MCT - A Local Solution

03/21/2020

Hello friends. In view of the current Corona virus pandemic I will still be able to service all customers via remote assistance. If it's not hardware related I can remotely Access your computer to troubleshoot, diagnose and fix your PC. I'm available everyday for assistance. Feel free to call. Be safe out there. 👍😁

10/18/2019

Remote access scams !! BEWARE

How this scam works
The scammer will phone you and pretend to be a staff member from a large telecommunications or computer company, such as Telstra, the NBN or Microsoft. Alternatively they may claim to be from a technical support service provider.

They will tell you that your computer has been sending error messages or that it has a virus. They may mention problems with your internet connection or your phone line and say this has affected your computer's recent performance. They may claim that your broadband connection has been hacked.

The caller will request remote access to your computer to ‘find out what the problem is’.

The scammer may try to talk you into buying unnecessary software or a service to ‘fix’ the computer, or they may ask you for your personal details and your bank or credit card details.

The scammer may initially sound professional and knowledgeable—however they will be very persistent and may become abusive if you don't do what they ask.

You don't have to be a Telstra or Microsoft customer to be called by these scammers. You don’t even have to own a computer!

Warning signs
You receive a phone call out of the blue and the caller claims to be from a large telecommunications or computer company, or a technical support service provider.
They tell you that your computer is experiencing technical problems and they need remote access to sort out the problem.
They ask you to buy software or sign up to a service to fix the computer.
They ask for your personal details and your bank or credit card details.
The caller is very persistent and may become abusive.
Protect yourself
Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
If you receive a phone call out of the blue about your computer and remote access is requested – hang up – even if they mention a well-known company such as Telstra. Telstra does not request credit card details over the phone to fix computer or telephone problems, and is not affiliated with any companies that do.
See: Is it really Telstra contacting you?
Remember that you can still receive scam calls even if you have a private number or have listed your number on the Australian Government's Do Not Call Register. Scammers can obtain your number fraudulently.
Make sure your computer is protected with regularly updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a good firewall. Research first and only purchase software from a source that you know and trust.
If you have fallen victim to a scam or you receive a lot of unsolicited emails and phone calls consider changing your email address and phone numbers.

06/30/2019

What to Do If You Think There’s a Problem With Your Computer. If you think there may be a problem with your computer, update your computer’s security software and run a scan.

If you need help fixing a problem, go to someone you know and trust. Many software companies offer support online or by phone. Stores that sell computer equipment also offer technical support in person.

What to Do If You Were Scammed
If you paid a tech support scammer with a credit or debit card, you may be able to stop the transaction. Contact your credit card company or bank right away. Tell them what happened and ask if they can reverse the charges.

If you paid a tech support scammer with a gift card, contact the company that issued the card right away. Tell them you paid a scammer with the gift card and ask if they can refund your money.

If you gave a scammer remote access to your computer, update your computer’s security software. Then run a scan and delete anything it identifies as a problem.

If you gave your user name and password to a tech support scammer, change your password right away. If you use the same password for other accounts or sites, change it there, too. Create a new password that is strong.

Avoid Tech Support Refund Scams

If someone calls to offer you a refund for tech support services you paid for, it’s likely a fake refund scam. How does the scam work? The caller will ask if you were happy with the services you got. If you say, “No,” they’ll offer you a refund. In another variation, the caller says the company is giving out refunds because it’s going out of business. No matter their story, they’re not giving refunds. They’re trying to steal more of your money. Don’t give them your bank account, credit card or other payment information.

05/27/2019

New website is up... https://spyfox2004.wixsite.com/markscomputertech

05/21/2019

The United States Department of Justice recently announced the largest nationwide sweep of elder fraud cases in history, and the alleged losses amassed to millions more than the year before at over three-fourths of $1 billion.

Those scams are also becoming increasingly more digital. So what can you do to protect yourself or the seniors in your life?

Liz Weiman — founder of iWorkshop Academy, an organization that helps Apple users get more out of their devices — has three tips to protect seniors from scams that are becoming all too common.

Tip 1: Always wait before doing anything
Scammers often use a method called "phishing," a popular fraud that uses fake emails, texts or copycat websites to convince victims to share valuable personal information. Criminals may often pretend to be a well-known organization in order to gain the victim's trust.

“No matter how urgent or alarming a situation may seem, tell your senior to always wait before doing anything and call a family member or designated person first," Weiman said. “Remind them that the IRS, Apple, Microsoft do not routinely contact people by phone or email.”

Anyone who gets a call demanding money or even a random, strongly-worded notice can experience anxiety and panic, and elderly people are exceptionally vulnerable to being browbeaten, yelled at or bullied on the phone, according to Weiman. Scammers want victims to act fast without contacting anyone else.

“As with any major decision in life, careful analysis rather than a knee-jerk reaction is always the best way,” Weiman recommends. “Their families can remind them that there is no urgency to react and take any action right away except to call their families and ask if this is legitimate.”

Senior's weakness for scams may be warning sign of dementia
Does an older friend or relative have a hard time hanging up on telemarketers? Or get excited about a "You've won a prize" voicemail? New research suggests seniors who aren't on guard against scams also might be at risk for eventually developing Alzheimer's disease.
Tip 2: Install anti-virus and anti-malware software
Elderly people are also increasingly falling victim to a scam called tech-support fraud, which occurs when criminals trick victims into giving them remote access to their computers under the guise of providing technical support, according to the Department of Justice.

Provide an extra layer of protection on devices by installing anti-virus or anti-malware software, the report says. This can help prevent some scams from coming through. Remember to not only protect computers, but any device that can connect to the internet — like a tablet or phone.

Weiman recommends Norton, McAfee and Windows Defender (part of the Windows operating system) as protection. She also suggests “MalwareBytes, the free version, (which) can regularly remove all kinds of viruses and malware.”

Advise the seniors in your life to also be wary of technical support that contacts them first and to be sure they know with whom they're talking before allowing any sort of access to the computer, the report says. Services like Apple Care will often ask their customers to hide sensitive information before gaining access and will not be able to manipulate things on the screen beyond an arrow that shows customers where to click.

How older people can guard against fraud, financial exploitation
One of the Utah victims of a direct mail scam that bilked hundreds of people nationwide out of $1.8 million ran from a mailbox at a Park City store was 91 years old.
Tip 3: Make a plan
Explain to the senior in your life that if they are concerned they may have clicked or downloaded something harmful, to make a plan of action. Reiterate that mistakes do happen, and everyone is susceptible to online scams.

“There are pop-ups that resemble virus checkers that tell seniors that a virus has infected their computer and that they need to click a link to fix it or get help,” Weiman said. “Clicking this link actually lets in malware that infects the computer and either allows the hackers to search the computer or locks it on restarting.”

Weiman recommends that seniors "should immediately turn off the computer when they see anything asking for money, such as an email or pop-up notice. As long as no link has been clicked, all they need to do is restart and run a virus and malware checker.”

Millions of seniors are victims of tech scams each year, but that number is most likely much higher because many don’t report or reach out for help, the Department of Justice said. Let your elderly ones know that they are not alone, and that they can always ask for aid.

05/07/2019

Top 10 Scams....Heres the new ones to watch out for...
Debt Collection:
Most of the complaints under this category involve debt collectors. Consumers tell of receiving calls from harassing collectors who are threatening and will repeatedly call attempting to collect a debt. Other complaints that fall under this category involved credit/debit card fees, pay day loans, credit repair companies and unauthorized use of credit/debit cards. Some of these complaints involved hidden fees and billing disputes as well.
Fake Government Officials
If you received an email, letter or phone call from a government agency (typically the IRS or FBI) and it instructs you to wire, Western Union or MoneyGram money someplace, or follow a link and enter information - don't believe it! The U.S. government would never instruct anyone to use those methods to pay any bill or carry out a financial transaction, particularly with an overseas bank or agency.
Identity Theft, Phishing and Pharming
Scammers gain access to your confidential information, like socil security numbers, date of birth and then use it to apply for credit cards, loans and financial accounts. Typically, the victim receives an email that appears to be from a credible, real bank or credit card company, with links to a website and a request to update account information. But the website and email are fakes, made to look like the real website.
Phone scams
This includes telemarketers violating the Do Not Call list, Robodialers, scammers calling up pretending to be from a bank or credit card compamny. The National Do Not Call Registry (U.S.) or the National Do Not Call List (Canada) offer consumers a free way to reduce telemarketing calls. Scammers call anyway, of course, and they've even found a way to scam consumers by pretending to be a government official calling to sign you up or confirming your previous participation on the Dot Not call list! A good example of this is the "Your Microsoft license key has expired" scam call - which you can hear and read about on this page.
Loans Scams / Credit Fixers
False promises of business or personal loans, even if credit is bad, for a fee upfront. Or a scam that promises to repair your credit for a fee.
Fake Prizes, Sweepstakes, Free Gifts, Lottery Scams
You receive an email claiming you won a prize, lottery or gift, and you only have to pay a "small fee" to claim it or cover "handling costs". These include scams which can go under the name of genuine lotteries like the UK National Lottery and the El Gordo Spanish lottery. Unsolicited email or telephone calls tell people they are being entered or have already been entered into a prize draw. Later, they receive a call congratulating them on winning a substantial prize in a national lottery. But before they can claim their prize, they are told they must send money to pay for administration fees and taxes. The prize, of course, does not exist. No genuine lottery asks for money to pay fees or notifies it's winners vian email.
Internet merchandise scams
You purchase something online, but it is either never delivered or it is not what they claimed it was, or is defective.Online shopping, and other shop from home, such as catalog, mail and phone shopping scams are on the rise.
Automobile-Related Complaints
Car loans, car buying, car sales, auto repair, fake or useless extended warranties. Some of the complaints alleged consumers paid for repairs and that services provided were shoddy. Consumers reported repair companies that return vehicles to the consumer in a worse condition than how it was initially given to them. Other complaints involved consumers not receiving title to their vehicles at the time of sale
Credit Bureaus and related credit scams
Credit/debit card fees, pay day loans, credit repair companies and unauthorized use of credit/debit cards. Some of these complaints involved hidden fees and billing disputes as well.
Phishing/Spoofing Emails
Emails that pretend to be from a company, organization or government agency but ask you to enter or confirm
your personal information

03/09/2019

Update Google Chrome Right Now

A security flaw in Google Chrome was under active attack last week; although Google’s most recent Chrome update (hopefully) automatically fixed the problem in your browser, it’s important that you double-check that you’re running the newest version (72.0.3626.121).

But don’t take my word for it. When it’s Chrome’s lead of security and desktop engineering suggesting that you update now—”like right this minute”—you should take a few seconds to check your browser’s version.

To launch the Chrome’s built-in update tool, simply open the browser and select “About Google Chrome,” which you’ll find in the Help section within its primary drop-down menu. Your browser should then automatically update for you if there’s a more recent version to download.

02/12/2019

Many internet users may be familiar with the panic that comes when a message appears on the screen saying a virus has infected your computer. Many internet users also do not realize that more often than not, those pop-ups are the beginnings of a popular scam.
In 2017, the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 11,000 complaints related to tech support fraud. These scams come in all shapes and sizes, with con artists contacting people by phone, e-mail, pop-up messages and through search engines when people are trying to find legitimate computer help. The criminals often claim to be from well-known companies like Apple of Microsoft and say they detected malware on your computer. Inevitably, the communication ends with the scam artist asking you to pay for services you don’t need, or that may actually be harmful to your device.
But one scam technique that has appeared on Google’s Chrome internet browser may have users panicking that something dire has happened to their computer. These tech savvy scammers make your browser think it needs to save a file over and over, according to ArsTechnica. The browser can’t keep up and becomes unresponsive, but only after a phony error message tells the user to call a fake tech support number. And Chrome may not be the only internet browser affected. Malwarebytes security researcher Jérôme Segura tweeted that this screen-freezing scam also hit Firefox. ArsTechnica reports representatives from Google and Firefox say they are addressing the issue.
Remember nearly any legitimate tech support company will not contact you unsolicited, so you should never call these phone numbers.
There are other precautions to take to avoid becoming a victim, starting with the installation of ad-blocking software and making sure all software is up to date. If a so-called tech support company does contact you, be wary of any pressure to act quickly and never give remote access to your devices.
If a tech support scam does come your way, IC3 recommends shutting down the device immediately, ignoring any pop-ups telling you to do otherwise.
Whether or not you fall prey to a tech support scam, you should file a complaint with the IC3and be as descriptive as possible, noting any phone numbers, names, websites and e-mail addresses used by the criminals. If you do get scammed, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says to get rid of any malware that you or the criminals may have installed. If you gave someone credit card information to order bogus services, let your credit card company know so they can reverse the charges.

The FTC also reports that following these scams that sell you unnecessary (and potentially harmful) services, you may get a call from someone asking if you were happy with the service. When you reply negatively, they offer a refund. They may even call to say the company is going out of business and offering refunds. Don’t fall for it. They will want your credit card or bank information, saying it’s necessary to deposit the refund. If you get a call like this, hang up on them and report it to the FTC.
Earlier this year, several defendants that used high-pressure techniques to peddle unneeded tech support settled with the FTC. A court order required Inbound Call Experts, LLC (doing business as Advanced Tech Support) to give legitimate refunds on average of $277 to 36,830 people. The more than $10 million settlement also blocks the defendants from misleading consumers into thinking they have security problems on their computers.

08/03/2018

TIPS ABOUT TECH SUPPORT SCAMS:
• If you receive an unsolicited phone call or email about your computer, it is most likely a scam.
• If you receive an unsolicited pop-up message on your computer, examine it closely and look for signs that it may be fake. They include misspellings and bad grammar, or poor-quality graphics and images.
• Examine emails in the same way, because scammers may be trying to trick you into clicking on a link or opening a file.
• Microsoft says its error messages and warnings never include a phone number.
• Symantec, which makes Norton antivirus software, says it will call you only if you request a call.
• Search online for the number you are asked to call. If other people have reported that number, it might come up as a suspected scam.
• Search online for the address where you are asked to send a payment. If it is a house, you might want to think twice.
• If you are tricked into giving someone remote access to your computer, change the passwords on your bank account and other accounts.
• If you are scammed, contact your bank and the FTC, where you can file an online complaint. The Better Business Bureau also has a scam tracker.
• Take notes and save paperwork, which could come in handy when you’re filing a complaint.

06/10/2018

Authorities arrest dozens of IRS call center scammers

The operators threatened people with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay taxes.