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  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 27, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Microsoft, , ,   

    Tips to detect the tech support scam 

    Tips to detect the tech support scam

    By Greg Collier

    Yesterday, we discussed how the jury duty is one of the most common and well-known scams, yet it still continues to find victims. Today’s scam is another scam like that, and it’s the tech support scam. This is where you’re using your computer and an invasive message pops up saying that your computer has been compromised.

    These pop up messages can even prevent you from closing any windows or shutting down your computer. The messages claim to be from some well-known tech company like Microsoft or McAfee and that you need to call them right now at the number they’ve provided. However, the customer service number provided is a fake, and instead leads you to scammers posing as one of these companies. Before you know it, you’ve lost thousands of dollars to a scammer for some phony service you didn’t need to begin with.

    A woman from Baltimore almost fell for one of these scams. She states that a message that appeared to come from Microsoft popped up on her husband’s Google Chromebook. This should have been a red flag that this was a scam, but not everyone knows the ins and outs of computer operating systems. If you’re using a Chromebook that runs Google’s Chrome OS, then why is Microsoft, who make Windows 10 and 11, letting you know about a problem on a competitor’s system? The same would go for an Apple Computer. Microsoft would not tell you about a problem on your iMac or MacBook.

    Getting back to the story, the woman called the number and was told to download an app that would let the phony technical support rep have remote access to her computer. This is another giant red flag. Letting anyone you don’t know personally have access to your computer is always a bad idea. This allows bad actors to go through all the personal files on your computer. Much of this information can be used in identity theft or selling your identity to identity thieves.

    The scammer then told her that there was fraudulent activity on the woman’s bank account and that she needed to move her money to avoid further fraud. She was then asked for the customer service number from the back of her debit card and that the phony rep was going to connect her to her bank and help her move the money. Of course, the bank rep was just another scammer. It wasn’t until the woman was asked to send a copy of her driver’s license when she said she felt uncomfortable and terminated the call. Luckily, she didn’t lose any money.

    If you think about it, even the pop-up messages that overtake your screen are a tip off to a scam. Real word hacks and viruses are designed to be undetected. It’s their purpose to remain as hidden as possible to collect as much information as possible or cause as much damage as possible before being detected.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Microsoft, , , ,   

    Tech support scam costs victims hundreds of thousands of dollars 

    Tech support scam costs victims hundreds of thousands of dollars

    By Greg Collier

    If you’re tech-savvy, you may think to yourself, how can anyone fall for a tech support scam, especially one that involves pop-ups? In the past, pop-up windows were such a nuisance that most modern browsers come with pop-up blockers. Today, we hardly even think about pop-ups. However, if we do come across one, we largely ignore them and never go to that website ever again, as it could be providing false information or trying to inject malware into your system. Unfortunately, not everyone is that technically inclined, and those are the people that scammers are preying on. It might not be so bad if the scammers were only taking a few dollars, but these con artists are taking money from people in the six-figures.

    There’s not a lot of information on this story, but we imagine this is how it happened. A woman from Ohio saw a pop-up on her computer. It probably said that her computer had been hacked and left a phone number for her to call. The scammers posed as her bank and was told her bank account had been compromised. In order to protect the funds, she was told to give the person on the phone remote access to her computer. She was also instructed to move money from her IRA to a checking account. After it was all over, the scammers had stolen close to $300,000 from her.

    In Lincoln, Nebraska, a man fell for a similar scam. He also received a pop-up that said his bank account had been hacked and gave a number for him to call. This time, the scammer posed as a Microsoft employee. Again, the man was asked to give remote access to his computer. He was also instructed to move his money to another account, an account that scammers had access to. The man was even instructed not to discuss the matter with police. The scammers took just a little over $200,000 from him.

    Let’s just say that these two instances were committed by the same group of scammers. By just finding two people who fell for their scam, they were able to collect half a million dollars. Scammers don’t need to fool everyone, just a handful of victims.

    If you know someone who may be vulnerable to this scam, please let them know that this isn’t how their devices work. If they see a message that says they’ve been hacked, that message has definitely been sent by scammers. Also, they should never call any phone numbers attached to these pop-ups, as they’ll always connect you to a scammer. Last;y, they should never give anyone remote access to their device, unless it’s that one family member who fixes everyone’s computer.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 17, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Microsoft, ,   

    Keeping secrets for scammers 

    Keeping secrets for scammers

    By Greg Collier

    A man from Indiana recently fell victim to a tech support scam. A pop-up appeared on his computer that said his computer had been compromised, and he needed to call Microsoft at the attached phone number. However, the phone number didn’t actually go to Microsoft. Instead, it went to a call center run by scammers posing as Microsoft technicians. They told the man his computer had been hacked. The disturbing part was that the scammers knew what bank the man used and the last four digits of his bank account. The scammers used this knowledge to convince the man that his bank account was in danger, and he needed to move his money to protect it. The man was instructed to go to his bank and wire transfer his money to a bank account set up by the scammers. In total, the man lost $79,000 to the scammers.

    To get around any suspicions the bank may have had regarding the large transfer of funds, the scammers instructed the man to tell the bank that he was starting a business with his daughter in Thailand. As more people become aware of scams, scammers will come up with lies for their victims to try to avoid detection. We have seen this ploy used in several different scams. Sometimes it’s the phony grandchild telling a grandparent not to tell the rest of the family they need bail money. Other times it can be a fake police officer threatening a victim with arrest and giving victims the lie to tell a store employee if they get suspicious about why the victim is buying so many gift cards. Often, banks, stores, and money transfer companies are aware of many of these scams and will ask probing questions to try to rescue victims from a scam. Anytime you need to make an emergency financial transaction and someone asks you to keep quiet about it, the odds are you’re being scammed.

    As far as tech support scams go, virtually no legitimate company will tell you to call them through a pop-up window. Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Facebook tend to discourage end users from trying to call them. Also, you should never call any phone number that appears on a pop-up window, as it’s almost guaranteed to lead you to a scammer. If you really feel the need to try to call the company mentioned, don’t just use the first phone number that comes up in a web search, as they can be scam numbers as well. Only use phone numbers you get directly from the source, such as a company’s official website. Lastly, you should never let anyone you don’t know to have remote access to your device.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 22, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Microsoft, , ,   

    Your Microsoft license is not expiring 

    Your Microsoft license is not expiring

    Last week, we discussed how Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system was no longer going to be supported with security updates. While not upgrading would leave your computer vulnerable to attacks ultimately, it’s not the end of the world. Unless you didn’t back up your files. Not surprisingly, scammers are using such an innocuous opportunity to try to trick you into paying them for services that don’t exist, giving up control of your computer, or giving them personal or financial information. They’re also doing this by disguising themselves as Microsoft employees to try to gain your trust.

    This scam is a variation of the tech support scam but they’re using the concern about Windows 7 no longer being supported to scare you into believing whatever they have to say. Scammers will call people at random posing as Microsoft employees telling them that their Microsoft license is about to expire. They’ll offer several solutions on how to fix this non-existent problem. They’ll either ask you to pay them to ‘renew’ the license or they’ll ask you for remote access of your computer. The remote access will give them entry into your computer that will allow them to either go through your personal files or possibly install ransomware or malware.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuBqn1f9uKc%5D

    Once you purchase a computer that comes with Windows or have purchased a copy of Windows from either Microsoft or an authorized vendor, you’ve already paid for the license. There is no annual license renewal or any additional fees like that. That’s not even taking into account that Microsoft never calls any of its users. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook or any other large company to tell you that something is wrong with your device, hang up. They are never who they say they are and do not have your best interest in mind.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 2, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Microsoft,   

    Data breach exposed most American families 

    Data breach exposed most American families

    This past week, a data breach was discovered that could have put the personal information of 80 million American families at risk. Internet security experts discovered an unprotected database that was hosted in the cloud included names, ages, and genders as well as income levels and marital status. What’s even more concerning is that it’s unknown who the database belongs to. It’s been theorized that it may belong to an insurance or mortgage company.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt-Mf8W-Zlg%5D

    Every person in the database is said to be over the age of 40 which could potentially put seniors at risk not only for identity theft but phishing scams as well. There’s no evidence to suggest that cybercriminals accessed the database. However, the information could have been publicly accessible for months. Experts believe that the information provided in the database could also be used to launch ransomware attacks against people listed in the database.

    The server that the database was stored on was a Microsoft cloud server but it’s up to the database’s owner to make sure the database is encrypted. Microsoft has contacted the owner of the database and it has since been removed from public access. With the number of data breaches becoming more frequent every day have we reached a point where we should just expect our data to become exposed?

     

  • Geebo 10:01 am on December 26, 2017 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Microsoft, Newsweek,   

    Do tech companies foster a culture of human trafficking? 

    Do tech companies foster a culture of human trafficking?

    Before being lambasted by Congress for their alleged roles in the Russian ad scandal, many tech giants like Google opposed an amendment to the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that would allow the prosecution of websites that hosted obvious ads for sex trafficking. After their PR disaster in Congress, many tech firms reversed their position and supported the amendment, but why did they oppose it in the first place?

    A number of arguments against the amendment from tech companies was because they felt they might get caught up unfairly in prosecution. Could another reason be that some of these companies foster a culture where sex trafficking is not only tolerated but encouraged? Now, it’s not being said that the heads of these companies have some kind of unspoken rule where they will look the other way if their employees are caught engaging in sec trafficking, however there does seem to be a belief among the male employees of many of these companies that sex trafficking is not only acceptable but they also allegedly get together to compare notes about it.

    Newsweek recently broke a story where they allege that in the Seattle area many employees of both Amazon and Microsoft were caught allegedly engaging in behavior at local illegal brothels where Asian women were being trafficked. Some of these employees were said to have spent anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 a year in these brothels. The employees were even said to have communicated with these brothels while using their company emails.

    While both Amazon and Microsoft condemn these activities, if there is this cavalier attitude towards the trafficking of women in these companies who’s to say there aren’t similar attitudes in other tech companies in other regions of the country? With the slew of accusations of sexual harassment in Silicon Valley recently, could there also be an environment where brothels are frequented where women who can barely speak English are being kept against their wills. If the Seattle allegations are any indication then the answer seems to be yes.

     

  • Geebo 11:04 am on July 13, 2017 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Microsoft   

    Microsoft wants to bring broadband internet to rural areas 

    Microsoft wants to bring broadband internet to rural areas

    If you’ve ever lived in a rural or remote area, you probably know how difficult it can be to get internet service to your home. In many cases, your only options are satellite internet, which is prohibitively expensive, or dial-up internet, which should be classified as crime against humanity. It’s even worse if you have children who need the internet to do school work, or if you’re looking for employment. Without broadband internet, it puts people in rural areas at an educational and financial disadvantage. Enter Microsoft. Microsoft, in a coalition with other foundations are working on perfecting a technology that could bring broadband internet to many people who currently can’t access it.

    When TV broadcasters switched from analog to digital signals, it left swaths of open space in the radio spectrum. Some of those frequencies can be used to deliver broadband internet over the air. While this idea has been proposed before, Microsoft seems to be going full steam ahead. Users of the service would need a special antenna and a special modem required to receive the signal and provide wi-fi to the home. Microsoft says they have no intention of becoming an ISP, but would rather perfect the technology before equipping providers with it.

    While this all sounds great, there are of course industries opposed to this technology. Broadcasters are afraid the internet signal might interfere with their transmissions. Industries that use wireless sound equipment are afraid of interference as well. That’s not even taking existing internet service providers into account. A lot of industries are very protective of their current technologies and business models. Anything that can be seen as a disruption to either of those things will almost always result in legal battles. Years ago, the city of Philadelphia tried providing municipal broadband to its citizens. To combat losing business, Verizon heavily lobbied the state of Pennsylvania to limit municipal broadband and they won. Philly never received municipal broadband and Verizon and Comcast now have a duopoly over The City of Brotherly Love. If broadcasters and ISPs were to use their deep pockets to lobby Congress we may never see this technology get off the ground.

     

  • Geebo 9:01 am on July 7, 2017 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Microsoft, OneDrive, Skype,   

    Microsoft takes a page out of Photobucket’s book with updates for Skype and OneDrive 

    Microsoft takes a page out of Photobucket's book with updates for Skype and OneDrive

    Microsoft seems to have taken a page out of Photobucket’s book on how to make customers angry with updates to two of their most popular services. The first isn’t so bad, the second is pretty bad.

    The first problem is with Microsoft’s update to OneDrive, their cloud-based storage system. Microsoft now no longer allows users to store their OneDrive folder on non-NTFS devices. That means you can’t store your OneDrive folder on most external devices such as flash drives without formatting the drives to Microsoft’s proprietary file system. Here’s the difference between NTFS and the other popular file system, FAT32.

    As the video says, NTFS is more secure, but FAT is more universally accepted. The other problem is once you format a device to NTFS, it’s a chore to reformat the device back to FAT. Like Photobucket, Microsoft didn’t warn anybody about this update and just flipped the switch at their discretion. Microsoft is famous for trying to get customers locked into proprietary formats that are Microsoft exclusive. They’ll probably claim they made the change for security purposes but many people find their external devices formatted with FAT32 to be more convenient.

    Then there’s Skype. Skype was originally a desktop-only application that allowed users to make video calls to each other on their computers. When it debuted in 2003, it was considered groundbreaking. Microsoft acquired Skype back in 2011. In more recent years, Skype became an app that can be used on any Android or iOS device. Skype was great because it did what exactly what it was supposed to do, –it made voice and video calls and that was it. With its most recent update Microsoft added humorous filters and a Highlights section. If that sounds a lot like Snapchat, that’s because it is. It’s basically a straight up rip-off from Snapchat. These new features on Skype are being referred to as fixing something that wasn’t broken. Skype’s lack of features was its biggest selling point. Much like Photobucket again, Microsoft is responding to the complaints by thanking customers for their ‘input’.

    Oh well, at least they didn’t try to charge people $400.

     

  • Geebo 12:24 pm on October 27, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Microsoft, Surface, trade-in   

    Microsoft fires shot across the bow at Apple with trade-in offer 

    Microsoft fires shot across the bow at Apple with trade in offer

    Recently, Microsoft unveiled new models of their Surface line of devices and then threw down the gauntlet against rival company Apple. The folks from Redmond are offering $650 for you to trade in your MacBook for a new Surface device. This is a perfect time for Microsoft to strike with an offer like this. Not only has it been a very long time since Apple released any new MacBooks, but when Apple released the last MacPro, a lot of long time Apple users jumped ship to much more powerful Windows machines that could also be upgraded.

    Of course, not every MacBook will be accepted for trade in. You can’t trade in a MacBook with a busted screen and a frayed charger. Microsoft has set the following rules for MacBooks that are eligible for trade ins…

    Must be fully functional
    Battery must hold charge and not be required to be plugged in to operate
    Must not have any damaged, broken, or missing components
    Cannot have been modified and warranty seal must be intact
    Cannot be password protected
    Must come with original chargers and accessories

    You can trade in your old MacBook that meet the requirements at a Microsoft store or at Microsoft.com but hurry, you only have until November 7th, or as they say, while supplies last.

     

  • Geebo 10:02 am on July 26, 2016 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Microsoft, , ,   

    Yahoo: What could have been 

    Yahoo: What could have been

    Yesterday it was announced that Yahoo has been purchased by communications giant Verizon for $4 billion. While that may seem like a fair price for the aging internet icon, it pales in comparison to what might have been for Yahoo.

    Although hindsight is 20/20 Yahoo has made some financial decisions that even through the looking-glass of history seem questionable. For example, Yahoo had the chance to buy Google twice. In 1998, Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin were trying to sell their company, that would later become Google, for $1M. Both AltaVista and Yahoo turned them down. In 2002 Yahoo entered into negotiations to purchase Google but walked away from Google’s asking price of $5B. In 2008, Microsoft sought to purchase Yahoo for upwards of $40B. Once again, Yahoo walked away from the deal. However, the question has to be asked, if Yahoo did purchase Google, what’s to say that they still wouldn’t be a floundering tech company today? Not to mention we’d be without a lot of Google services that many of us rely upon today. If history is any indicator, Yahoo would more than likely find themselves in the same situation they’re currently in.

    The news isn’t all bad for Yahoo though, at least not as far as Verizon sees it. Verizon already owns another massive tech property in AOL. While the AOL brand may not have the same punch it once did it still has such properties under its banner as TechCrunch and the Huffington Post. Business Insider purports that with the addition of Yahoo to its portfolio, Verizon could have a bigger web network than both Google and Facebook. That may not be hyperbole since Yahoo was once the most visited website in the world and still holds a place in the top ten.

     

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