Senior citizens are being bullied online and by telephone. Telephone scammers call and say they are aware of the problem on the mark’s computer. They offer to resolve the issue by remotely accessing the computer. Once the scammer (who claims to be calling from “windows”) remotes in to the mark’s computer, the scammer can create more problems and then offer to fix them for a fee — payable by credit card.  Now the scammer has control of the computer and the credit card.

phone gun

The phone scammer holds the gun.

Why do senior citizens fall prey to this scam?

  • They are home to answer the phone
  • They are too polite to hang up
  • They know  Windows is on there computer
  • Their computer may be experiencing some issues and they are thankful somebody can help
  • Tech is so amazing, it seems possible somebody is aware of their computer’s problem
  • They may have had legitimate experiences with a tech remoting in to their computer
  • Once they let the scammer in they don’t know how to get him out

If you have fallen prey to this scam:

  • Change your computer’s password
  • Change the passwords on your email accounts
  • Change the password for any financial accounts, especially your bank and credit card
  • Run virus and malware scans
  • Uninstall any programs installed during the conversation

If you are unsure of how to perform any of these steps, ask someone you trust to help you as soon as possible.

As a computer tech, I have met many people who have received these phone calls. After paying the scammer, they then have to pay me to clean up the mess.  I advise all my clients to just say, “I have my own computer person who I trust. I will call her.” And hang up. I was actually with one client when a call came in. She handed me the phone and I scolded the caller. But I knew they would just go on to the next name on their list.

This business of selling lists has been going on long before computers and email were part of our daily lives. Lists are the power behind direct marketing by mail and telephone. Buy from one catalog and suddenly you are receiving catalogs from similar businesses. Why? Because the first catalog owner sold your name and address as a lead.

I have noticed that people who buy computers from a specific big box store are more likely to be called by the scammers. It may be a coincidence, but it is likely the big box is unwittingly selling the list of buyers names and phone numbers to a  vendor who sells to the scammers.

While selling lists of leads is a legitimate business, maybe the list vendors should be doing a better job of vetting their buyers. List buyers can request specific filters such as users of a specific anti-virus program or people who have registered on a specific weight-loss website or computer buyers over 65 years old.  The list vendor is only selling bullets. The scammer holds the gun.

If you have fallen prey to this scam and are in the Massapequa area, call Gloria 516-965-8537 for help in restoring and repairing you computer.

When your computer makes changes without your okay, it’s not okay. Learn how to prevent and reverse unwanted toolbars, search engines and home page changes.

Computers are amazing — dare I say magical. They make games come alive, shopping easier, recipes abundantly available. I have been using computers since Commodore 64, and I still smile when the computer knows what directory folder to save my document in.

I expect my computer to be ready when I need it. It makes me just a bit sad when I have to wait for updates to install or virus definitions to download. But I know this is a small price to pay to keep my computer safe from hackers and malware (bad software).

toolbars

It’s pretty annoying when when my search engine changes without my OK or new icons magically appear on my computer’s desktop or a new toolbar is taking up room at the top of my browser window or I am suddenly being exposed to more weather information than I care to know. More than annoying, it’s dangerous for my computer’s health. It’s easy to overlook minor changes, or to fleetingly wonder why the usually chatty computer decided to make these changes without asking if I agreed to them.
changes

These visual changes to a computer are usually an indication of malware (bad software) having been installed. Malware comes in many forms. It is usually installed by the computer user without them realizing it:

  • A random click on the wrong advertisement can download and install malware
  • Opening an innocent looking email attachment that appears to be from a friend may really be a program that plans to encrypt all of your files making them unreadable
  • Clicking mindlessly through the install windows of a new game may provide the OK to install some unwanted programs as well
  • Downloading a program from a nefarious website rather than the owner/author’s website can introduce malware
  • Trying to get something valuable for free can cost you more in the long run
  • Surfing porn = malware
  • Gambling = malware

I’m not saying that you should never open an attachment sent by a friend. Of course you can, but do it smartly. Take notice of the language in your friend’s email: Does it sound right? Is it unusually terse or vague? Has this friend sent attachments before? Is the email address correct?

I had an email appear to arrive from my brother-in-law. As soon as I opened it I realized it was not his typical witty writing. He does not usually send attachments, so I thought that odd. Then I realized the email address it was sent from used his real name instead of his creative email address he has had since the 1990s. I immediately deleted the email and emptied the trash folder. Then I ran a quick malware scan.

Use the same kind of surveillance  whenever you are downloading (games, music, videos, utilities, photos) from the internet.

If you feel you may have made a mistake, run your antivirus/antimalware program immediately. Uninstall any new programs that have been installed without your permission. Left unchecked, small changes can grow into major problems. They can even render your magic machine unusable.

Early detection is as important for computers as it is for people. If your computer needs help, call your computer person. If you don’t have a computer person, call me 516-965-8537. I can be your computer help desk.

How to create and recall strong passwords for all types of websites including banking, shopping and games.

Passwords. What an annoyance. For years we were told, “Don’t write your passwords down. If someone finds them, they can access all of your files.”

This was sound advice when you had one or two, maybe even four or five passwords.

When passwords became required for gaming, shopping, banking, blogging and so many other web-based activities, I wanted to upgrade my brain’s memory so I could  remember which passwords had special characters and which forbid special characters.

I decided to commit my passwords to a small alphabetized book similar to an old-fashioned address book. I have since upgraded to a 300-page book with numbered pages. I created a table of contents on pages one through five leading me to broad categories including email, clothes shopping, banks, online education, tech sites, insurance sites, government sites and so on.

My brother came up with the idea of putting the last four numbers of his phone number amongst the name of the website. For example, Ama1234zon for his amazon password and Face1234book for his facebook password. Make the first letter capital to fulfill that requirement and add a question mark when needed.

My kids came up with a phrase where they switched out numbers for letters. They made sure it contained more than eight characters.  It could be something like this: w310v3Hock3y. Again, they can add a question mark as needed. Our passphrase works for family needs like netflix, amazon,  and wifi.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the webmasters who set the rules when you registered reminded you of the rules when you login:

  • Your password has a special character
  • There are no numbers in your password
  • Your password has more than 7 characters

Typing these passwords is a minor nuisance on a full size keyboard. Now try it on your iphone where you have to switch between alpha and numeric keyboards. Even my little fingers find it difficult to hit the correct characters consistently.

Fortunately, web browsers now volunteer to save login information for us. This makes my laptop more valuable than my wallet. Chase Bank, Nordstroms, Macy’s, Home Depot, even my medical data are all available if you can guess the laptop’s login pin: birthday? anniversary? last four digits of my phone number? house number?

And why can’t my user name always be my email address?

When you need assistance with your computer, call or text Gloria 516-965-8537 or use the form below.