up, to another device.
Staples has a 16GB USB Flash Drive on sale, (Sept 8th-14th) for $7.87
If you need more information, send me a pm.
Raymond
Originally posted by Raymond B.:
If you don't have any of those items, you can reinstall the Operating system yourself. The operating system is in a special partition on your hard drive.
This is assuming the virus hasn't hosed the operation system recovery partition too! Best to create recovery CD's when you first get the computer, then recover from CD's if/when computer is attacked. Then after recovery, reinstall all apps. Then download all data from backup. Then you are better than before. But still have to possible theft problem.
Note: this same procedure can be used when win 8 crashes...hopefully 8.1 will be a little more stable.
I feel quite sure they took all my info off my computer including ss of a Merrill Lynch statement I had on my desktop and other places. When they were working on it I saw the icon with that statement light up as they passed their browser over the top.
@Bryce Y. yes just don't cooperate because with a few Ctlr and flags pressed they are totally in and they are downloading everything. Just take your computer to someone that knows what they are doing.
As of early April 2014, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP, so if you have a Windows XP machine, it is time to move on to another operating system, because the bad actors out there are targeting these systems.
Since about half the operating systems out there run XP, it is a very juicy target for all kinds of hackers and scammers. Do yourself a favor and take steps to reduce your risk.
No compute is immune, but a combination of a more resistant OS and being careful about sites and emails (don't click if you are the least bit suspicious) will keep you out of most trouble.
