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#31
So they havn't called back yet?
So they havn't called back yet?
Excellent, thanks Rick, that very handy tool zapped them OK. (In fact deleting the first seemed to get rid of the second too.) No TeamViewer entries in registry now.
Terry
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Eddie Doc said:
So they havn't called back yet?
Yes. The sequence was:
1. About 10:00, initial call, female. Assuming yet another scam call (I get several per week) told her not to call again and ended call.
2. Seconds later, male. Something along lines of "Mr Pinnell, we are calling you from Google Security Services and with urgent information and evidence that your computer is exposed to hackers and we need to resolve this not only for your security but to protect other users . This is not a sales call or anything like that and if you look at your screen you can see our credentials are legitimate...". Very rare for any scammer to know my name, so that kept me listening for long enough to hear the rest of the opening. And on seeing a small window pop up titled 'Google Security Services' that kept me listening. But upon my request that he give me his name and phone number so that I could call right back to confirm his credentials he transferred me to his manager with some comments about urgency etc. (With hindsight I should have ended the call right there...). The manager/supervisor then kept me on for an hour or so, as described in my previous posts. When he got to quoting the fee scale I said I'd think about it (intending to do the obvious research) and it was then that he said he'd call back after 14:00. That's when I posted here.
3. He called back at about 13:45. I told him to call again in half an hour or so as I was having lunch.
4. He called back at about 14:10.
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They're certainly persistent! I emailed him yesterday expressing concern that there might be have been an implied threat during his phone call) and had this reply, followed up by another phone call!
Good Morning Mr. Pinnel,
I just like to inform you that we are a legitimate company. Without your
permission we cannot control your device because if we need to control your
computer, we have to call you to run TeamViewer software, when you will
share your Teamviewer ID & Password with us, then only it is possible for
us to control your device with your permission. This is the way of a
genuine company.
But the trouble is those hackers, they don't need your permission to
control your device. Any time they can control it, even without your
knowledge.
As we installed Security, Software & Services yesterday on your Network
through your device, those hackers they cannot stop your device now. But
the trouble is, they can access your all of the devices including your iPad
& iPhone and all of your personal accounts and all the password also.
There is only one way, we can stop them, which is, we have to install new
Network licence & Certificate to bring the permanent solution by protecting
you devices & your identity(Personal Accounts).
My duty is to show you the problems and tell you the best suggestion, which
I did. Rest you have to decide. After all, these all are your devices, your
personal accounts, your identity and the money is also your's, which you
have to spend to protect yourself.
Thanks,
Team Ridhima
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I'm obviously not composing my replies correctly. How do I simply post a new one? The above seems to have become a series of 'updates' to an earlier quoted reply. I see only three options:
Quote, Quote+, or just start typing in this Quick Reply box. Where is something like 'Send new post to thread'? Like Eddie Doc's post earlier?
Terry
Using the quick reply box should work. That's what I'm using here.
Don't use quote button unless quoting is your specific intent.
Still unclear to me:
How did Team Viewer in fact get on your PC?
Did you at any point cough up a Team Viewer ID and/or password to anyone, either by voice or keystrokes?
Are you going to do a clean install, despite your several hundred programs?
Much of this thread is trying to understand how access was gained in the first instance....thats a worthwhile exercise, but right now I suggest your strategy should be to accept the worse case scenario, and:
1. Wipe the existing machine completely, and then re-install again;
2. Change all sensitive information (email, bank passwords etc.) to something different on a known clean computer
Regards
Several questions remain unanswered and "How did Team Viewer in fact get on your PC?" is obviously the main one. As you'll have seen from my discussion with RickC there was an old version of TeamViewer on my PC. Other possibilities have been suggested, generally outside my technical know-how level.
I've cancelled my Mastercard and changed a few passwords but no, for the time being at least, I don't propose to follow the drastic clean install route!
Hi, you're in the UK. Talktalk and i believe Sky offer a free anti-scam call service.I get several scam calls a week
It replicates what you used to have to pay- say- £100 to buy a box to do.
The unknown caller has to respond to an announcement from your telco, then your phone rings, you hear the recorded announcement e.g. 'Hello, it's Richard, and I want to get access to your PC - P.S. I'm a scammer'
You then decide to take the call or add the caller to your approved list so they won't be challenged again.
I had many such calls a week, reduced by a blocker I bought to which I consistently added new numbers.
When I started using the free service- almost total relief.
And no squeaky foreign voices claiming to be 'Microsoft technical support' either.
Withheld calls are blocked.
Thanks Dalchina. I'm using a similar blocking service from BT. But it's of little if any help against most of these scammers because they use random untraceable numbers and change them repeatedly.
Hi, no, I don't mean a specific call blocking service by number. That's what I was using with my added small box.
The free service I referred to specifically challenges the unknown caller by announcement. requiring them to leave a short message as I illustrated.
The premise is that once you hear such an announcement you will reject the call, so when they hear the announement they simply abandon the call.
repeat: it's not primarily a per number blocking service. It's different and better. Although it also does allow you to block callers as well.
The main point is th verbal challenge and requirement to leave a message on the basis of which you decide whether to take the call or not.
Do you now see the difference and how much more effective that is than a simplistic number block?
TalkTalk
https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/...e/ta-p/2204784
This is obvious scam. Google employee would never call you.
"I just like to inform you that we are a legitimate company. Without your
permission we cannot control your device because if we need to control your
computer, we have to call you to run TeamViewer software, when you will
share your Teamviewer ID & Password with us, then only it is possible for
us to control your device with your permission. This is the way of a
genuine company."
You need to remember that scammers are always trying to manipulate victims. This is their job. Of course they won't admit that they aren't legitimate or scammers. And them saying that they need your permission for remote controlling "to prove you that they're legitimate" is just another tactic of manipulation, so you think, "oh if they were scammers they wouldn't need my permission."
They are 100% scammers. You must be really very naive to not notice it. Anyway, all you need to do now is to block their number, put them in spam. They will probably try to call you again from the different numbers. Anytime they will call you, straightaway hangup. If they don't stop, I would suggest you to change your number. Also there is another way. I don't know if they were calling you to your smartphone or landline phone, but if it's a smartphone, then most smartphones have this ability where it blocks all unknown numbers automatically. I know it's not an ideal option, but it's the only thing to do if you don't want to change your phone number. For example my android phone has a feature to block calls from the strangers and also block calls from hidden numbers and even from contacts. Anyway, they somehow gained your personal information (number, email and etc)... And also remember, there are whole departments in the world that obtain, collect & then sell such information to scammers.
Next step after blocking and putting them in spam (& also report their emails to google) is to clean install of your windows if there's even a small suspicion that they had remote control of your computer. Disconnect your computer from the Internet. Format your disk and clean install Windows. After this change passwords of your important accounts & increase security as much as possible (very important to enable 2-step verification wherever you can).
And lastly, remember few golden rules:
- Never give your credit card information to anyone! Even if God descends from the sky and asking your cc number.
- Never make a transaction to some company you have not enough information, that has not reputation and name, in short in some shady companies and remember, even reviews can be faked and fabricated.
- Never send money to strangers.
- Never give strangers remote control of your computer.
P.S. I suggest you to use password managers like Lastpass or Bitwarden, definitely use strong password and enable 2-step verification for them & also use strong and complex passwords (You can use this site for generating strong passwords: Strong Random Password Generator or you if you're using Chrome, it also can generate for you and also lastpass and bitwarden also have this ability).
Last edited by Ditendra; 10 Oct 2019 at 06:23.