Meade Computing LLC

04/17/2021

Have you or someone you know been a victim of Fraud? This is important information everyone should know to keep you and your family safe.

-----Scams change with the wind, but the end result is always the same, stealing an unsuspecting individual’s money and personal information. On Rural Americ...

07/20/2016

This is an interesting virus that blocks calls to specific numbers. There’s no indication US phones are being targeted, but if you haven’t installed AntiVirus on your phone yet, you might want to consider doing so.

New Android.Fakebank variants intercept calls to banks’ customer care centers to stop victims from cancelling their stolen payment cards.

07/07/2016

This is a very well written article about scammers that want to gain remote access to your computer by tricking you into allowing it. Share this information with your parents, children and grand children.

Three months of phone calls prove Windows scammers are more skilled at social engineering than you think

02/10/2016

Hello, my name is Rashaan from Windows Technical Support . . .

I’ve gotten a barrage of these calls lately letting me know that there’s something wrong with my computer. If I simply allow the caller remote access, all my computer problems will go away.

Yea right, like I was born yesterday. I know that they are only interested in scanning my computer for sensitive information like bank accounts, passwords, social security numbers, financial information and the like. Then they will take my credit card number and charge me for doing nothing to fix my computer. To add insult to injury, they will then sell my credit card number on the black market.

You would think they might get a clue to move on to easier prey when I answer the phone “Meade Computing . . .” but apparently they’re not too bright. In fact, some are nearly impossible to get off the phone. I told one guy that I was busy and set the phone down to help another client and quickly forgot about him. When I realized the phone was still off the hook, I asked if he was still there . . . and he was! So, I set the phone down again.

There was another that went through her whole spiel and I said to her, “You must think all Americans are stupid.” She replied, “You are!” and hung up. I guess that says it all right there. They think we’re all stupid.

I’ve had so many calls lately that I’ve tried to come up with creative ways to insult the callers. I told one, “You should get a real job.” Click. Another I simply said “I don’t understand you.” over and over again. Click. I told one “Whoever sold you the call list ripped you off.” Click. “I know this is a scam.” Click. “You have the wrong number.” Click. (I’ve actually had them argue with me about this one.)

The latest caller identified himself and being with the US department of something or other. I asked him to repeat it twice but couldn’t understand him. Finally I said, “I think an official US department would hire someone who knows English better than you do.” To which he replied, “F # You!” and hung up. I guess he has a better grasp of the English language that I gave him credit for.

It seems to me that we set ourselves up for this by outsourcing our call centers. People are now very used to the support personnel on the other end of the phone having very thick accents. So much so that people are falling for scams in record numbers. I hear of at least one every day if not more. It’s getting a little tiresome cleaning up the things that are messed up by remote access callers. Don’t get me wrong, business is good. I just wish it weren’t that kind of business.

Do yourself a favor. If the caller ID is an 800 number, says “Private Caller” or has a series of random numbers, don’t answer it.

06/08/2015

Windows 10, to upgrade or not to upgrade? (that is the question)

Microsoft will be releasing Windows 10 on July 29th, 2015 and is offering it to all Windows 7 and Windows 8 users free of charge. You may have noticed a new icon in your task tray, a white Windows logo. Clicking on this icon will lead you through the process of registering for the Windows 10 upgrade. But should you? I’ll try to help you answer that question by asking a few of my own.

Do you currently have Windows 8?

If so, the answer is simple. Yes. Take the free upgrade. Windows 8 is so buggy that Windows 10 couldn’t be any worse, could it? In any case, make sure you’ve applied the Windows 8.1 upgrade and all subsequent Windows updates. Be sure to keep a good backup of your data. Microsoft has a pretty good track record of tagging your data along through the various upgrades, but I would feel safer keeping my own backup.

Do you currently have Windows 7?

If so, the answer is not as straight forward. Let’s explore with some additional questions.

Are you happy with Windows 7?

I know I am. I’ll stick with Windows 7 on the machines that it’s currently installed on. I’ll wait to take the Windows 10 plunge when I buy a new computer.

Is your computer capable of running Windows 10?

Most computers running 7 or 8 will be capable of running Windows 10, but some will run it better than others. I would make sure you have the equivalent of an Intel Core i3 processor if it’s a tower and a Core i5 if it’s a laptop. 4 GB of RAM would be my minimum, 6 or 8 would be better. Harddrive space shouldn’t be an issue, but I would make sure I have 250 GB or better.

Are you running any legacy 16 bit software?

Most computers are now running 64 bit Windows, which will not run 16 bit legacy software. To do that, you need a 32 bit version of Windows. I have some clients who have older versions of expensive programs that they are happy with, so upgrading them is not in the cards. Microsoft will offer Windows 10 in a 32 bit version, but it may be hard to come by. So, if you’re running a 32 bit version of Windows, make sure all your software is ready for a 64 bit platform.

Still on the fence?

Most of you should have decided by now if you’re going to take the upgrade or not. For those of you that are still indecisive, I say damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead. It’s only a computer, right. I’ve got a phone and a tablet to fall back on if (when?) it doesn’t work right. Let me know how it goes and I’ll see you when the first service pack is released. :)

03/16/2015

Better Business Bureau Warning

Scam Alert: Scammers Use Facebook Tags to Spread Malware

If you use Facebook, watch out for suspicious posts tagged with dozens of names. This new scam is called "malicious tagging," and it's tricking victims into downloading malware.

Read the full story at the link below.

01/22/2015

Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutFacebookEmailTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestSmall-town approach to computer repairPost to Facebook Incorrect please try again Try Another Audio CAPTCHA Image CAPTCHA Help CancelSendSent!A link has been sent to your fr…

12/29/2014

The Nastiest Malware of 2014

Ransomware. Hopefully you haven't run into this or any other malware (malicious software). Ransomware took to new heights (or lows) in 2014 with the mass release of encryption style viruses. Once this virus has taken over your computer, all documents, pictures, music and anything else important to you is converted to undecipherable gibberish. The only recovery is to restore from backup and, to add insult to injury, if your backup drive was plugged in at the time of the infestation, everything on that drive is gibberish also. It will even hit mapped network drives, so be very careful at your place of employment.

But wait, they say I can pay a fee to get my stuff back. Good luck with that. If you get a money card and give it to the culprits, the only thing certain is that your money will be gone. There’s no guarantee they will give you the key to get your stuff back. Or, even if they do, that the key will actually work.

So how do you protect yourself from ransomware?

• Make sure your AntiVirus is up-to-date and working. The first thing a virus will do is target the AnitVirus and attempt to disable it.
• Never click on email links you’re not expecting, even if it came from someone you know. Same thing for attachments. Your friend’s email account may have been hacked.
• Never go beyond page one of a google search. The bad guys know how to get their links up in the rankings as well as the good guys, maybe even better. Be very specific when you search so what you’re looking for comes up in the first group of hits.
• Keep your software up-to-date. Most viruses take advantage of security holes in Java and FlashPlayer. Make sure you get your updates directly from the manufacturer.
• Make a backup and store it in a safe place. Don’t leave it plugged in all the time.
• If you suspect something is wrong, e.g. your computer suddenly becomes slow and unresponsive, pull the plug or hold the power button in until it shuts off. Don’t worry about a normal shutdown. Then take it to someone that knows how to inspect it for malware. Better safe than sorry, especially if you don’t have a good backup of all your precious pictures.

If you follow these steps, you’ll thwart most ransomware attempts.

02/28/2011

Sorry for all you Vista supporters out there, but this list rings true...

02/18/2011

Windows 7 is finally out. Here are five reasons you might want to make the switch today.