Posted on 03/08/2015 4:19:26 PM PDT by fatnotlazy
A friend of mine called in a panic. She received a pop up on her IMac saying her computer was compromised ahd that she should call "Apple Tech Support" at 1-800-656-8559. She called the number and was scammed for her credit card number to allegedly fix the problem. She has canceled her card and was told the charge would be removed and a new card issued. It's unclear whether the scammer has harvested any other sensitive information from her computer.
I told her to call the real Apple tech support number, but is there anything else she should do? If her computer is compromised, is there a remedy? An application or program she should run?
If youve posted a message about said sort of “stuff” or included same in an email it may be discernible to Google Ad Sense...so I’m told
That's exactly what I've been looking for! Where can I get this?
Was she on a website when the pop-up appeared? If so, then she should have just clicked it closed and left the website.
I agree with you and don’t think that’s unduly harsh of you to say.
Wow. You're already at the Alpha level.
Problems with other humans are the hardest part of life. No one can get along. We have to forgive more often, something I find hard to do but I try.....
It’s not that they couldn’t. It’s that they weren’t. And now they are being hacked. Everyone knew it would come eventually. You didn’t?
There are web page ‘advertisements’ that can do that now. They automatically tell you to call “whatever OS vendor” support at that number. The vendor name changes, the number doesn’t. I’ve seen it on every major platform. It’s really funny when you’re doing it on a custom Linux build - the ad code is smart enough to know that it’s Linux, but then they tell you to call a support number when you know there isn’t one.
Buy a PC?
They’re not being remotely hacked. However, any system is vunlerable to stupid users installing things they shouldn’t.
Thing about Windows is that it is *very* easily remote hacked.
I don’t know, but she said her computer was locked and she couldn’t get out. Would she have been OK if she had just turned the computer off? I know we’ve been taught not to just turn off the computer unless it’s absolutely necessary.
This is not a porn issues. They only need your telephone number.
If you give them you're credit card and or access to your computer, then basically you've done the equivalent of a man showing up at your door saying "HI! I'm a doctor! Your Child is Sick! Give him to me and I will save him! Also! I will need you to pay me before I take your son away."
No porn, no malware, no security breach required - just a lie that you believe. They call you, they tell you they are from Microsoft (or Apple) and you need to pay them so they can log into your computer remotely.
Porn sites are notorious for embedded code
The one I hit came up after a Breitbart link from Drudge.
I've had that non-closable/fake mac pop-up once. I had to do a force quit, on Safari. I then went ahead and did a restart, after that. But, yes. If you can't get the browser to close out (either tab or window), you have to sometimes just turn off your mac.
She needs to do a clean install of OSX or restore from time machine if she has one.
She can get a free copy of their latest OS Yosemite, and there’s a stupid easy to use tool that will build it bootable on a flash drive for easy install. The only catch is what version of OSX she is currently running and whether she can back her files up. Some of her apps might not be compatible.
It took me about an hour to cleanly build an 07 iMac but I didn’t have to back anything up and apps didn’t matter. This Is a good learning experience for her and little damage was done. Now she knows and hopefully won’t fall for it again.
Buy a PC?
Now that was cruel!
On a Mac, if your screen freezes, you can force a shut-down by holding the power button down until it begins to shut down. When she restarts it, she may get a message saying that the computer wasn't shut down properly. I've told my computer not to show those messages, and it's very rarely that I've had to force-quit my computer.
If she's got Apple Care (extended warranty and support), she can call Apple support regarding any concerns she might have. If she doesn't have Apple Care, she can still call them, but she will be charged unless the computer is still under warranty.
Find a new friend.
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