Computer Support Scams all Over

Computer Support Scams

There's a rash of computer support scams involving both malware pushed as ads and cold calling of random people fishing for a pigeon.

The malware typically reports a compromised computer in your posession and offers to fix it. Then you get ransomware or some other malicious software taking hold of your machine until you succumb to the provision of financials to the crooks ... and often times they leave you with your damage and without your money to boot.

The cold calls are equally dastardly. I've had several of these from various people identifying themselves as "Microsoft" or "Windows" ... calling themselves "Jack" or "John" but sounding like they're somewhere in India or Pakistan. They try to get you to go to a web site and download their malware package yourself.

Luckily, I don't take to pushy individuals and their pitiful pitch I'm afraid was much less convincing than anything I could ever fall for.

HOWEVER, I can just see these people taking some little old lady to the cleaners.

Nowadays if I reach some ad based malware I will go to great lengths to stop it in it's tracks. I utilize an excellent malware detection live scan which gives me the opportunity to delete it before it installs.

Anybody calling me on the phone better be a lot more sophisticated than the five or so callers I've dealt with up to now. Nobody as utterly stupid as these untouchables would ever fool me.

As for you ... if you encounter a threat on a web page the worst case scenario is turn off your machine. You may have to run a disk scan to check for cross links and lost chains but that's a whole lot better than the alternative.

Better yet invest in some good proactive protection package like Malwarebytes Pro or run that Sophos antiviral regularly. Don't let the bastards see you sweat.