Virus Scams

Good morning, and welcome back to Fraud Fridays! Today's is a long one, but well worth the read.

We will be informing you about Virus Scams.

How it Starts: You're using your computer when out of the blue a "virus," "infection," or "suspicious connection," warning pops up on your screen. It will probably use a variety of "technical-sounding phrases" to tell you that there's a problem. That you are at risk for all kinds of scary consequences ("computer damage," "data corruption", etc.). You may see several pop-ups. This can also be coupled with a "blue screen" or other colorful text and images, claiming there is a problem with your computer.

Alongside these scary visuals, you may hear the voice of a man or woman saying anything along the lines of "urgent, you are at risk, call immediately," etc. Some of these scams even feature a siren sound effect.

Don't believe it!

This is a scam, pure and simple. These messages and sounds are all designed to scare you, make you leave your common sense aside, and intimidate you into calling that number.

The message on your screen will probably have an "OK" button. When you click it, the pop-up closes and then immediately reopens the alert, making you feel trapped. Reinforcing the illusion that you have only one option, to call that number.

DO NOT FALL FOR IT. Just because your computer screen says there's a problem, doesn't make it true.

What happens if you call?

You will reach someone who will claim to be able to help you. Everything they say is designed to move you through their agenda. They will convince you through any means necessary. This often includes the claim that they work for Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.

They will attempt to convince you that there is a problem with your computer, which there isn't. (Yes, it's possible that your computer might have some infections, but calling a stranger on the phone is not the way to deal with them. Trust me.)

If you agree and pay them, probably anywhere from $40 to $200 by credit card, they will pretend to "fix" the "problems," but they are most likely installing software that may monitor your activities and steal your money, identity, and passwords instead. In essence, you'll be paying them to infect your computer, and in the long run this may cost you far more than the charge for just this "fix."

If you refuse, they may try to lock you out of your computer until you pay them.

Signs that this is a scam:

-You can't tell where this "alert" came from, it is intentionally vaguely phrased. If you have antivirus or antimalware software (and you remember what it's called), wouldn't that software identify itself? If you don't have any protection software installed, why would a protection alert appear?

-You are feeling pressured and rushed and trapped into calling that number.

-You have no idea who you are calling. Why are you trusting your computer to a complete stranger?

-The person you speak to is vague, manipulative, and doesn't explain what is going on.

-You can hear that they're in a large room with other people handling similar calls.

What to do instead of calling that number?

DO NOT CALL THAT NUMBER! Do anything else instead.

-Stop.

-Take a breath.

-Don't panic.

-If you're hearing an urgent voice or siren from the computer, turn your volume or speakers off.

-Look at what is actually going on: You are probably looking at a web site. There is some text on the screen. Your browser might be "stuck" in an alert. That's it. Nothing is going to explode, no one's going to die.

-Don't believe anything it says on the screen, no matter how convincing or authoritative it sounds.

-Try to terminate the web browser. (red 'x' in corner, Alt+F4, or Task Manager [Ctrl+Shift+Esc])

-Try to restart the computer or try powering it off and on again.

-If yours is a newer computer, it might have a very clever setting that "remembers" exactly what you had open (programs, documents, web sites) when you turned it off, so that when you turn it back on again, it reopens everything just the way it was. Unfortunately, in this instance that's exactly what you don't want, since you may end up stuck in that fake "virus" alert all over again.

-Try a different web browser.

-If you can't figure out how to get out of that alert, contact someone you trust to help you, or get a recommendation from someone you trust. Try to be patient, this may take a little time to fix.

What should you do if you did call that number and let a stranger get into your computer?

-Hang up immediately. There is no need to be polite or explain yourself.

-Immediately shut down your computer. You may have to do this forcibly with the physical power button. This will terminate the remote connection immediately.

-Turn your computer back on.

-If you find that you're still stuck in that fake "virus" alert, contact someone you trust to help you, or get a recommendation from someone you trust. Have that trusted person check your computer for infections and malware.

-If you authorized a payment to that stranger on the phone, immediately call your financial institution. Report that you were scammed. Your bank will give you next steps to dispute the charges.

-Don't beat yourself up about this. Anyone can be fooled, especially if they're taken by surprise with just the right phrasing in just the right moment. Yes, I have also been fooled from time to time.

-Learn from this. Next time the scam may present itself in a more sophisticated way--Better phrased text, better graphics, a more-targeted pitch. They might even use the name of someone you know and trust.

Where to go from here:

-Be skeptical.

-Don't believe everything you read on your computer screen.

-Don't give strangers access into your computer.

-Only work with people you trust or recommended by someone you trust.

-Keep your computer's operating system and antivirus/security software up to date.

-Google "Scareware" and/or "fake virus alert" for more information.

If you read until the end here, thank you very much. Whenever we are covering computer scams, we like to be as thorough as able. Though we are no longer in the Wild Web Era of the internet, fraud is running rampant. This will remain the case as long as ne'er-do-wells, and the internet, exist.

In 2020, more than $4.2 Billion was stolen from Americans by Cybercrime fraudsters, according to the FBI. This was a 20% increase from 2019. In 2021, we lost $5.6 Billion to online fraudsters. A 32% increase from 2020. Fraudsters have been trying even harder this year.

This is all just to say, be vigilant when online. Vigilance and caution are what will keep you from adding to the above statistics. Thank you very much and have a wonderful Friday!