BEWARE OF POP UP ADS
Pop Up cams are nothing new on the Internet. But one that
has become more prevalent recently is the “pop-up tech support” scam. For
example, while browsing the Internet, a user sees a pop-up or a page that warns
that their computer might be infected or malware might be installed on it. The
pop-up will include a toll-free number to call for immediate support tech help
or something similar. Don’t call them It
is a scam.
Here is a father’s report a worst-case scenario. His daughter,
who was away at college, had fallen for one of these scams, and she called the
number for “support” and gave them her debit card to pay for the “fix”. She
followed instructions to download and install a third party remote access
utility to allow them to “fix” the problem on her Mac. Hopefully she had a
backup from before the support company’s “fix”, as an erase and install a
program of their own that gives them access to her computer. Precautions should be done in cases like this.
It is another reason to have backups of your data.
Never give anyone that calls you your debit card number. They can drain
your account before you even know it.
With a credit card, they can’t control your credit card because the
money will be transferred from your card to PayPal and then to the people who
ae selling you the product.
Of course users should never
call any of these “support services”. If you see an instance of this, force
quit the browser and if you’re using Safari, re-launch with the shift key held
down and disable any extensions, remove website data/cookies and verify
homepage settings. If you do fall victim to this, you should also change your
passwords, notify your bank, cancel any used debit or credit card and monitor
your accounts if you gave that information to the scammers and monitor your
accounts regularly.
Avoid installing any software/add-ons from any source other than the
developers’ website as sometimes general “software download” sites may include
adware or – even worse – installer packages for other software.
For users of older OS X
versions (10.6.x, for example), Safari hasn’t been updated, therefore other
browsers like Firefox should be considered as they’re updated frequently. But
regardless of browser, you still should avoid installing software/add-ons from
untrusted or unknown sources. And be aware that even some “trusted” sources
such as Java have been reported in the past to have included bundled browser
add-ons/toolbars.
If you suspect you have
adware/malware installed, or search engine settings changed, pop-ups and
redirects occurring, etc., here is a
resource to help you remove it regardless of whether you have the suspicion or
not. It is called, GURUAID. Their phone number is 1-855-487-8243-8243. They are
experts at removing pop ups. They will fix anything that is in need of fixing. Their
annual fee is very reasonable. They have
been a great help to me. They are available 24/7.
Another commonly reported
concern for computer users is phishing emails that appear to come from what
appears to be a legitimate source asking to verify account credentials (they
often include a warning about your account being used for a recent purchase by
a new device, etc. Don’t fall for that scam.
The company that you are
connected with will never ask you to provide personal information or sensitive
account information (such as passwords or credit card numbers) via email.
I hope that this article in
informative to you.
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