Hello people of the west coast! We’re back with a fall article, with hopefully more to come on a bi-weekly basis. With Black Friday over and cyber sales in full effect, we hope everyone is finding the computer/electric devices that suit their personal/workplace needs.
This month we’d like to point out an apparent increase in scammer activity. Whether it be via phone calls, email, or those super loud and flashy scam pages that flash up while browsing the internet, there has been no end to them these past few month’s! Some of these examples may seem quite ridiculous (they are), but these people will simply keep calling hundreds, to thousands of individuals until they get the select few that will follow their instructions.
We’ve spent years advising our customers on scam prevention. In many cases however, its only AFTER someone has let someone into their personal computer, or given a voice over the phone their banking credentials. If you or a loved one has let an unknown person into their personal computer, be sure you have someone with the technical know-how reset your device (and back up your data!).
If you have made payments for computer “services” (the most common being “lifelong” virus protections services) costing upwards of $500 or more, make sure you make contact with your bank or credit card company ASAP. Charges can be canceled, but only if you refute them in a timely manner. This usually being within a thirty day time period. Charges are easier to get removed if they are done with a credit card, rather then debit or direct cash orders from your bank account.
It’s best if we never get to this step in the first place, but people are either getting craftier with their lie’s, or using the same exact methods that have been working for years. The old methods via phone and email are still used today and haven’t changed much. The individual will talk like a machine repeating a set recorded message. If challenged or asked to provide BASIC information to prove themselves, it often ends in immediate disconnect. That or they will simply repeat the same lines over and over, for whatever reason believing you wont question it, after the third or fourth time…
The most ridiculous one’s we receive are people claiming to be from the IRS. It’s the same every time, read from a script. The scammer will claim to be from the IRS, and that you have outstanding tax payments yet to be made.
If you try to question this charge, they will simply get incredibly aggressive. You will be threatened with jail time, and an immediate visit from the police if you refuse…to pay your fine with gift cards or money orders from the local Walmart. The reason they will ask for this method of payment is simple. If you give these individuals cash or gift cards, that money is gone for good. Unless they are caught in the act, you wont be able to refute the charge, or get your money back. Also as a bonus, you will be ordered to not hang up the phone during all this, as doing so will result in an immediate arrest. This has proven to be fun for our customers who answer with a land line telephone.
This is an example of one of the more extreme lies scammers give. Many people do recognize this as a ridiculous lie, and you would be forgiven for thinking there is no way anybody could fall for this sort of thing, but it happens everyday. The people behind the scam are typically targeting the elderly and retired. They will call hundred’s of people a day until they get the one or two that will pay them out of fear and confusion. Brooking’s being a retiree town, has seen more than its fair share of this.
Other methods are a bit more subtle however, and people are much more susceptible during certain situations. A scammer usually depends on luck of the draw. They prepare a script, and read it to you (or send it via email, malicious website, etc). A common one that’s easy to mistake is a fake Amazon notice. Almost everyone makes purchases from Amazon. So it is very easy for any stranger to call you up and pretend to be an official representative. Again, fairly easy to question why they would (and they will) ask you for things like your credit card information or social security number.
These things are sometimes used to confirm your identity though, so it’s a bit easier to slip up and volunteer this information. If an individual is undergoing a time of heavy stress, or simply tired from a day’s work, thoughts are less directed towards “hey this is bull$%?! “. Instead it becomes closer to “gotta get this sorted out now and go watch Netflix/sleep/stress over college loans/where is Mr Fluffles?!”
It’s not just Amazon either. We’ve noticed plenty of scam pages and emails pop up, claiming to be from Spectrum, the leading internet provider in this area. They will pretend to be from Netflix, one of the local banks, and any other popular business chain they think you have a possible connection with. Possibly one of the most irksome we hear from our customers, is the individuals who call claiming to be a grandson or granddaughter.
They knowingly call retired folks, and pretend to be a younger relative who is in jail for some small offense, and need grandma or grandpa to post bail. Fortunately most people can joke to me about this, and usually respond that they will give them as much as they need, if they can give them their brother or sister’s name. Again, these people pray they get a hold of someone who is advanced in age, and possibly not capable of making rational decisions on the spot. Some of these situations may seem like joke’s, but we have real life customers who have lost a depressing amount of their savings to the predatory actions of these types of people.
Anyway, in short, don’t call ANY numbers that pop up on your computer screen! Just shut the computer off. If someone calls asking for private information such as your social or banking information, challenge the individual if you aren’t sure. You can always verify this by hanging up and calling an official phone number you can look up from your current bill or statement or even in a phone book (just be careful you do a proper google search and get the proper website and information, you MUST be sure you are on the legit domain, googling can many times bring up numbers from FAKE tech support and back to scammers).
Don’t open emails from stranger’s or unknowns. Ever. Seriously don’t do it. It’s 2018 but it’s just as dangerous, if not worse then before security wise. Also check the email address you receive mail from if it seems off, or the individual is asking for money. Scammers WILL attempt to send you email addresses that are similar to people you might know or have listed in your contact list. If it looks weird, don’t open it.
That’s all will we cover for today, but don’t let any of this get in the way of enjoying the end of year holiday season! If you are in need of computer or smart device assistance/setup in the Brookings, Gold Beach, Smith River or Crescent City area’s, please give us a call at The Working Mouse! We wont charge to answer basic questions, especially if they are related to the subject of this article.
