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Tag Archives: Scam

(Updated 4/22/12) Scam Alert–Phone call claiming to be Tech Support offering to fix your pc (Don’t fall for it!)

Scams  There seems to be more and more unsolicited tech support calls these days, in an attempt to access unsuspecting victims pc’s. With the ability to fake Caller ID numbers (See the (LINK) “Don’t always trust what the Caller ID says” post), calling people seems like a great payoff with little risk if a bad guy can convince the victim to let them in. 

     (LINK) KKTV (http://www NULL.kktv NULL.com/home/headlines/Scammers_Use_Microsoft_Name_To_Gain_Access_Into_Computers_148412155 NULL.html) (based in Southern Colorado) just ran a story about someone who got one of these calls.  The caller reportedly said he was from Microsoft. 

As reported on the KKTV story, Microsoft released a statement about these types of calls that says

I can categorically confirm that neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls to help solve your computer problems. If you receive an unsolicited phone call that purports to be from Microsoft and requests that you send personal information, hang up the phone.

Note the important part of the statement . “neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls”. 

     In addition to the KKTV story, a post on (LINK) Tampa Bay Online (http://www2 NULL.tbo NULL.com/news/opinion/2012/apr/22/vwopino2-beware-unsolicited-tech-help-ar-394802/), reporting a call from someone claiming to work for “Windows” attempted to use the same type of scam with another person. In this case, the scam artist said

We have received some information from your computers via the Internet that some files are not working correctly, and we want to fix them for you at no charge

     Fortunately in both of these cases, the persons who received the calls knew enough NOT to fall for scams like these.  If you believe you may already fallen for a scam like these, you are going to want to check your pc, to see if there is anything there that shouldn’t be there. Here is a list of free programs you can use to scan your pc.

Microsoft Security Scanner (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/security/scanner/en-us/default NULL.aspx) (As talked about in the KKTV Story)

SuperAntiSpyware (http://ninite NULL.com/malwarebytes-super/) (Via Ninite.com)

Malwarebytes (http://ninite NULL.com/malwarebytes-super/) (Via Ninite.com)

(TGM NOTE)

We do NOT know if the calls listed in the update above have any relation with the original post below that talks about the company called pcwizards. However, as noted above “neither Microsoft or its partners make unsolicited phone calls”. So the same way that you know NOT to click on an unknown link or open an unknown attachment, please be alert if you receive one of these unsolicited phone calls.

(Original 2/26/12 Story)

Every day I hear scam stories, however, one of these stories just hit close to home this week.  The parents of a friend of mine received a phone call from a company calling themselves “PC Wizards”. The call went something like this

‘Sir, we have reason to believe that through your Windows operating system you have downloaded some malicious software from the internet which can cause serious damage to your computer and greatly impact upon system performance. We would be happy to dial into your pc and fix the problem for you’.

Fortunately, the person who got the call is the parent of a computer tech who does all the family tech support, so he knew better and did not fall for this scam.  My friends dad did ask the person calling for a phone number, telling them “Ill have to call you back”.  Using the company name and number given during the call, I came across the (supposed) website for this company, onlinepcwizards(dot)com (I did not put a link on their website address on purpose, as I do not wish to give this scam a link back). On the picture (below) you will see their website, the 1st thing I took note of is the US and UK flags (on the top right), depending on which flag you click on, the site will show either an 888 US number or an 808 UK number. (Even though the pictures below show the 2 phone numbers, again I recommend you have nothing to do with these people, Ill explain after the pictures)

(US Page)

image

(UK Page)

image

When you click on the “contact us” link on their page, the site bring up an address in Southern California.  If you do a map search for that address, you will find that address leads to an apartment building in that area.

image

I do understand that people can run “home based” businesses, but that’s not what they make it seem like. The following is a quote from the sites “About Us” page.

We offer a computer support experience unlike any other in the industry.

You want your computers and your home network to work without a hitch, but they sometimes don’t. So you try to get decent tech support, but it’s always a challenge – long wait times, tech jargon you don’t understand; buck-passing between manufacturers, and costly onsite service.

All that’s in the past. Welcome to PCWizards – your 24×6 personal tech advisor. We provide total tech support for PC & connected devices. We help you with installation, configuration, customization, troubleshooting, upgradation, connectivity issues and basic feature support. We’re the only ones you need to call, because we handle them all!

We don’t just resolve problems; we help you prevent them with good advice. In a nutshell, we make IT work for you.

With the growing dependency on our PC, an average user needs to access technical support at-least six times in a year. With connect times less than a minute PCWizards offers instant support whenever you need it, in the convenience of your home instantly.

PCWizards’ Microsoft Certified Technicians are on stand-by to help you anytime of the day. We provide computer repair, tech support to you irrespective of the make of your computer using windows operating system.

I guess 1st question is how many techs can you fit in an apartment (ok bad joke I know). Seriously a couple of things to point out from their About Us page. They are a 24×6 operation (hmmm hours seem a little strange), and if you read the about us carefully you will notice some grammatical issues. Can someone tell me what upgradation means?

Ok after all that, here are a few more details.  Found interesting web posts on the following websites, where you will find numerous people who have received calls from PCWizards

  • (LINK) 800notes (http://800notes NULL.com/Phone NULL.aspx/1-858-939-1002/5)
  • (LINK) Ubuntu Forums (http://ubuntuforums NULL.org/showthread NULL.php?t=1635163)
  • (LINK) Number Investigators (http://www NULL.numberinvestigator NULL.com/858939)

Many of the postings talk about a bait and switch where the company offers free service and at the end of the call they claim you owe money. Some of the posts even quote how the company admits to actually being located in India using US/UK numbers for easier access. These are just a couple of sites, there were numerous others I’m not listing with the same type of complaints.

On another front, here is the (LINK) Who IS (http://www NULL.whois NULL.net/whois/onlinepcwizards NULL.com) page for the PCWizards website

image

You will find that the website was registered on 10/7/2011 in Italy. (That is based on the fact that usually the privacy company listed is also the register of the domain).

Is it possible that PCWizards is a legit organization, maybe, but there are just to many things that make you go hmmmmmm. Do you really want to let a random total stranger (that you weren’t looking for) into your pc? Where they could install anything, or steal your data.  I wouldn’t.

Lastly, this call identified themselves as PCWizards, but there are reports of other similar calls claiming to be from Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, and other major computer hardware/software makers.

Beware of ‘Remove Facebook Timeline’ Scams (Via Facecrooks.com)

facebook The following scam alert post is courtesy of our friends at (LINK)Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/beware-of-remove-facebook-timeline-scams NULL.html). For the latest information concerning Facebook scams, Tech Geek and More recommends visiting (LINK) Facecrooks (http://facecrooks NULL.com). (Thanks to Facecrooks for allowing the repost) Originally posted – January 4, 2012

When new Facebook features are added, scammers use the chaos, confusion and disdain to take advantage of unsuspecting users. The most recent instance involved the Facebook Ticker. There are ways to remove the Ticker by using browser extensions; however, there is no such fix for the Facebook Timeline.

Inside Facebook (http://networkedblogs NULL.com/sjNEW)reported the following just yesterday:

“Despite Facebook’s efforts to educate users about the new profile, some people have misconceptions that make them susceptible to scams like these. We have found 16 Timeline-related scam pages, which have collectively gained more than 71,000 likes. The largest, with nearly 19,000 likes, has been around for at least two weeks. These pages are among the top search results when searching Facebook for “timeline.”

There are several Facebook Pages, rogue applications and rogue browser extensions claiming to show you how to remove the Timeline from your profile. Just doing a quick search via the Facebook Search bar revealed the following:

(http://facecrooks NULL.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/remove-timeline NULL.jpg)

Continue reading →

Scam: Woo Hoo–I’ve just been offered a MILLION DOLLAR ATM Card (No seriously it must be true, I just got an email telling me so)

no_scam-150x150     File this under the category of “REALLY!” . The following email which was received by Tech Geek and More friends over at (LINK) zombiepancake.com (http://www NULL.zombiepancake NULL.com/) claims to be from a “Funds Clearing” and looks fairly official (At least these guys had spell checker). The email below is exactly as sent except for 2 changes, specifically to omit links, as I’m not trying to help them in their ways.  Here is the MILLION DOLLAR ATM email –

********************************************************************************************

From: Funds Clearing [mailto:fundsdp@(Omitted).org]

Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2011 12:43 PM

Subject: Your ATM MASTER CARD

Season Greetings,

We are very sorry for the delay. Your ATM MASTER CARD, Valued US$1.216Million has been activated and is ready for delivery, delivery fee of $125 is needed urgently for delivery of the MASTER CARD to your home address . Note that $5000-$10,000 is permitted daily only for each cash withdraw from any ATM MACHINE within your state.

Therefore do not delay to respond immediately and quickly send us your Receiving Address, Full Names and Telephone number. Get back to us for your Payment so that we can registration the CARD for delivery to your destination including the Parcel Tracking Number which will be provided to you after the registrations is done for easy tracking of your parcel on the arrival

God Bless

Mr. Tony Roland

ATM DEPARTMENT

SKY BANK PLC

Email: mytonyroland@yahoo(Remain removed to not give them that much credit)

********************************************************************************************

     Of course, the majority of people have enough common sense to know this is actually a scam.  Unfortunately these scams continue to happen simply because there is always someone out there who thinks “It came in an email, it must be true”.  If someone didn’t fall for it, the scammers would stop doing it, and move to something else. 

     The moral (and common sense tip) of this mornings post is simple, “If it sounds to good to be true, then its probably a scam”. This goes for Emails, Tweets, Facebook, or anything else in life. 

     Oh and lastly to Mr. Tony, from the Sky Bank, using a yahoo email address – REALLY!.  Come on, if you go through all this trouble to create a scam, couldn’t you do something better than yahoo!

Alert: Beware of Facebook Freebies! (Post via Facecrooks.com)

The following post comes from (LINK) Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/beware-of-facebook-freebies NULL.html). They are a great resource for Facebook information. (Thanks to Facecrooks for allowing the repost)

**********************************************************************************

no_scam-150x150   Very few words can capture one’s attention more than the word ‘FREE.’ You would think that the constant use and overuse by marketers worldwide would eventually desensitize us to its power, but such is not the case. Just seeing the word on a page, in an online advertisement, or hearing it on the television or the radio is enough for the average person to stop and take notice.

Facebook scammers and spammers have enjoyed great success with the lure of false promises. At any given moment, you don’t have to look very hard to find the following “Free” offers or scams on Facebook:

  1. Free iPads, iPhones, Personal Computers or Tablets
  2. Free Gift Cards & Vouchers
  3. Free Airline Ticket Offers
  4. Free Facebook Credits
  5. Free Facebook Events
  6. Free Virtual & Game Items

99% of the time, the end game encountered by unsuspecting users is either a survey scam or a marketing gimmick where you have to complete several ‘special’, ‘reward’ or ‘bonus’ offers to qualify for the promotion. These offers often cost real money, and we have yet to hear of a case where the participant actually received anything after jumping through all of the hoops. (if you know of someone that has, please have them send us an email with the details – info@facecrooks.com (info null@null facecrooks NULL.com))

What’s in it for the scammers?

So why do the scam creators go through all of the trouble? If there is a word more powerful than ‘FREE,” it could be ‘MONEY.’ The more benign scams are run by marketing companies that get paid a commission for each survey completed or offer accepted. Users often submit their name, date of birth, home address, email address and phone number while signing up for the ‘special’ offers. As you can imagine, this is a treasure trove of data for unscrupulous marketers and identity thieves.

Another danger with survey scams is the potential for malware infections. Users are often tricked into downloading what they think are games, browser plug-ins or other files. If their system isn’t protected, then they could unknowingly install a virus, keylogger, or all sorts of other malware.

How can you protect yourself from these scams?

  1. The first step is to be aware that scams like this are prevalent on Facebook. If you have the mindset that most of the ‘free’ offers you encounter are bogus, then you’ll be a step ahead of the game.
  1. Think before you Click! If the offer sounds too good to be true, then don’t click that link! There is no way a company can afford to give every Facebook user a $25.00, $50.00 or $100.00 gift card. A little common sense here tells you that something is way off base.
  1. If the offer being presented sounds like it could be legitimate, then contact the company to verify the promotion. Visit their website or contact them on the telephone. This will only take a few moments and could save you a lot of trouble down the road.

As the old saying goes, “if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.” No where are these words of wisdom more applicable than on Facebook!

Scam Alert/Rip-Off Warning: The Geek Squad @ Best Buy is selling an update to the Sony PlayStation 3 for $30 that is actually offered FREE by Sony

bestbuy  From the “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!” file, it seems that the Geek Squad at Best Buy is now trying to sell a PlayStation 3 update that Sony gives to PS3 owners for FREE. The update in question is a Firmware update to the PS3 that takes no time at all for anyone to do as long as you have your PS3 connected to the internet.  (Comment) I can only assume that Best Buy is looking for some seriously uneducated customers. The instructions direct from Sony posted below.

The following shot (Source: http://dualshockers.com/2010/10/01/best-buy-sells-free-ps3-upgrades/ (http://dualshockers NULL.com/2010/10/01/best-buy-sells-free-ps3-upgrades/)) Shows the Geek Squad In Store Ad at a Best Buy in Staten Island NYC:

 

 

 

 

A “normal” PlayStation 3 costs $299, but if Geek Squad does the firmware upgrade for you, there is an additional $30 fee.

Geek Squad / Best Buy claims that if they do the upgrade you will benefit from

- Play all Blu-Ray Movies & PS3 Games

- Eliminate bugs & glitches

- System Runs Smoother

- Improved connection to Facebook

- Power Save Settings

- Photo Gallery & Video Editor

- Addition of PlayStation Plus (which is an online service)

- Improved System Settings

At best (In my opinion) this is unnecessary/misleading and taking advantaged of an uneducated user…..At worst…….

(My opinion) I don’t think this should be legal.

To show you how misleading the $30 fee is, here are the steps that Geek Squad is charging you $30 for.  The following comes from Sony’s PlayStation Page (LINK)

 http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/update.html (http://manuals NULL.playstation NULL.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/update NULL.html)

System Update

Software updates may include security patches, new or revised settings and features and other items, which will change your current operating system. It is recommended that you always maintain your system to use the latest version of the system software.

There are two ways to update as listed below:

  • Update via Internet
  • Update via Storage Media
Notices
  • Do not turn off the system or remove media during an update. If an update is cancelled before completion, the system software may become damaged, and the system may require servicing or exchange.
  • During an update, the power button on the system front and the PS button on the wireless controller are not active.
  • Depending on the content, you may not be able to play without first updating the system software.
Update via Internet

Download the update data directly to the system from the Internet. The latest update is automatically downloaded.

1.

Select (Settings) > (System Update).

2.

Select [Update via Internet].
Download the latest update data from the Internet. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation.

Update via Storage Media

Use update data saved on a disc, Memory Stick™ or other media. Download the update data from a Web site using a PC. For more information, visit the SCE Web site for your region (http://manuals NULL.playstation NULL.net/document/en/support NULL.html).

Hints
  • Update data may also be contained in some game discs, commercially available BD video software, and other types of disc media. When you play a disc that contains update data, a screen will be displayed to guide you through the update process. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform the update.
  • An appropriate USB adaptor (not included) is required to use storage media with some models of the PS3™ system.

 

Of course those instructions are based on the fact that you have your PS3 already connected to your internet service. If you have a PS 3 and are not sure how to get it connected to your home internet connection, you can visit the following Sony PlayStation pages

Wired Connection (LINK) http://us.playstation.com/support/answer/index.htm?a_id=261 (http://us NULL.playstation NULL.com/support/answer/index NULL.htm?a_id=261)

Wireless Connection (LINK) http://us.playstation.com/support/answer/index.htm?a_id=238 (http://us NULL.playstation NULL.com/support/answer/index NULL.htm?a_id=238)

So for now, be careful if you purchase a PS3 at a Best Buy location, save yourself the $30 dollars and use that to buy either an additional controller, a Blu-Ray disk, or an additional game. If nothing else, use that $30 to pay the 12 yr. old family member tech. or neighbor child to get them to unpack and install the PS3 at your house.  I’m sure they would appreciate it more.

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