#4177293 - 10/04/15 06:24 PM
Has anyone else been scammed?
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 242
Dunolde
Member
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Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 242
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An operation, in India, posing a Dell Security calls saying they have been getting many messages from your computer indicating there are major problems with your computer. They say the error log contains hundreds of records of problems which are only visible to them, the security people, but can display them if you wish. Well, not surprisingly they can show hundreds of error messages in the error log, not normally visible to the user without accessing the actual error log on your machine. They also claim that your machine has been hacked by a number of entities and may be being used for "nefarious" purposes by these entities. They can display the IP addresses of these hackers to you. Again, they claim to be from Dell and can only help with hardware and software problems, but they have contact with a company, "Computer Experts", which Dell regularly uses in helping people solve these issues, since they, themselves, are unable to do so being only equipped to deal with hardware and software problems. They even have the express service code, and service tag from Dell, which give some plausibility to what they are saying. These "Computer Experts" take over your computer, with your acquiescence and show you things, mostly in DOS format, not readily available to you without specialized knowledge in how to access them. They then ask permission to go ahead and resolve all issues, especially eliminating the "hackers", and provide you with a couple of apps to prevent these issues from ever happening again. All, for a very small fee of $150.00. I do feel very stupid about this, considering myself pretty computer savvy, but I did go along with it. It seemed legitimate the way it was presented. Well, later I realized that maybe this was not all it was cracked up to be. I called Dell, and yes, they have been contacted by many of their customers about just this sort of thing. People posing as representatives of Dell, convincing people that there are problems with their computers and collecting money for fixing the problems. Dell suggested I try stopping payment through my credit card company, PayPal (which is this fraudulent operation's preferred method of payment), and contacting the "Computer Experts" directly for a full refund. They do provide a phone number and "30 day full refund policy" if you no longer wish to use their "services." Dell also suggested filing a complaint with the FTC fraud team, and gave their number. I called "Computer Experts", asked for my money back, told them of what Dell had told me, threatened to file the claim with the FTC, and these "experts" became very agitated, claiming that they themselves are the victims of these unscrupulous people passing themselves off as Dell employees. Well, perhaps there is something to that (although I sincerely doubt it) but "Computer Experts" had no problem taking people's money. They called me back three times in a row to assure me that all my money will be refunded within two business days. Let's hope so. In a funny, ironic twist, another call came, from another person claiming to represent Dell and claiming that they have been getting lots of messages from my computer that there are lots of problems with it and claiming to know some people who could help me with fixing it...Well, after laughing at this guy, I just hung up!
Sorry this is so very long, but I just wanted people to be aware of this scam, since, on the surface of it, it does have a certain "legitimacy" about it. I hope none of you get taken, as I did.
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#4177311 - 10/04/15 07:25 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,113
KraziKanuK
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Veteran
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,113
Ottawa Canada
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Not just Dell as I had one of these calls supposedly from Microsoft. I told him thanks I would would have the problem looked into and hung up.
There was only 16 squadrons of RAF fighters that used 100 octane during the BoB. The Fw190A could not fly with the outer cannon removed. There was no Fw190A-8s flying with the JGs in 1945.
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#4177318 - 10/04/15 07:59 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 7,033
komemiute
Hell Drummer
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Hell Drummer
Hotshot
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 7,033
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I got scammed by a Russian woman once. She ended up with four hundred of my euros.
But what a night.
EDIT: Now that I think of it, someone tried to scam me for some hundreds euros again in 2010...
I downloaded a legit freeware from a not so scrupulous website, that looked like another one. In my typical "yeah-ok-click-forward-yeahyeah-ok" I accidentally agreed on subscribing to the monthly download service (you wut mate?) of that website.
I ignored thoroughly everything they sent me, virtual and in paper form. It's a telltale when some "most important notice from our lawyers" come with regular mail and not with the "received mail- receipt" service (I have no idea what it's called in other countries). Anyway, that was a dodged bullet.
Last edited by komemiute; 10/04/15 08:05 PM.
"Himmiherrgottksakramentzefixhallelujah!" Para_Bellum
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"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands." Sauron
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#4177319 - 10/04/15 08:01 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 19,581
Raw Kryptonite
Beat the Kobayashi Maru
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Beat the Kobayashi Maru
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 19,581
MS
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An older couple I help out sometimes got taken this way, but they charged them for $400. It wasn't as bad as it could have been though, they didn't have malware on the pc, it was just a random call. What they did was, in a sense, what they claimed--scanning for malware. Everything they used I was familiar with as freeware.
They got them to connect via TeamViewer. Free, nothing wrong with it. They ran CCleaner, which will make even a clean install look like there's malware all over if you don't know what you're looking at. This is also free. A couple of other basic scanners.
The scam was charging a ridiculous amount, using freeware, and contacting them to scare them into the "service". They asked me about and then contacted their credit card to stop payment. The people called the a bunch of times after that threatening legal action, but of course it was all talk since they were scam artists.
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#4177320 - 10/04/15 08:03 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 12,105
Chucky
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 12,105
UK
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When I got my first call from the so-called 'Microsoft Technicians' I didn't twig straight away.Long before they got access to my machine alarm bells started ringing and I ended the call.A quick Google and all was revealed.
Now I just play with them when they ring,which can be quite often.Had 2 last week so I booted up my spare laptop running Linux.However,that no longer seems to faze them as they still wanted me to connect to their crappy web-site and download a Linux version.
They have no problem getting rude and aggressive hence why I learned a few choice words in Hindi that they will definitely understand.
Last edited by Chucky; 10/04/15 08:05 PM.
EV's are the Devils matchbox.
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#4177374 - 10/04/15 11:01 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,585
coasty
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,585
Asheville, NC, USA
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I contacted intuit QuickBooks support Friday and they asked for permission to remotely access my computer. This all started when I installed Windows 10 recently and that messed up the email capability of sending email statements to my customers. I read online numerous accounts of the same problem and others worse. The service man I spoke with showed me literally thousands of problems in my 4 year old Asus. He and 2 others worked for 10 hours, some of which they had ccleaner, malware bites, and other programs working, so I am fairly certain they were legit. the 3 year contract is $399, but my computer is vastly faster, and free of many glitches that I was just tolerating. I hope it is not a scam. so far it seems much improved.
Have you seen the Arrow? WWW
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#4177376 - 10/04/15 11:06 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,585
coasty
Senior Member
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,585
Asheville, NC, USA
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I was facing replacing my 2012 QuickBooks pro with the 2015 version which still has much online forum traffic proclaiming the PDF converters are not working with Win 10. All that risk for $299 and no guarantee it would work. Plus they unsubscribed me from trend Micro, which they claim was part of the trouble, and got back the $98 dollars I had just paid to continue service.
Have you seen the Arrow? WWW
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#4177385 - 10/04/15 11:35 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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**DONOTDELETE**
Unregistered
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oselisan
Unregistered
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I have always been very careful to the point that there was never an instance when a scam almost had me.
Except for one. Maybe it is good that I share this in case anyone is desperately trying to get a room in central London.
The scam goes like this: A room is posted located in a very desirable place in london. Once you contact the owner for details, the owner will tell you that she is in the U.S. (NY or whatever as an intern or on vacation) and she wants you to take care of the place. Since she's in New York, the keys will be sent to you via mail. She will warn you not to go to the place as it will be locked. The moment you express interest, a professional looking form of lease will be sent to you requesting payment be sent to her attorney in Texas. Included in the message is also a picture of her passport.
Also as a come on, she will suggest that once she comes back, "we could have fun" or something. This is the point where I started to become suspicious. The scam fell apart when I tried to search for her attorney. The instructions for wiring the money included the scammer's real name. Immediately, there are pending cases of fraud including complaints in websites.
That was the closest I got to getting scammed. Still pissed off about it because usually my sense is very acute that it never gets to that point of involvement.
After that, whenever I inquire about a room and there's a very tempting sexy reply by the female owner suggesting "if things go well maybe we can have fun", I immediately drop it.
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#4177392 - 10/05/15 12:04 AM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: ]
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Nixer
Scaliwag and Survivor
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Scaliwag and Survivor
Veteran
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,301
Living with the Trees
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This stuff just requires a little common sense and a touch of paranoia doesn't hurt a bit either.
If it's too good to be true, it ain't.
Censored
Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4177820 - 10/05/15 09:02 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: Dunolde]
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 850
toonces
Member
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Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 850
Honolulu, Hawaii
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I'm really worried about the OP's computer since the hackers/scammers had access to it. You really need to get that thing virus scanned by a legitimate software or even a computer technician that you can trust.
"A week or even a month for someone basically saying "shucks, this is pants" maybe. But their banhammer only has the forever setting. Gotta set phasers to stun for the localization of female undergarments, not kill yo." - Frederf
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#4177823 - 10/05/15 09:12 PM
Re: Has anyone else been scammed?
[Re: komemiute]
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 11,752
Vertigo1
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 11,752
Zeta Aquilae System
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I got scammed by a Russian woman once. She ended up with four hundred of my euros.
But what a night. Does your wife know about that?
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." - Groucho Marx
“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” -Milton Friedman
Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat
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