Dwight Watt - Watt Thoughts #288 2/13/2014


#288 - I have a call from a computer company saying there is a problem with my computer, what do I do? (Watt Thoughts)

These are phishing calls and are not real repair companies or Microsoft. If you get a call saying your computer has problems or a virus or that it is messing up the network/Internet, hang up.

These calls appear to often come from overseas, people that have gotten them tell me often the caller has a strong accent and also is in a room with many other callers. These are random placed calls. I actually know a person who has no computer who got one of these calls. On a related note if you get a call from a strange number that dowse not look like a US number if you have caller ID, do not answer or hang-up as they are trying to get in your cell phone so they can set it where they make long distance from overseas and charge to you.

They may say they are calling from Microsoft or some other company that you may or may not have heard of. They are not calling from these companies. They will tell you they have detected some type problem with your computer and if you will jut pay them a fee they will fix it. If you pay them, they will claim fixed, but they have not done anything, but if you went to their website in the conversation they probably have put viruses/ spyware on your computer. Run an antivirus program like Avast, AVG, Norton or others immediately that is updated and also an anti-spyware program like superantispyware which is updated. Do a full scan of your computer with them.

Think now, do you want people on outside able to go in your computer that you have never heard of and that they say they are already in it? NO. They are phishing for your credit card number and hopefully just collecting the amount they said, but more likely then using your card for purchases or selling the number to others.

Simply hang-up if you get one of these calls.

If by chance you did pay them you need to contact your bank and credit card company immediately to make them aware that fraud may be occurring on your accounts. If you did give one of these callers the credit card numbers sometime already, call your bank and credit card company now, even if you are reading this at 3AM.

Dwight

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