I was home sick a few days ago and got a call from my Mom. She said that Dad had been on the phone with someone from Microsoft and was being told that if they didn’t purchase a security update to their out-of-date computer, their internet would be turned off. Dad was suspicious that the guy wouldn’t give a call back number but had been able to provide a security code. And Dad gave him access to the computer where the guy pointed out the locations of malware on the machine.<\/p>\n
Parts of it seemed on the up and up, but the threats and the insistence on a checking account number raised a flag with my folks and that’s when they called me.<\/p>\n
It didn’t sound right to me either so I relayed my concerns to Mom – who passed them along to Dad. I said they should get the guy to disconnect – or they should pull their own internet connection. He did and Dad ended the call with the account numbers safely unrevealed.<\/p>\n
Getting the right cell phone number matched up with the right computer was pretty impressive and I suspect their computer may have already been compromised. Mom handed the phone to Dad and I gave him some suggestions on what to do next – unplug the internet for a bit, get some real security software, or consider a new computer. And skip the online banking for a while. Just in case.<\/p>\n
I’m glad I was able to help, but really angry at the guy pretending to be from Microsoft. This ass-hat was trying to scam my folks.<\/p>\n
What is wrong with us as a species that we prey on each other? I mean, like, all the time? This was a pretty elaborate setup and required a lot of work and planning – and at no point did this guy (or group, I suppose) think, “Wow, this is a really shitty thing to be doing to people. Maybe we should, I dunno, maybe go play video games instead or learn how to knit and make mittens for orphans.”<\/p>\n
Sigh.<\/p>\n
My Dad called the real Microsoft and verified that yeah, it was a scam. He got some real security software and they are looking for a new computer – I gave some suggestions there as well.<\/p>\n
Things seem to be okay for the moment on the cyber-security front and I may be helping them with transferring some files the next time I visit. Good to have a geek on staff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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