have i been scamed? now what do i do?

[desertdarlene]

I heard that this is a scam that's been going around a lot lately. Someone said that there was some kind of pop-up that says you have a problem with your computer and then there is something that says "send to Microsoft Tech" that people have been clicking on and that's how they know about you. But, that doesn't explain how they got your phone number. Others say it's flat out cold calling.

I agree with others, clean up your disks, do a virus scan and change all your critical passwords.

I hear they're actually a real company, but this type of practice is very shady. I wonder if it's even legal.

 

[Runt Of The Litter]

Quote:
microsoft wont phone people up,they especialy cannot tell what operating system any random person uses,or even if they use a computer,the only way someone coud do that is if they infected the computer with a RAT server before hand then 'd0xed' [as the term goes] them for their address/details.
they play on the fact that windows has a majority userbase,and that many wont understand what theyre looking at in their event logs.
the best way to deal with them is to screw them around-ask them to explain how they know there is a virus..if have got the time;waste their time for a bit as its their phone bill-asking what is a virus,what is it doing on there,who put it there etc-any novice type question,then tell them are using a linux distro,eg; slackware,ubuntu,backtrack etc/freeBSD/mac OSX,so how exactly have they found a windows operating system in use,ask them for their name and address to check they are genuine,they will probably scarper quickly.


3goodeggs,
some of these microsoft scammers manage to get away with it legally as they extort money by giving a genuine but crappy product,the big issue is if they install a FUD/fully undetected virus or a financialy aimed botnet like zeus,which seems to be the more common pattern followed in the UK-microsoft scammers are more interested in monitoring and personal gain than destroying a partition but anti virus scans wont find the offending files until they descramble the code that disguises it.

woud recommend taking some extra security measures if tend to get lapses of concentration on the computer,or if are not to advanced on internet safety-install sandboxie; http://www.sandboxie.com/ a free worthwhile program,especialy when used with netstat on the command prompt to look for outgoing connections whilst the suspect program is running.
sandboxie allows the user to launch programs in it to see if its what it says it is,or if it has any dodgy binded files,plus it allows the internet browser to run inside it so anything dodgy that is come upon on the internet are safely contained within the sandbox.
and woud recommend using linux over windows for better security,there are very few viruses written for it and windows crapware cannot affect it,and its much more accessible for non computer geeks now with ubuntu and suSE being very user friendly.

if are going to go along to a technician,woud strongly recommend trying to get a mate/someone known to self to do it instead,not a profesional who does it for a living-many of them take advantage of computer users whom are not advanced on the subject or not in full control of their mental capabilities at the time,well more so the major chain store ones,give a mate who knows their stuff something small for checking it out and it will be sorted.

There is a new cookie that is a "survey"cookie that can't be deleted that way. Hackers are EVERYWHERE!

not heard of that one,but am guessing they have probably FUD it.
hackers are most definitely everywhere,theyre all over BYC-have a go, http://hackertyper.net/ type away in front of people to make them think are making srs leet haxor business.

hacker typer purposely takes the pee out of hacking like its seen in the media and general public,green lettering on black background,sitting typing code all day to break into infrastructures and so on,its not like that,a huge number of people who hack cannot program in any form nor understand what they are doing exactly as they use programs which only show the end user results.
speaking as a penetration tester,greyhat and .NET coder [not a very good one].​

 

[caspernc]

Quote:
I've never heard of that. Your source please?

My computer, sad to say.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
*every* one gets microsoft errors... it's so common that one can just assume it's true.

kinda like asssuming that you've got auto insurance. most folks who have cars do. and most folks have cars. easy. just social engineering. start with an assumption, and then ask leading questions, adjust the scam as you go. very easy to make this work, most folks don't know what hit them.

as to what to do... take your computer to a pro for a checkup - find out what was installed, if anything, have them remove it. you may be able to backup to a previous security checkpoint wich will remove most things installed after that date/time.

upgrade your spyware/adware/antivirus protection. make sure your windows installations (and your other programs) have current security updates. change passwords for everything. if it's really bad, you've got issues and the list above doesn't fix them, back up your data files (they should be backed up anyway) and format and reinstall your system and software. personally I *hate* doging this because it can be a LOT of work, but better than having creeps with access to your computer.

 

[3goodeggs]

Thank you everyone.
I borrowed a computer to check this thread for more info. I am glad I did.
I am making back ups that my friend says can be scanned for Trojans, virus, worms, flies, plague and petulance before they get reinstalled. I am so glad I had all of my photos already done.

I think I am okay at the banks. One was closed so who knows if I lucked out completely or not.
I have two geek friends, one is the modest geek type, and the other writes security programs. They both told me that I am not stupid, just a computer owner. The guy at the bank said that Identity theft happens once every 3.36 seconds.
Geek number one is helping me wipe the hard drive, and geek number two says that he is there if I need him.
So, I do not have to be at the mercy of a computer store guy.

I will look up sandboxie. That sounds like a good program. I will have my friends give me their honest opinions... besides selling everything and going off of the grid. That was my answer to everything last Friday. But I am better now thanks to all of your good advice.

I know going to a chicken site for computer help is peculiar, but you all are pretty smart and you have great advice. I really do appreciate you all taking the time to steer me in the right direction. I was just running around in circles...flapping my wings and squawking.