Beware of computer virus scam

by Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic

It has been said, that if scammers and hackers were to use their brains for positive things, this world would be a much better place.
 Back in September 2018, a local resident (who wants to remain anonymous) was scammed by a fake company/person/group impersonating Microsoft. This elderly individual, embarrassed about falling for this scam, didn’t realize it, but he has lots of company. There are many individuals, over time, who have also fallen for this ploy.
When this scam shows up on a computer out of the blue, a message pops up on the screen saying the computer is affected by viruses, is running slow, and to call or click on a certain link or number to fix the problem (especially if there are alarms, voices, flashing red lights, a frozen cursor or screen), it catches one offguard. The messages seem official and from legitimate companies and it would seem advantageous to get the problem fixed as quickly as possible.
This is what happened to this gentleman we will call the victim.
“They are so smooth,” the victim said. “First, after I clicked on the number to call, they told me they could take care of all the junk on my computer. It looked like they were really cleaning it up and it was running much faster.
When they said they were done after about three hours, they told me it cost $249. I put it on my first credit card. I really didn’t think that was too bad, because I figured it would have been a comparable charge to take it somewhere to be fixed. Next, they told me that a five-year subscription to their security program, costs $299. I gave them my second credit card for that charge.”
As the day went on, the victim became more and more suspicious. Later that night, he called both his credit card companies to cancel his purchases. Both of the credit card companies credited his cards, but later, one reneged, because they said it was malware, not fraud and they don’t cover malware. Unfortunately, the victim had his account numbers, credit card and social security numbers and passwords, all on his computer. He has spent months trying to straighten everything out.
“It has caused me months of stress—frustration, heartache, and loss of sleep. I had to cancel my credit card accounts, my bank accounts, and open up new ones, and change all my passwords. Plus, I have lost the use of my business computer,” the victim said.
This unlucky individual found out he was talking to companies actually called CA Partner Merchant Processing and SquadSupport.Guru. Other names used have been Ontime Tech Supports, SecureTechWorld, Virus Eraser.com. etc. Some of the scammers used telephone numbers from all over the U.S. and even other countries like Thailand.
The Graphic called the legitimate Microsoft Company (1-800-642-7676) and talked to a supervisor. He said that Microsoft would never contact someone on their computer. If someone is having problems with their computer or have questions, they suggest contacting Microsoft Online tech support (1-888-954-5835) or go online to support.microsoft.com/reportascam.
If you encounter a scam on your computer, the first thing you should do, is turn it off and unplug it, and leave it off for a few hours before turning it back on.
Next, on advice from Lake Mills Police Chief Dave Thomas, is to take it somewhere local to be fixed, for example, NGT (New Generation Technology), Main St., Lake Mills,  or to someone you know you can trust who will sort it all out for you.
Eliut Garcia, NGT help desk technician, said, “We receive quite a few calls about scams like the Microsoft one, where they steal people’s contact information, because these sites do look legit. If you feel like you’ve compromised your computer, unplug it, turn it off and  bring your computer in to be cleaned. When we clean it, we remove any programs and then reinstall them and clear up any viruses it may have.”
If you have fallen victim to this kind of scam, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), at www.ftc.gov or 202-326-2222.
“I’ve shared my story in hopes that someone else won’t have to go through what I went through. I  want people to be aware of what to do,” said the victim.