As part of the digital world we’re all familiar with viruses and scams of different sorts. Most people have gotten some “Nigerian prince” Esq emails or had their computer cluttered with spyware. Recently, however, I heard of a hacker scheme I’d never heard of before, so I thought I would share it with all of you. Whether you’re cautious or looking to be amused I urge you to grab a seat and listen.
Now I’ve just heard about this scam recently but I’m told it’s been around for some time. It begins with something I personally wouldn’t typically associate with computers and that’s a phone number. a message is shown to the user saying they must call this number to have a virus removed.
Let me walk you through a few screen shots of this scam.
Something to take note of with any scam is their use of English. A lot of viruses are made in places where English is a second language. If you’ve grown up speaking American English you’ll usually see the issues with the syntax right off. If you don’t see anything wrong with the above text try reading it aloud. Mainly it boils down to strange word choice. For example: in the first line they use “try” rather than “attempt” and it’s not that “try” is wrong but it quite doesn’t sound right.
Another detail you may notice is how the pop-up attempts to imitate a virus protection program. It’s always good to remember what anti-virus programs you’ve installed and what they look like so you aren’t fooled.
Now let me be very clear. Don’t call any number a web-page demands you call, unless you’re ordering takeout or you need to call us, because you already called that scam number. Legitimate numbers for virus removal are on websites that let you easily navigate away without holding you hostage.
This is known as a phishing scheme. Typically this is done with emails. Hackers impersonate someone like a Nigerian prince and try to get access to something like a bank account or some kind of log-in information. Don’t feel bad if you’ve fallen victim to this in the past as it’s effected top government officials in the past but also don’t worry as it’s one of the easiest hacking schemes to avoid as long as you know how.
If you call the number they provide you then they have access to your phone number, at the very least. Even if you’re clever enough not to fall for any further tricks they will still put your phone number on a list with other active phone numbers and sell that to advertising agencies or other scammers.
It doesn’t take much imagination to picture a few scenarios of what might happen if you follow the instructions of a stranger wishing your computer harm. Convincing someone to download malware or to allow the hacker remote access to the computer are two we see most often.
You won’t have to worry about any of that so long as you just don’t call any suspicious numbers on pop-ups that are difficult to close or web-pages that stop you from pressing back. If you have any problems with your computer and you’re looking for a number to call, then feel free to call us and we’ll help you out.
(862) 236-3553
Recent Comments