Lynx Computers

01/11/2026

One of the many uses of ChatGPT. Now I can wake up and instantly ‘Gary Larson’ my own whacky ideas.

12/04/2025

The BBB’s naughty list of holiday scams to be aware of:

With the year quickly winding down, Better Business Bureau has compiled our naughty list of the top 12 holiday scams (formerly called 12 scams of Christmas).

11/19/2025

This November, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) reminds Canadians that fraud awareness is an essential part of financial literacy. The theme for Financial Literacy Month 2025 ‘’Let’s Talk Money’’ encourages open and honest conversations about money, including how to prevent fraud.

Fraudsters target all age groups, from students and job seekers to seniors managing retirement income. Open family discussions about money and fraud can protect loved ones from falling victim. For more information, visit: https://antifraudcentre.ca/features-vedette/2025/11/money-fraud-prevention-argent-prevenir-fraude-eng.htm

08/23/2025

Recent story of a Telus services subscriber being scammed out of $2k in Salmon Arm. Scammers play on emotions. In this case, it sounds like the ‘fear of missing out’ on a great deal to lower her monthly Telus bill - very understandable with this company. Reference:

Police said a Salmon Arm woman was scammed out of a $2,000 cellphone after she was offered a large discount to her Telus bill for ordering a new cell phone.

07/02/2025

This seems to be the big summer scam for BC residents so far:

B.C. Hydro is warning residents of the increasing number of scams offering fraudulent discounts on solar panels, home upgrades and other services.

06/28/2025

Are you seeing paid ads in your video feed that start with the line: “If you’re a BC resident, you may be entitled to energy rebates…”? Chances are high that these are scams. If in doubt, contact BC Hydro directly or go to their official website. There is a list of current programs and incentives for home owners there.

Fraudsters in B.C. are getting creative by using paid Google advertisements or visiting people’s homes posing as employees to try and lure people.

05/30/2025

This fraud is spreading across Vancouver and is only getting worse. The bank is NEVER going to send a ‘representative’ to ‘check the chip’ on the back of your debit card….

North Vancouver RCMP are calling on the public to be vigilant after a local senior was scammed for $23,000 and investigators say they are aware of numerous other similar cases on the North Shore.

05/09/2025

I worked with a client last week who is still mistrustful of her PC after losing money to a tech support scam last year. She couldn’t remember how she ended up on the phone with these scammers. They said they were calling from Microsoft…

Microsoft states: “Microsoft does not send unsolicited email messages or make unsolicited phone calls to request personal or financial information, or to provide technical support to fix your computer. If you didn't ask us to, we won't call you to offer support.”
Read more at:

Learn how to protect your PC, identity, and data from tech support scams.

04/23/2025

This scam is still catching people off guard. The scary thing about this one is that it depends on local perpetrators within the victim’s geographic area or even their community:

Fraudsters are targeting victims in person to obtain their banking cards

02/27/2025

A client bought a new printer and typed in the URL noted in the instructions. The webpage that appeared belonged to a scammer who talked them into a remote control session. How did this happen?!

Looking in the client’s Chrome browser history from that day, it appears that the URL was typed out with a semicolon, not a colon (red arrow points to this entry at the bottom of the second photo). As this was a malformed URL address, Google searched for it as a term instead. At this point, the client saw “printer-setup home” as a top search result (next line up). Clicking on that search result loaded a page that looked like Canon but was actually IJ.START.Cannon (Canon with two N’s). This page prompted the client to enter their name and phone number. As soon as that form was submitted, the phone rang and an eager ‘Matthew Smith’ at extension 104 with a case ID already prepared, talked the client into going to the Ultraviewer website and handing over remote control of the computer. Notice the rest of the entries in the browser history.

This client had already experienced being a victim of the tech support scam 7 months prior. The client knew that something was up when the scammer started looking through files and reporting virus infections - not installing the new printer, as expected. The client realized what was happening, shutdown the computer, hung up, and then called me. Thankfully the computer was okay and the client disconnected before being asked for a credit card number or other payment information.

Protect yourself by learning more about the tech support scam here: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/service-eng.htm

This example shows how even a past victim of this scam can fall for it again. Scammers use devious ploys such as purchasing domains that are spelled nearly the same as legitimate websites, such as Canon support. They make so much money from this scam that they can pay to advertise these bogus websites on Google and funnel unsuspecting users into their call centers.

Don’t give these people your name or phone number. Don’t believe them if they say they are from a reputable company like Canon or Microsoft. Don’t listen to their threats that something bad is going to happen if you don’t allow them to ‘help’ you. NEVER let anyone remote control your computer, tablet, or smartphone. If you get duped and realize what’s happening, shutdown your device and hang up the phone. Never give credit card info to these scammers or sign them into your bank account. I’ve met victims who have lost thousands of dollars with this scam. It’s heartbreaking because it is so preventable.

Another variant of this scam is a webpage that appears with sounds and flashing lights instructing you that you must call the listed phone number to ‘unlock’ your computer. Don’t panic. Shutdown your device - usually by holding the power button down for at least 10 seconds. After you restart your computer and open your web browser, select the option to NOT reload the last session when the computer lost power, as this would load the same webpage again.

02/04/2025

Welcome! My name is Dustin. I started Lynx Computers to offer affordable, on-site computer assistance in the North Okanagan. Most recently, I worked as a senior computer technician at JBJ Computers for a couple of years in Vernon. Before that, I was a business I.T. consultant in Banff and Canmore for over 20 years.

I work with PC's, Apples and nearly any tech device that's causing you grief. Please visit my website to learn more, or just call. www.lynxcomputers.ca

My rate is $95/hr with a minimum on-site charge of one hour. After the first hour, I bill in 15 minute increments. There is no minimum charge for remote assistance. I can handle most jobs within an hour.

In addition to residential computer service, I offer workshops for seniors groups. Workshop topics include avoiding online fraud, using password managers, how to edit and send photos, etc. If your group is interested, we could setup a single workshop or arrange a regular schedule for visits. I can offer a discounted rate for service calls on premises before or after the workshop, for example, for any residents at the retirement home.

I try my best to answer the phone between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Please leave a voicemail if calling outside those hours.

I have the A+ certification from CompTIA and the Microsoft Certified Professional designation. Combined with 25 years' experience, I can solve almost any computer issue.