08/03/2020
We urge all of our clients to activate the 2 Step verification on every account they have. This quickly initialized process sends a text to a registered mobile phone with a one time use pin code that you
receive immediately after you submit your password when logging of the an web account. Every website has it's own version of the 2 step verification process and they can vary
slightly in how they function. However, this means anyone attempting to access your account has to have access to the registered mobile phone during log in. This in addition to using a unique "strong" password on you email, social media and financial web accounts should reduce your exposure to being hacked.
P.S. No one will EVER call you unexpectedly from a 'tech" company notifying you that your computer is out of sorts, even if coincidentally your computer is acting up. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be Microsoft or Apple or HP, or may be Windows Support, or something similar; hang up, they are 100% FAKE! They'll keep calling and they'll try to persuade you that your computer is about to crash and will loose all your data or it's infected with a virus and your internet provider is about to disconnect your internet. It's all rubbish, they are professional, organized and highly successful scammers and have been up to this ever evolving crime for years.
They'll attempt to convince you that they can prove they're genuine by reading off Product IDs that are either not unique or unbeknownst to you, have been exposed on the Dark Web. Their 1st goal is to engage you and scare you, then they'll encourage you that they can fix it if you give them remote access to your computer, so they can control your computer. If you let them in, you're in a lot of trouble, you've basically given the keys to your home to a career thief.
We have seen a variety of nefarious damage and fraud these con artists have committed to clients over the years. From a relatively benign virus removal with a supposed lifetime subscription to a fly by night tech support firm for hundreds of dollars, to the devastating remote tech installing a password and data stealing software or loading an encryption app that locks you out of your own computer till you pay the exorbitant ransom, which is always asked to be payed in gift certificates or Bitcoin! Seriously, what legitimate company asks to be paid in gift certificates?
They prey on our seniors and if they find someone who took the bait once, may be someone who is naive in regards to technology, or suffers cognitive issues, the scammer will come back over and over. Never give someone over the phone access to your computer, unless you know them or can confirm they are 100% genuine and in the United States.
Three men charged in hack that saw accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Elon Musk compromised in bitcoin scam
