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Computer Help Really Needed Please

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Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:09 am

I'll try to keep it brief.

My hotmail account was blocked, & when I tried to reset my password - it asked for my phone number for added security & a way to contact me in the future. After keying in my phone number - a box came up to say this was not a valid number for the "area/region"

Our landline was installed by TalkTalk a year ago when we moved here, I use it every day & people ring us on it - so it is a valid number & listed in the telephone directory. I rang TalkTalk & they gave me an 0800 number for Hotmail Technical support which I called.

I gave permission for them to access my computer, & was informed (& shown online) that my account had been hacked by Trojans for about five months - all this took about 45mins.

I was then transferred to a tech supervisor in California at www.teamviewer.com then AMMYY admin (?) - & ended up giving all my details & paying £119:99 ($186) online for a years' security & hotmail account re-instatement.

They continued to work on my computer for another hour - & did a full scan where no files were found to be infected. The hotmail account has been unblocked & is now fully usable - but I have the most awful feeling I've been horribly scammed.

OH is overseas & I couldn't reach him - and he'll go loopy if I've compromised ourselves by doing this. I've called the bank's card theft phone line but it's closed til 8am.

I'm really starting to panic now - any thoughts?

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby crempog » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:42 am

Oh dear, I think you have been scammed. You won't be the first, and certainly not the last.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:03 am

I understood that hotmail was free, Alison.
I think I'd just stroll down the Frog & toad and have a word with the Old Bill.
They may not be able to help much, but they might put your mind at rest.
Oh, and speak to your credit card Company and block the payment if that's possible

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:27 am

Well, they've installed an icon/link on the desktop, & I've just had two emails from them.

First thanking me for my order, & an email to contact them if any problems ( customerservice@itechacharya.com) & a toll free number (855 3837242) ??? That must be in the US?

Then a second email to say "We've lost connection & the services are still pending. We will call you tomorrow for the pending services"

Lets hope they do! I know I won't sleep tonight.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby jeral » Wed Jun 13, 2012 3:50 am

There are a few scams (dunno if yours fall into this category) where people just want "to protect you" after having access to your computer at a price (I guess you signed up to their deal for the £119.99). Less scrupulous scammers could well be looking for bank details, passwords for cloning fraud theft. If you were talking to "proper people" i.e. a reputable company, it's more likely that they just wanted you to "pay for protection" rather than hack your details.

I'd go to bed easy if I were you, well except that it'll be without £119.99 under your mattress.

There are free checking scanning tools by the way. If your computer had suffered from Trojans for five months, there's a fair chance you'd have found signs by now already... so, I reckon it's just getting you to agree to pay rather than info being snatched. Clearly need to watch any activity on your accounts.

I'd sleep easy until there's reason not to.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Tatihou » Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:05 am

Alison, if you phoned TalkTalk and they put you on to Hotmail who then put you on to Teamviewer (which I believe is a legitimate company with legitimate products that scammers use illegitimately) I would guess that you have spent (and possibly wasted) $119 for some totally genuine software.

itechacharya.com in the US also exists and Hotmail do use them to resolve technical problems... http://www.itechacharya.co.uk/hotmail-tech-support.html

This is the contact page for Teamviewer...

http://www.teamviewer.com/en/company/index.aspx?showAll=true

The United Kingdom nr is +44 (0)20 809 97265

You could phone them this morning and speak to them, explain what has happened and your concerns see what they say.

And a lot of the free email services ask for mobile phone numbers to help secure accounts - gmail does - and I will never give an email service a phone number. I just have strong passwords with the mix of numbers and letters and upper and lower case. But I have to say I would never use Hotmail either. There are better free options. I've been recommended this http://www.hushmail.com/ by several people who understand the technology.

Did you pay for this on a bank account debit card? If not, and it was by credit card, ask your credit card company whether the "7 days cooling off period" applies to your purchase and if so, can they refund your $119?

Then assess what protection you're using on your pc. Firewall? Anti-virus software that is regularly updated? If so, and your web browsing is pretty mundane with no "interesting" sites and you don't customarily open weird email attachments sent to you by friends (or strangers!) you are unlikely (only unlikely) to be infected with trojans. But if you are concerned, I'd take the pc to a reputable local pc company and get them to look at it.

Alison, your worldly goods are unlikely to have disappeared down your phone line overnight so I'd not panic overly but I would change all access information (PIN numbers, ID questions and answers etc) to any bank accounts, credit card companies etc that I have accessed from that computer and ideally I'd do that by going into banks, phoning CC companies or from a definitely "clean" computer.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Suelle » Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:28 am

I tend to agree with Tatihou - if you were put in contact with this service by Talk Talk then it is probably a genuine company and not a scam, so your computer, and private information thereon, is not at risk.

But you may have also paid out for something you didn't really need.

We have never paid for internet security - there are so many good free programmes available for domestic users that it's never been necessary. Viruses, trojans and any other unwanted stuff has never got past this level of security - you don't necessarily get something better by paying for it!
The blog which does what it says on the tin:

http://mainlybaking.blogspot.co.uk/

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Gillthepainter » Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:13 am

Alison Wright wrote: & ended up giving all my details & paying £119:99 ($186) online for a years' security & hotmail account re-instatement.


From what Tatihou says, it sounds legit to me.
Thousands upon thousands of people pay for security applications on their pc.
What's the name of yours?

I know my BIL who builds computers does, as it gives him more.

So firstly, if you did have a trojan from what you say, I think you've made a good decision to get yourselves protected and safe again.

I use free software, as Sue. But that's because I'm confident that we are locked down tight here. And I sweep our computers once a week.

I think you should be sleeping easier. It's cost you (not so much thinking about the price of some things) a bit, but seems like a good call to me, Alison.
Just keep your eyes open for that renewal amount that will hit in a year's time.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:52 pm

Thanks folks :)

Payment was made on a bank account debit card - although in hindsight, they didn't ask for the three digit security number on the back of the card! They didn't ask for any bank details, PIN numbers or mobile numbers. There is no info on the PC relating to bank accounts, PINS or credit cards. We have Norton Security which I actually scanned yesterday morning - & all was clear.

These tech people rang me last night - & when I rang 1471 to retrieve their number this morning - the number given was 01031 (of course there's no such number). I rang TalkTalk & they had details of it - but couldn't access it.

I rang the bank this morning & there has been no payment taken from the account at all. They offered to cancel the card - but it will take 7-10 days for a new one to arrive. Problem is - I have to make a large payment out of this account on Tuesday next week, which I won't be able to do if the card is cancelled.

Stressed - moi!

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby crempog » Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:16 pm

Alison, if you have to make a payment without a card, you should be able to make it by BACS or even that old-fashioned thing, a cheque!

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby jeral » Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:37 pm

If you do cancel your bank card, you could ask your bank to make direct transfers if required before the new card arrives. Most banks have either telephone or online banking also so you could check your account (and make payments) daily - unless you are already doing that.

It'd be worth making sure that you know how to stop the software from running - not because of deceit but because if you have Norton already the new software might not be compatible with it, or using both at once might hog resources and slow the computer down something rotten. Just something to watch out for. If it transpires that it's not compatible with Norton and, given if they had access they'd know you were using it whether recommended by them or not, that ought to be grounds for asking for a refund.

On the other hand, if the new software picks up things that Norton misses, you could be glad you have it. At one time, Norton (which is not cheap) didn't stack up well against other software and fell short even against the most commonly used freebies, but I don't how it compares these days.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby hungryhousewife » Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:32 pm

Poor you Alison - Yesterday I tried to access a Google account I haven't used for a while, and it also said my number wasn't valid - but I just put it on my 'to do list' and haven't got round to it yet - so will be aware.

Regarding your situation, I thought that customers were legally allowed a 'cooling off' period when buying things 'under pressure' over the net or on the phone? Perhaps it might be worth checking this out too.

I'm sure it will be OK.

HH

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Wed Jun 13, 2012 11:53 pm

Last nights' email said they would ring back today to complete "the pending services" They haven't!

I've emailed the Citizens Advice Bureau just now - basically for their advice, & will contact the bank again in the morning to check if any payment has gone through.

The Hotmail account is still fine - & the PC is running at top speed.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:25 pm

An update for those interested.

I called my bank this morning & a payment of £120:38 has gone through (not the £119:99 I was quoted) to a company by the name of Predominant Engineers in California. But have a look at this I just found on the web.
http://www.scambook.com/report/view/123 ... or-$199.99

The bank has stopped my card & have contacted Visa who has stopped the payment going through & will refund the money back into my account - they've already had reports of this outfit being suspect. I was also advised not to click on the icon they've put on the desktop - anyone know how I can get rid of it?

But it beggars the question - why did TalkTalk give me a Hotmail Tech Security 0800 number in the UK - & for them to transfer me to a scamming company in California. I'll be talking to them later. It remains to be seen if they block my Hotmail account again!

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby jeral » Thu Jun 14, 2012 6:14 pm

It is easy to remove legitimate icons from the desktop by right mouse clicking on them and selecting the delete option. If there isn't such an option or it reappears after rebooting, then there could be something in the registry. Removing the icon doesn't remove the software, just the icon, and if it is phishing software, the writers can be very adept at hiding things so that even doing a system restore won't necessarily remove all of the software components installed.

If the software has a name, you could Google that as if it is a known trojan there could be a removal procedure. Take great care though as messing about in the registry is a dicey game to play.

You could download "Hijackthis" which is free (and is not a hacker itself) that brings up anything suspect so you can check further (as you then know what to look for). The last time I used it, it was quick enough to download, but it took ages to run, ages probably depends on how much you have to get through but certainly a lot longer than a few minutes. http://download.cnet.com/Trend-Micro-Hi ... 27353.html

Another one is "housecall" antivirus checker. This is not a download but a scan done by remote access. It also takes a fair while: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/

Beware some registry checkers which can themselves plant dodgy things. The two above are CNET recommended. I was, probably still am, a member on their US site which has a great help forum too.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:29 pm

Thanks Jeral,

I'm just going to leave things well alone for now. I know nothing about 'registry's' so I'm not going to dabble around with things I don't understand.

I realise matters could have been much worse & they could have cleared out the entire account. The whole business has rattled me no end.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Puss-in-boots » Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:24 pm

Oh Alison, poor you, i really hope things get sorted and you are not out of pocket and soon stress free. :crossed

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Alison Wright » Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:07 pm

Thanks Puss,

In all my (advanced!) years I haven't ever been scammed, ripped off or taken for a ride, which is why Mr.W calls me Mrs Cautious!

He's offshore in the Middle East just now, & comunication isn't easy, so I haven't told him about this. If the money gets repaid back into the account before he gets home I won't say anything & he might not notice. He'd be very angry with the people who did this & that I've been so upset about it. But I will tell him at some point.

The bank are sending me a form to fill in & sign - which I return & then Visa will re-imburse the full amount.

This has actually served as a wake-up call for me, to sweep my internet security more regularly & to continue being Mrs Cautious - all I wanted was to unblock my hotmail account!

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby Joanbunting » Fri Jun 15, 2012 2:31 pm

Hi Alison (aka Mrs Cautious)

Hope you are feeling more tranquil this morning.

If it is of any help a friend of ours in the UK had similar problems and the only way she could solve it was to change providers and that wasn't too easy until she contacted Offcom and threatened the provider with telling someone like BBC Moneybox or You and Yours. It was resolved almost immediately.

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Re: Computer Help Really Needed Please

Postby crempog » Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:26 pm

I don't want to be a pessimist, but these scammers are really cute. If you gave your card details to them voluntarily Visa may decline to return the money. They have no regard to 'cooling off' periods, they may just delay until the period is up before they put the payment through and then claim you are out of time. Or fail to allow you to make contact.

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