Wok & Roll by Peter Kwong, (Frederic) Inter-County Leader
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When we were living in Milwaukee, I made the mistake of downloading some “free” movies a friend told me about. The movies weren’t any good to start with, but then the troubles began.
I started to have these sites appearing on my computer, prompting me to sign up for different services, games or programs in which I had no desire to participate. As in a miracle, a message popped up and told me that my computer was infected by all these pop-up messages, and by calling the number they provided, they could help me “clean” my computer.
Being a “computer dummy,” I did call the number, and a guy with an Indian accent offered to help me fix my problems for free. Yes, free. What a gentleman indeed.
In order to clean my computer, he said he had to get inside my computer to find out where the virus is rooted. Having no sense of “common sense,” I gave him my password, my code and whatever. So, the arrow on the screen went up and down for a few minutes. The problem was fixed, no more pop-ups, but little did I know that I just drank a cup of poison to quench my thirst.
A few weeks later, a screen from the FBI popped up, stating that I was using my computer for some illegal activities, and the computer was blocked from further activities unless I paid a fine. I would have to go to get $350 money orders and send them to a special address. Until then, my computer was frozen, so to speak.
I took the computer to Best Buy, and they claimed that there was nothing they could do. Best to do then was to buy a new computer, and to download all the programs I already had; and just drop the old computer and move forward. I reluctantly did; and do you think I learned from that?
Life has been good since moving up here to the Northwoods, but then trouble began again.
No, I did not download any “free” movies or anything free. However, friends and families sent me emails and websites to read about certain messages, which I gladly obliged. Troubles began again when a screen kept popping up that said my computer was infected by a virus. I would be watching a movie on YouTube, and the screen would constantly be interrupted by different messages.
The worst part came later with a warning message from Microsoft Technical Support, saying that my account was infected, and my personal data with any financial information or Social Security number could easily be stolen. In order to protect my personal data, I should call a toll-free number.
Mumbling, “Why me, why now,” I reluctantly called the number on the screen just to hear a guy with an Indian accent again, saying, “Hello, this is George from Microsoft Technical Support, how can I help you.” After I told “George” my problems, he said joyfully, “No problem, we can easily fix that for $99.95.” The nightmare from Milwaukee surfaced immediately.
“So George,” I asked, “who do you work for?” I was curious. “Microsoft Technical Support, sir,” he answered. “And just where is your office?” I persisted. “It is in Washington, sir.” “What is the address, may I ask?” “Yes, 1668 South Washington Ave., sir.” “Great,” I said, “and what is the ZIP code?” “ZIP code, sir?” I could sense that he was puzzled. “Yes, the ZIP code of the state.” Then he blurted out, “It is 92642, sir.”
I lived in California for a while, and their ZIP code starts with 9. Without wasting any more of my time, I just hung up on him.
With an infected computer, what to do? I still live in the Stone Age, and I use the computer for just a few functions — check my daily emails, Word for writing and Excel for composing charts. That’s it!
To not be able to use my computer would drive me crazy, it is like my connection with the outside world has been cut off. A good friend from the Inter-County Leader (the local paper) suggested that I take the computer to EasyITGuys down the street from their downtown St. Croix Falls office and have them take a look. I did, and I was most impressed with their expertise and their attitude on customer service.
I met with Josh, one of the technical support team, and he took the time time to let me know what the problems of my computers were, what I needed to do, and most important, what to do so it won’t happen again. Again, living in the Stone Age, any information is great information. Here is a recap on his advice, thought you would be interested.
1) What kind of viruses are there in the market?
- Malware, Adware — they steal information from you. When you click onto an ad or check an email with an attachment, they can plant a program in your computer.
- Microsoft and other pop-ups — they look legitimate, prompting you to call a certain number, just to suck you into their systems.
2) What do pop-ups do?
- They slow down your computer, create redirects — with web pages and advertising.
- Steal information — either transfer your information or encrypt your information, through “free” movies or websites.
3) How to prevent/fix them?
- Do not download anything.
- Get an anti-virus program.
There are a lot of criminals sitting by the phone every day to find ways to take advantage of innocent folks.
I had a gentleman who read my column tell me his mother was taken for a ride with the “Grandma, I am in jail and I need help” scheme. After grandma sent in the money to bail him out, a call from the “attorney” came right afterward and asked for more money. Grandma did, and guess what, she would never see her money or “grandson” again.
Josh from EasyITGuys told me a lot about preventive maintenance on how to keep your computer safe and sound. It is just the peace of mind. I like what he said, “ If you want to hire a bodyguard to protect you, would you hire someone who would dodge the bullet that comes your way, or someone who would actually take the bullet for you?” I like that.
