Criss Cross Computers

08/07/2026

DO NOT CALL NUMBERS IN EMAILS OR FLASHING WARNINGS ON YOUR COMPUTER!

The trend recently is for scammers and hackers to send flashing warnings to your computer that tells you that you have a virus or po*******hy. It says "do not shut your computer down." And it wants you to call the number on the screen. DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER!

1. The first thing to do is to SHUT OFF YOUR COMPUTER!

2. The second thing to do is NEVER NEVER NEVER CALL THE NUMBER FROM THE SCREEN, FROM AN EMAIL, OR FROM A FACEBOOK POST OF SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW. I don't care who they say they are! I've had customers get emails or phone calls that say they are from Geek Squad, Microsoft, McAfee, Norton, and other things that sound legitimate. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. They are very, very smooth talkers.

The flashing screen is very invasive and it might even say it is from Microsoft. It can be scary because it keeps flashing, talking and telling you that you have a virus and not to shut down. It scares you into calling them. DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER even if they say they are from Microsoft or Geek Squad!

You can call me (563)590-2749, your bank, the police, Staples, or Best Buy. It is best to call someone you already have a contact number for or that you can look up in your monthly statement because even looking them up on the internet, you have to be careful that you don't get a scammer.

There are some very scary criminals out there! They want your money or your private information,
so they can open loans or credit cards in your name. They are such smooth talkers, and they will convince you to let them on your computer so they can get your information.

The worst hacker one of my customers had locked her computer with a Skull and Cross Bones on her computer screen. It told her it wanted 300 bit coins and said if she wouldn't do it, it would release her info to the dark web. It also caused her printer to use every sheet of paper in it to print the ransom message and the name of the virus. When I looked up the name of the virus, the info I found said to call the FBI! Her son is involved in cyber security in another state, so he contacted the FBI. The FBI wanted him to send them the hard drive!

For this customer, the only solution was to buy a new computer because she had Windows 10 on it, so the cost to restore the computer to factory settings wouldn't have been worth it since Windows 10 is at end of life anyway.

I have had so many customers fall for these hackers and scammers. For some of the easiest fixes, it will take me less than an hour to fix. For the ones that call the number and let them on their computer, it takes hours to reset the computer and get things back. In the worst case scenario, you would have to buy a new computer, and you might lose everything that you had on there for pictures and documents. Any repair is on a case by case basis.

The last bit of advice for you is to backup your important photos and documents, so you don't lose them in the event of something happening to your computer. Documents don't take up much room, but photos take a lot of space. Get yourself a flash drive or an external hard drive to save your important information.

Chris Ross
Criss Cross Computers
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
563-590-2749

01/26/2026

Wow! I just watched the movie called Beekeeper. It starts out with a computer call center scamming a little old lady. She kills herself because they took all of her money and 2 million dollars from a non-profit she managed.

When you watch the beginning, you'll see what looks like a flashing computer screen showing a warning saying "you have problems with your computer, call this number for help." This truly happens. The lady made the mistake of calling the number and letting them on her computer. They took all of her money. When I advise you to not click on links, answer texts, call the numbers in any of these cases, or give ANY information to any of these people, I'm serious. They want your information and your money. Watch the beginning of this movie, and you'll see how it can happen. They are smooth talkers who can make you believe what they say.

Warning: the Beekeeper is a very rough, tough, blow 'em up movie. The Beekeeper is an undercover operative that is determined to get to the top of the chain of the hackers. If you like action movies, you'll like this one.

The Beekeeper

A retired teacher commits su***de when she becomes a victim of a phishing scam. Soon, her tenant is framed as a murderer, who then contacts a mysterious group to catch the real culprits.

01/23/2026

FYI - if you find you are missing texts that people send you, your phone might not have the notification ring turned on. (My old phone had it on automatically for everyone. My new phone has it shut off and you have to set them for each text individually!) Here's how to turn it on.

*Go to the text and click on the three little dots (upper right corner)

*Click on Notification sounds

*Choose a sound.

You should now get notified when you receive a text from that person. It's very aggravating that you have to set it for each person. In the past, I've had phones that have had the notification sound set to on automatically when I got them. On my newest phone though, I have missed calls until I figured out I had to set each notification. 😊

01/22/2026

FYI I received an email that said It was from Netflix, and that I owe $17.99 and that my payment was declined. Definitely a scam. There are so many fake emails out there asking you for money or asking you to click on something to give them your credit card information! Do not EVER click on any links in them, and do not call any numbers in them. I've had clients that have had fake emails from Microsoft, Geek Squad, McAfee, Norton, and more. Sometimes they even say they are from your bank. Those scammers are smooth talkers, so don't call 'em because they'll convince you you're wrong! You can ask google how to report a scam or spam mail. For this fake Netflix one I forwarded the email with the full text to [email protected].

You can always call your bank to ask them questions. Just don't call the numbers in those emails or don't call back anybody that would text you or call and leave a message. They want all your information and your money. Don't let him have any of it!