Tag: Computer support St. Paul Minnesota
Virus Spyware Phone Call Scam
This weeks blog is a warning to all of my readers of a virus and spyware phone call scam that is going around and this is real folks, not fake. No need to check with snopes.com. I am going to ask after reading this, you DO forward this blog link to your friends/family/college kids, etc. Anyone who has a computer and has a phone.
Here is the situation.
One of my networking colleagues calls me a few days ago to tell me that she got a call from someone (named Mark, with an accent appearing to be from India) who said she was sending out “spyware” and they needed to remote in and do a check on her computer. They also said they charged $129. They also said they were representing “Windows Microsoft”.
I called their number on their website to check them out as asked a few questions. They told me that they call people with viruses that are Windows Microsoft owners to alert them, it was very fishy. They also said that once the client agrees to the service, they will not give back refunds. It appeared to be a smaller call center by the sounds in the back and when I asked for a supervisor, the first guy on the phone said, “She wants to talk to a supervisor” and hands over the phone to the supervisor.
First thing folks, no one should ever call you about computer issues but maybe your internet provider or your friends with these following reasons:
- Your internet provider may shut off certain services because you are sending viruses they are checking. Call That Girl can and will assist you with this.
- Your friends may email or call and tell you that your email has been hacked as they are getting tons of emails from you with weird subject lines, etc.
- Your Facebook has been hacked and your friends and family are emailing you to let you know.
Now, moving on…
My networking colleagues moves on to tell me that this company started installing programs and while she watched them work, she took very good notes on what they did. One thing though that happened that caused me a lot of concern was that they talked her into doing things that she said she wasn’t sure she should do, such as log into her bank account to pay them (basically, so they could see her account number) and I’m quite sure they put in a keylogger program (to get her password).
After 2 hours, she wasn’t comfortable with the call, their service and the whole thing so she reported it to her bank to file a discrepancy. She told the company she was going to do it and they said she would see a credit on her account, but she didn’t feel comfortable yet again with that.
Unfortunately, she got scammed. But this is getting more common as I did some research on the internet. Trust me, no one from Microsoft is going to be calling you about anything, PERIOD. They simply do not call you unless you ask them for help with your computer. And you will know that because you contacted them first.
Here are a few things to watch for:
- These calls are coming from India apparently (based on what my new client/networking colleague told me and from what my research shows)
- Be leary of anyone, from anywhere calling you to do work on your computer without you calling them first
- Hang up immediately if anyone tells your computer is sending viruses/spyware
- Never give out your credit card number or phone number, home address, etc to these incoming calls
- Finally, keep in mind…they had a reputable looking website. Do not check into them first, just simply hang up.
As I hate to say that it’s the “people from India” doing this, this is the current scam and I am just playing virus advocate to help spread the word on what’s going on.
Blue screen of death and what it means
So you get the “blue screen” or “blue screen of death”…what do you do now?
If you call someone, you may get this answer, “It’s your hard drive”
Or is it…???
I’ve troubleshooted many of these errors. Sometimes simple troubleshooting is all you need to do. Sometimes it’s a bad Windows update or a software glitch that caused the blue screen to happen. Sometimes it is your hard drive. Somtimes it’s hard to tell unless you bring it in our shop.
Two calls this week in the shop proved that it was a Windows problem and we quickly resolved it by doing some magic in the shop, cost to the client? An easy $40 fix. Didn’t take much more than 30 minutes for us to repair it.
Here are a few tips for you to try yourself at home before bringing it into our shop.
- Start by turning off your computer
- Then unplug all your cords including monitor
- Let the computer sit for 20 minutes
- After 20 minutes, only plug in the power for the computer and monitor and turn it back on
- If it turns on and goes to the Windows start up screen, you may have a bad keyboard, mouse or USB external port issue
- Once it comes back on, if all seems ok…turn it back off
- Plug back in the keyboard and mouse. Turn it on again
If it blue screens, it’s more than likely your mouse or USB port (wireless mice and keyboards can also cause a blue screen). If the end of your mouse has a circular end, it’s probably not the issue. If it has a 1/2″ thin metal end, it’s a USB mouse and could be the issue. Try another mouse if you have one.
If your computer turns on fine again, then test your USB plug-ins. (camera, webcam, printer, etc) If then all seems ok, go in and back up your information/data right away.
Again….if anything at this point fails, it could be a hard drive or a software issue. I don’t always think it’s a bad drive if it blue screens. Sometimes your computer just has a bump in the road and needs to be “reset”. The troubleshooting tricks above often help figure out what may be causing the issue.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 612-865-4475 or contact us with the form below
Scareware, Malware and Spyware
Today I got a call from a client that caught some scareware that really did scare her, and her computer to the point it almost crashed her computer. Almost. She called That Girl and we got her back up and running.
What happened? She was on the internet and just surfing around, like most of you do on Sunday mornings. She clicked on something she was going to look at and next thing she knew, she had downloaded something and it brought up a window stating she had to buy a removal program for X amount of dollars.
This folks, is scareware, but can have a back end of malware. Malware is malicious software (mal-ware). If she had started to click on the program and try to close it down, it would have downloaded malware and started to cause chaos in her computer. And unfortunately, this client did click on the pictures enough and lost access to the internet.
Sometimes, it’s worse than this! Many times it causes your windows to crash and you can’t boot your computer up normally. 9 times out of 10, if you Call That Girl, we can walk you through getting your computer up again and run some scanner tools to remove the scareware, malware and spyware that was downloaded into your system.
We are also big believers in using great protection, not AVG 2011, Norton, McAfee, Trend, WebRoot, etc. Scareware, Malware and spyware get right through this big box programs (Norton is the worst at catching it!!!) We are firm believers in buying the real time protection (Malwarebytes) of the program that we use to clean up your scareware, malware and spyware!
If you are reading and want to make sure you have protection that works, read these instructions for downloading, installing and configuring Malwarebytes. It’s one of our favorites and we are resellers of this product.
https://callthatgirl.biz/malwarebytes-installation-and-configuration
If this is too much for you to understand, please fill out the form below to schedule some time for us to help you, we can also remove your other programs (that usually don’t work!) and get you a refund if you have recently purchased Norton. They have an awesome refund page!
Call That Girl is also now supporting SuperAntiSpyware moving ahead in 2011. Watch for details!
Time to check your backups!
I had a computer mishap over the holidays, nothing serious…but you know this old Dell I keep bringing back to life? Well, it’s finally near deaths door. It had a serious issue over the holidays and I set up my basement computer to have a 2nd available at any time. Not all of you have a 2nd computer so you can’t do what I did, was make copies of all of my stuff and put on that 2nd computer just in case! (I also have Mozy Online Backup on the old Dell too).
It can be a shock and somewhat scary for some folks when they come down from bed, get coffee brewing and start up their computer to nothing. No power, no windows splash screen, no song of “My computer is booting up”. I have had this happen to me in the past (last year when I finally killed my original HP computer!!). It just isn’t a good feeling to know that you computer finally croaked, but to feel that you are CONFIDENT that your stuff is backed up is a GREAT feeling.
Mozy Online Backup is a awesome online backup software tool that allows you to do 2 gigs free to try them out, or you can purchase unlimited for $55 a year. Many of our clients do the unlimited as most of us have more than 2 gigs to back up. $55 to save all of your precious memories? You bet it’s a good deal!
If you would like to try out the 2 gigs free, click here!
If you would like us to help you set up the unlimited, click here to book an appointment. Our usual rates is $48.75 to set this up, but for this week only, we will offer it for $35.
Buying a New Computer During This Holiday Season?
If you are, then congrats! This is usually the best time of year to buy one. What is your reasoning for buying a new one? Did your old one die or is it very slow? Or is it just time to have a new one for all your new gadgets you are using? In today’s blog we will review what to do with your old computer, guidance for buying a new one and what to do with your new one once you get it home.
What are doing with your old computer?
If you have another computer and plan on keeping it around, Call That Girl and get it spruced up with our 22 pt checklist ($75). If it’s a family computer, then your family will appreciate it getting as cleaned up and fast as possible. Some people are using their old computers to run as a the music jukebox, even though it’s just for music, we can still give it a quick cleaning without the bells and whistles with our Xpress Cleaning (a slimmed down cleaning $45)
Did your old computer just die?
You can get it recycled usually at your local county recycle shop. Call your county hotline or google it. Some counties charge a fee, some do not.
Or you can donate it to Free Geek Twin Cities
I just got wind of a company in Minneapolis in the Powderhorn Park area called “Free Geek Twin Cities”. I will be planning a tour and visit them, but for now here is their link to check it out. Looks like a good program! You can volunteer your time to earn a computer (for those under financial distress, this may be a good option for you!). They do charge a nominal fee for the drop offs.
http://freegeektwincities.org/donate-equipment
You are now out looking for that new computer, what to buy?
To start, I always recommend having a budget (go above a bit or under a bit if you find the perfect one!) and go find your old disks for your software, then head to the store. Many folks go to the big box places, but I recommend you go out to Microcenter in St. Louis Park (next to Burlington Coat Factory on Hwy 100 and Hwy 7) and check out their inventory. Microcenter has the staff and service center to get your new computer up to your liking. You can shop first online, then head in to the store to purchase (link below).
Dell also has great deals right now going on right before the holidays, I would not expect it to be here before the holidays season though. http://www.dell.com
Keep in mind a few things about buying a new computer
If you are buying a laptop, then remember to check the weight (if you plan on carrying it around, you don’t want a real heavy one), play with the keyboards (make sure they keys are comfortable for your hands), make sure you have at least 3-4 gig in RAM/memory and finally check the monitor for glare (You don’t want one that has any glare from lights above).
If you are buying a new desktop computer, just make sure that you follow the same requirements as buying a laptop, but without the keyboard test.
If you want more memory, be sure to tell the sales person! Same goes if you want 2 monitors!
How can Call That Girl help now that you have bought your new computer?
We can help with setting up your new computer with our 12 pt checklist–and almost always this can be done remotely! Many folks forget to do the simple things to set up a new computer, (examples: backup, recovery disks, security, move data, set up a home network and many more!).
For the business home office users, setting up a new computer may include moving all of your data, setting up your Office programs, Outlook, network sharing, etc…we are the right company to assist you with your new computer.
If you would like to book an appt for us to do a home visit for the set up, we offer home onsite service.
$25 off for any new computer set up!
To book an appt or just ask a few questions, fill out the booking form below and we will get back to you!
What to do if your laptop gets stolen
First thing I would do is clap for joy that someone actually would want to steal this very old Dell Latitude that is about to croak! You would think that I have the best of the best, but you know how it goes…the Shoemakers kids always have the hand me downs. That’s how it is with Call That Girl and all our staff. We always get the refurbs, but soon here, I am getting a new laptop.
For those of you with laptops that you care about:
Prevention tactics:
Password protect your computer–don’t make it easy for the thief to get into your stuff. Even though most thieves will just want to sell your computer without caring, some will go through all your personal files and maybe even look for passwords and personal data. Like most of us, we keep log files somewhere of things we should not. It’s very common for people to have these files on the pc, but it’s not safe, but if you think you can name it so the thief won’t know, have at it. Most thieves that steal laptops want the money they can get on the street for it or to resell it. It’s the hardware they are after (from what I have heard anyway). If a cyber thief is going to steal from you, they will do it online of course.
Back up your data!!! If your laptop is stolen, at least you can get your data back and change your password asap to the data backup company. I use Mozy for all my data back up and many of my clients are on it as well. It’s a good program.
Write down all of your computer’s information NOW on a peice of paper for safe keeping and insurance purposes. Keep the receipt, model and make and if you can get it, the Windows product key (it’s on the back on the computer usually). I also like to put a personal sticker on the computer somewhere, so it it’s stolen it will make it easier to recognize. Get a good sticker too, one that is hard to pull off.
What to do if your computer is stolen:
Try to remember where it was stolen, car, convention area, bathroom, conference room, etc. Report it to the building security and/or Police in that area. Telling them it was a black Dell will not help much, but having the information that you noted about the computer will help.
The building security or Police should report it to all the local pawn shops, but I would call anyway asap! Tell them anything that would help yours stick out. This is why putting a sticker on the computer will help stand it out in the pawn store line up.
Next up, prepare for the emotional loss. I had a laptop stolen once at my old corporate job and it felt really weird. Even though it was a corporate laptop, I still felt violated. I remember getting the call early in the am, “Lisa, did you bring home your laptop over the weekend”….Me, “Um, no”…”Well, we had a break in and your laptop was stolen”. Creepy feelings set in. Then I had feelings of “where is my document that I didn’t save to the network file share…oh yeah, on my laptop desktop!” So besides the emotional loss of the machine itself, you will miss the stuff on the computer, like your pictures, data, documents, taxes, music collections, etc. Everything will be in the hands of the thief.
To close: If your laptop is stolen, call police, give them all of your computer information, call the pawn shops and change your password on your back up program. If you have software for stolen laptops (many of the newer computers give you a free trial) alert that program as well.
Additional tip: Put the laptop in the trunk of your car, not in the passenger or back seat.
If you have questions, feel free to contact us! info@callthatgirl.biz
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