Posted on 05/20/2016 8:04:14 AM PDT by KeyLargo
May 19, 2016 FTC expands tech support fraud lawsuit
Keith Griffin
The Federal Trade Commission has added three new defendants to an ongoing case against a tech support scam with ties to Connecticut.
The scheme allegedly bilked consumers out of tens of millions of dollars by pretending to represent Microsoft, Apple, and other major tech companies.
Back in November, the Connecticut attorney general's office joined in the FTC action along with the state of Pennsylvania in a request to shut down a tech support scam operating out of Essex and two locations in Pennsylvania that allegedly scammed consumers out of more than $17 million by pretending to represent Microsoft, Apple and other major tech companies.
(Excerpt) Read more at hartfordbusiness.com ...
Hang them by their nuts.
Tech Support Scam Blurs the Line with Ransomware, Locks Users’ Computers
Scammers are constantly evolving their mode of operation
May 18, 2016 13:20 GMT · By Catalin Cimpanu
Tech support scammers have been taking inspiration from ransomware operators and have changed their mode of operation by creating malicious software that blocks the user’s access to the computer until they contact a call center for support.
For years, tech support scams have used so-called “scareware” tactics, trying to trick users into thinking they needed technical support from an expert. These methods often used warnings and popups telling users they had malware on their computer, or a fault on their hard drive, with the computer ready to fail at any moment.
Later, the same tech support scammers developed clever JavaScript-powered tricks to lock the user into a one Web page, with the same scary messages, aiming to trick the victim into contacting their call centers.
“Tech support scammers are borrowing ransomware tricks”
In the latest installment of this tech support scam, the crooks have managed to find a way to lock the user’s entire computer, not just their browser.
This trick is reminiscent of the early days of ransomware. Back then, ransomware didn’t encrypt your files, but merely blocked access to your computer with screens overlaid over your desktop, or by disabling keyboard and mouse input.
Security researcher slipstream/RoL discovered one of these tech support scams that lock the user’s entire PC. He and the team at Malwarebytes investigated this problem.
“Crooks used adware to infect and lock computers”
GEORGE SAAB, individually and as an owner and officer of iSourceUSA LLC and Spanning Source LLC,
CHETAN BHIKHUBHAI PATEL, individually and as an owner and officer of iSourceUSA LLC and Spanning Source LLC,
NIRAJ PATEL, individually and as an owner of iSourceUSA LLC and Spanning Source LLC, INNOVAZION RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED,an Indian corporation,
ABHISHEK GAGNEJA, individually, as an owner of Click4Support, LLC, and as an owner and officer of Innovazion Inc.and Innovazion Research Private Limited, and RISHI GAGNEJA, individually and as an officer of Innovazion Inc. and Innovazion Research Private Limited
One Swede, three low-caste Indians?
This happened to me just two days ago. The work-around was easy, but only because I have a second computer to use to look up the work-around. But it just seems no one is really interested in doing anything about it.
how about adding entricks from Florida to the list?
“Hang them by their nuts.”
too easy. burn ‘em (and extortionware thieves too) live at the stake on the Washington Mall with live network feeds.
I figure by the time the 3rd one has been roasted the rest of ‘em would get the idea.
With all due respect to the scammers, MS invented this problem through a really lousy OS architecture.
It’s sad how easy it is.
>This happened to me just two days ago. The work-around was easy, but only because I have a second computer to use to look up the work-around
I have NO idea what site(s) you’re visiting, but it’d appear you need some (better) ad-ware/script blocking utilities.
Update your HOSTs file, create some white/black-lists, etc.
I was trying to open YouTube, it had not loaded or opened yet, when my browser tab was taken over by this scam ad. Like I said, it was easy to be rid of it, my virus/malware scan was clean, and I’ve had no problems since.
The FTC should just hand this case to the FBI. This isn't a civil action -- it's a criminal offense.
Exposed: Scam company impersonates cybersecurity brands, tricks hundreds out of money
A sham online tech support firm has been found extorting innocent people out of hundreds of dollars to do absolutely nothing, then ‘revenge breaking’ their computers, all while riding on the coat tails of legitimate security firms
Tech support locker scam poses as failed Microsoft Update
Friday, 20 May 2016
Cybercrooks have put together a new scam that falls halfway between ransomware and old school browser lockup ruses.
The new class of “tech support lockers” rely on tricking users into installing either a fake PC optimiser or bogus Adobe Flash update. Once loaded the malware mimicks ransomware and locks users out of their computers. Unlike Locky, CryptoWall and their ilk it doesn’t actually encrypt files on compromised Windows PCs, however.
Jérôme Segura, a senior security researcher at Malwarebytes, said “tech support lockers” represent a class of malware more advanced than browser locks and fake anti-virus alerts of the pre-ransomware past.
“This is not a fake browser pop up that can easily be terminated by killing the application or restarting the PC,” Segura writes in a blog post. “No, this is essentially a piece of malware that starts automatically, and typical Alt+F4 or Windows key tricks will not get rid of it.”
One strain of tech support locker employs a subtle piece of social engineering trickery by waiting until a users restarts their computer before confronting users with a fake Windows update screen. Users are told their computers can’t be restarted normally supposedly because of an “expired license key”. Thereafter a screen locks a user out of their computer in an attempt to trick marks into phoning a support number, staffed by scammers.
Victims are told that their problems can be resolved, for a fat fee of $250, Malwarebytes discovered.
The particular strain of malware - spotted and documented by independent White Hat security researcher “TheWack0lian” - marks a evolution in tech support scams, Malwarebytes’ Segura warns.
“In comparison to fake (but mostly harmless) browser alerts, these Windows lockers are a real pain to get rid of and until you do so, your computer is completely unusable.... This increased sophistication means that people can not simply rely on common sense or avoid the typical cold calls from ‘Microsoft’. Now they need to also have their machines protected from these attacks because scammers have already started manufacturing malware tailored for what is essentially plain and simple extortion over the phone,” he writes.
Miscreants have already begun to flog these types of lockers on Facebook, a sign that scams of this type have reached script kiddie level and are therefore likely to become commonplace in future. Previous scams along the same lines, although less sophisticated, include a BSOD ruse that surfaced last September.
“There is an entire ecosystem to distribute these tech support lockers, which includes bundling them into affiliate (Pay Per Install) applications,” Segura concludes.
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/29476/56/
Once a dick, always a dick
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