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OMG!!! I think my Nanny just got scammed

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Tysonboss1

Joined
12 November 2007
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Hey Guys,

My Nanny has been receiving phone calls for about a week from some one who said they are from windows, and that they need credit card number plus online access to her computer to clear out "Error's and viruses".

I told Her to hang up on them, But today the called again and she cracked and gave them her details and allowed them to access her computer online.

Now I don't know what to do, she says they spent about 30 min playing with her computer over the net ( who knows what they have installed ) she still kind of believes it may be all above board, What should I do from here?

I have told her to turn off her computer and disconnect the internet.

Any suggestions on what to do, How can I clear any dodgy software they have loaded?

Has this happend to anyone else?
 
Every bank and finance company that provides credit cards has after hrs contact to block any usage of credit cards. The good ones even ring you when unusual transactions take place.

Get the valuable info from her computer and put it on an external hard drive. You may even have to use 'killdisk' to completely wipe the drive and start again.
 


Then buy a new one and change all passwords on all bank a/cs and tell her not to
be naughty again.
 
cogs said:
Every bank and finance company that provides credit cards has after hrs contact to block any usage of credit cards. The good ones even ring you when unusual transactions take place.
Click to expand...

Hey Bud,

We have contacted the bank to cancel the card and reverse the transaction they did.

But my worry now is that If she starts using her computor normally again all the software they installed will be running and they will still have access to her details and collect infomation.

I am not that tech savvy, How would I go about clearing her computor, Can I do it myself or should I get a professional to do it.
 
Unfortunately you will be required to format hard drive and reintall all the software.

I hope she has a backup of any data as backing up off the infected computer may just transfer the offending software to the new one.

Cheers
 
Tysonboss1 said:
I am not that tech savvy, How would I go about clearing her computor, Can I do it myself or should I get a professional to do it.
Click to expand...

TB,

You can do some research, but you can download a Live CD (any linux flavour) and use it to extract files you need to back up. You can also run antivirus software from the CD to check if they are infected. It is unlikely Windows based viruses and trojans will be able to infect Linux systems.

Unfortunately after backing up, the safest thing is to reformat the computer and reinstall Windows and all programs
 
Commiserations to your Nanny. It's an awful thing to have happened. I sent a warning mail about this relatively new scam to some of my more vulnerable contacts - and got several replies back, where those barstuds had tried the same scam. In one case, my warning came too late - and it cost the victim several $100 to clean the damage.

Cancelling the card and transactions is the first step. And certainly the right one.

But that's not all the guys did. They would have spent a good 30 minutes to locate all of Nanny's personal details - address, phone number, pictures, likely contacts of family and friends - to run amuck and "widen their client base" so to speak. Most likely, they'll also try to steal her identity. It may be a good idea to ring a Credit Agency and ask for their help - before Nanny gets a bad credit rating.

Then take the computer to a reputable security outfit and have them trace what might have been of interest to the scammers. Then get in touch with every potential new victim and warn them about what might come.

Anybody who receives a similar phone call: Tell the caller you're really busy right now and you will call them back. If they do give you a number, phone 131444 and hand matters over to the Police Crime Squad. But I'll bet long odds they won't give you their number; if they try to nail you down on a time they can call you back, just hang up - you'll know enough.
 
I had them call twice. I had heard about the scam so I simply kept asking them questions about who they were and where they were calling from and what was their number etc. They hung up after a few minutes. The second time I pretended to follow their instructions and they started to tell me they were contracted to Microsoft to fix viruses that Microsoft had detected on my Windows PC. It was all going well until they asked me to click on something on the top left corner of my screen. When I said the only thing on the top left corner was a picture of a little apple with a bite taken out of it, they hung up.

I would suggest getting professional help to clean up your PC if you don't know how to do it. If it is a very old PC, it might be worth looking at a new one, but be careful transferring files across.

If you know the date and time they were on line, you might be able to search on all files that were changed around that time. I don't know whether windows records when a file was looked at but not changed, but if so, that might help get some idea of what they may have found.
 
BTW, about 3 times in the last week I got emails saying my ANZ account was disabled and I needed to click on a link they gave to reactivate it. I obviously just deleted the note, particularly as I don't have an ANZ account.
 
Take the computer to a reputable computer repair shop. They will be able to check any activity that has happened on the computer. Also take the computer install disk and have a new install done.
All malicous files can be found and her text files can be saved.
 
Tyson

This is certainly a scam. They have been calling me for quite some time now and trying to coax me into signing up for their service. This has already been on the news and is in numerous forums. I like to call them the logmein123 scammers, as they use logmein123 as a VNC program in order to gain remote control of your machine.

Their M.O. is to convince you they are from a reputable company, like Microsoft, and allow them access to your machine. By doing so you give them complete control, and they basicaly have you by the balls. At that time, if you do not pay their signup fee of roughly $600 - $1000, they will begin to dismantle your machines software one by one - they run it on a trigger, so the moment you say "no", they run the script.

I have been messing with these people for a while. On so many occasions they get so frustrated with me that they end up cursing at me and hanging up.

Now; My advice to everyone is to never give remote access to anyone. If you do give them access, then your last contingency is to unplug your modem or ethernet cable. Do not attempt to disconnect regularly via windows interface as they will not allow you to do so, and are watching your every move. Yes, even mouse movements they can see....

In order to be 100% sure that you have removed all unwanted viruses or scripts, you will need to format the machine. A format is a technical term for wiping the storage device clean. Upon initiating such a plan, make sure you;

-Not connect to the internet upon your next login,
-Backup all important documents and files such as texts, spreadsheets music and films,
-Scan the backed up files for viruses, adware, spyware etc etc.

This will ensure no pertanent information is sent over the wire. Remember, these guys are scammers - if they had access to any important personal information pertaining to your business or personal details, they will use it for a profit.
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the suggestions,

The Guy is pretty Brazen, He even called me after I told her to disconnected the internet and told me to stop interferring and get her to switch the computer back on.

The PC is only 3 months old, We had her using Facebook and skype which she was loving, but now she is a bit upset.

Luckily we have all her photos and stuff backed up on a portable hard drive, So it won't be a problem to Format the computer.

I am a little bit proud of her though, we just spoke to her again and she had just taken it upon herself to call the police.
 
Apologies to those, who may read this too late.
It's the email I sent to my contacts when I first heard about this type of scam:
 
Hey Guys,

The portable Hard drive was attached to the computer at the time, Is this likely to be infected as well?
 
If it were me I would

1. Remove the hard drive and reinstall operating system on a new one.

or

2. Just buy her a new computer ($500 or so should do her nicely)


Just NOT worth the risk of letting the trojan they put onto her computer getting her other details.

Also, she is NOT to use the computer / internet until this is done

MW

PS a portable hard drive is about $60
 
Tysonboss1 said:
Hey Guys,

The portable Hard drive was attached to the computer at the time, Is this likely to be infected as well?
Click to expand...
It depends on the way it's formatted and being used.
If it's only a data disk, a Trojan may be difficult to hide and easy to detect.
But why take the risk? Like mw said, it may cost more than the $60 for a new disk, if you have a reputable virus sleuth investigate and give your old disk the All Clear. I would only do that if the data on that disk were valuable enough to wear the overhead.
 
Umm - Do not listen to the last post above me which describes buying a new machine, or buying a brand new hard drive.

If you are worried, then format the portable storage device before you use it to back up your documents. However, I find it hard to believe that there would be an "infection" within the portable drive. You may format the device if need be, but bare in mind the term "virus" does not mean it is an infectous biological organism.

Please refrain from internet use until the machine has undergone the propper procedure - You are more than able to use the computer as most data sending "trojans" require internet, and most viruses require execution.. At some point during the procedure, computer use is required "Trojan" is a name given to a certain style of virus that allows a "back door" to be opened. The name derives from the Mythological Trojan Horse.

There is absolutely no need to purchase a new hard drive, new computer or anything for that matter. There is no need to opt for exspensive anti viral programs. Only a simple "format" is required. Low Level formats, which are a procedure in which the entire hard drive is wiped, including boot information and BIOS is not needed in this case and is much too extreme for this issue.

Though I personally would not go through all that trouble. Once I back up all existing data into a blank portable storage device (which, mind you is BLANK), I would then proceed to format the original computer via a Windows instillation.

Remember, the portable device, even though was connected to the computer, is blank. There is nothing they would be able to upload to it in order to cause you havoc.

As a piece of advice, please make backups of your machine form time to time. This will make sure that in any unlikely event in which a machine may crash, your personal data is safe.

Tyson; You have very little to worry about. Their M.O. is to damage the machine by deleting important software to give the illusion of a virus. If they did put a virus on there, then it is a very simple matter of a full format. This is all quite common practice, and not reserved for emergencies.
 

You have two options TB.

Getting rid of her computer is one of them.

The other is to take an injunction out on Nanny forbidding her from any dealings with the public at large other than the exchange of small coin for her food or failings.

gg
 
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