Story time:
Someone called me asking for some advice about a popup he received on his computer. The popup seemed to be from his computer’s internet security that said his computer was compromised in some fashion. It had a phone number for him to call this security company to help with the issue. The unsuspecting victim called the number and proceeded to talk with someone whom was very helpful. The security agent proceeding to use some scare tactics and a little social engineering to gain the victim’s trust. Then the agent instructed the victim to go to a website where he could take a look at the computer. The victim, now scared, did so, and allowed the now hacker to take control of his computer. The hacker proceeded to show more false information to gain trust and allow him to start adding malicious software to the computer. The hacker then asked the victim to log into his bank accounts to make sure his accounts were compromised. At this point the victim became suspicious and hung up, and then called me.
Have you had anything like this happen to you? What should you do if you feel like you have or are talking with someone that is not who they say they are?
Advice:
- Hang up with whomever you are talking with (don’t try to find out any information)
- Evaluate anything (computer, personal information, etc) that may have been compromised
- If your computer has been compromised, shut it down, and take it to a reputable computer shop to have it cleaned
- If your personal information has been compromised, call the credit agencies to have a freeze put on your credit and then request next actions from the credit agency fraud department.
For more information on what to do if you had an extreme experience like the story above, visit What to do if your computer gets hacked.
