855-883-8484

Virus

Scam

my computer froze and this number came up.  I called it and they waked me through my issues with my computer, unfortunetly I gave them control of my computer (dumb move) they wanted to charge me 300.00 to fix i said no.  I am really nervous becasue I gave them access to my computer. he said he was a microsft technician names John woods (Indian guy).

>>  I gave them control of my computer   <<

Since the scammers accessed the computer, they probably did one or more of the following:
• Disabled the anti-virus software
• Added nasty malware to the computer
• Copied the Contact List (so they can spam/email your soon-to-be ex-friends)
• Copied any financial data or passwords they could find
• Compromised your ID on Facebook or other social site(s), and perhaps on shopping sites.
• "Zombied" the computer, so it would respond to THEIR commands sent via internet
• Deleted some important files
• Asked for money to repair the damage they caused

What can you do immediately after such an attack?
1.  Pull the cables on the computer, or otherwise disable it, so it cannot access the internet.
2.  Change ALL  passwords stored on the computer.
3.  Run FULL malware scans on the computer, in "SAFE" mode!
4.  Change the passwords again, particularly if the malware scans showed anything.
5.  Inform your bank and credit card companies.
6.  Sign up for credit monitoring, and check the status frequently
7.  Backup non-executable personal, data files to an external storage device.  (Executable files might be infected).
8.  You may have to bring the computer to a local repair shop, and tell them the story.
9.  Tell friends what happened, so they can be aware of strange emails from you.
10.  Connect to the internet only AFTER all the above have been done.
11.  Change the passwords on all online accounts.  Even better - access a "safe", uninfected  computer, and change your online account passwords RIGHT NOW.

NOTE:
If your computer set a "Restore Point" while it was infected, any "System Restore" you make will re-infect your computer.  Suggest you delete any potentially infected restore points and avoid setting such restore points until after your computer has been thoroughly cleaned!

You fell for one scam, and might be susceptible to others mentioned on this site:
http://phonehelp.2truth.com/facts.html
Read that info to educate and help protect yourself!

Honest computer companies do NOT cold-call people, or cause popups from websites to tell them their computers need fixing!

Some scammers even have websites, and falsely advertise they are associated with popular software packages or computer companies; so do NOT believe a "we will fix your computer remotely" site, and allow them access to your computer!

Read the info at these links.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Cold-Call-Tech ... on-150170.shtml
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0346-tech-support-scams

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/portal/mmpc/shared/ransomware.aspx

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

Lesson:
If your computer needs fixing, bring it to a local repair shop

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Please reply to this post, to let us know you read it, or have taken suitable actions to protect yourself.

A webpage froze. I happened to have multiple pages open at the time but the one page was the only on frozen. Suddenly, a window popped up & the message contained was scary! It even had a voice come over my speakers to explain the message & how urgent it is to contact Microsoft at 855.883.8484. I got really nervous & started praying (literally) that what it was saying was not true. Prior to calling the suggested number, I decided it may be a good idea to "Google" the number first & see if it seems legit. Boy am I glad I did! Thanks to the other posters on this website/page I did not make the mistake of actually calling them!  Many thanks!