Computer Works

01/30/2026

Seriously, don't!

Don't plug in that flash drive you:

Found in a parking lot
Received in the mail as a "free gift"
Bought from some random online seller

Scammers are using USB drives to deliver malware straight to your computer. The second you plug one in, it can automatically install ransomware, steal your passwords, wipe your data, or spread through your entire network. You might not even realize you've been infected until it's too late.

The mail scam is especially sneaky. Scammers send flash drives disguised as legitimate correspondence from the IRS (claiming tax refund info), health organizations, or companies offering promotional gifts.

They're counting on your curiosity or trust to get you to plug it in. Don't fall for it.

Found one lying around? That "lost" flash drive in the parking lot isn't lost. It's bait. Throw it away.

Got a suspiciously cheap flash drive online? It's probably reprogrammed to show fake storage capacity and will corrupt or delete your files. Or worse, it has malware on it.

Only trust flash drives you personally bought from reputable retailers. If you didn't buy it or specifically order it, throw it away.

Found one at work? Turn it in to your IT department. They can handle it safely and alert others if your workplace is being targeted.

Your data is worth way more than free storage.

Learn more about this scam in the latest edition of Inside the Star. Link in the comments.

07/25/2025

On October 14th of this year, Microsoft Windows 10 will be "End-of-Life" (EOL). What does this mean? Windows 10 will no longer receive security updates from Microsoft. Slowly after that, browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc. will no longer update & so on. Your computer WILL continue to work & your OS license will remain valid.

What this does mean is your computer will be more vulnerable to viruses & bad actors on the internet! If you do online banking, shopping, scroll Facebook (just examples) you are putting yourself at an elevated risk for being a victim of scammers & hackers.

Let us evaluate your computer for an upgrade to Windows 11. Even if you tried & were notified that your computer is not eligible we can still probably get it upgraded for you. There is no cost for the license upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10. You don't need to pay for the software! If your PC is 15 years old though, might be time for a new one! October will be here before we know it so don't wait for the last minute. Call us at 203-445-9059 to make an appointment!

05/02/2025

If you receive a call 📞 from “your bank” claiming there’s fraud on your account, it could be a scammer trying to get you to send them money.

🚨 Here’s how it works: Scammers contact you about a “problem’’ that must be resolved immediately. They often trick you into making transfers or sending money as they instruct you on how to “fix” the problem.

We will never ask you to move or send money to resolve a fraud issue.

⚠️ Be cautious, if something seems suspicious, don’t respond. Instead, call the number on the back of your card or account statement.

Learn more about how this scam unfolds: https://www.chase.com/digital/resources/privacy-security/security/how-to-spot-scams

05/02/2025

NEVER allow anyone to access your computer if you don't know them, especially as a result of a random phone call or a your computer screen "warning you of grave danger" if you don't call right away!

If you receive a call 📞 from “your bank” claiming there’s fraud on your account, it could be a scammer trying to get you to send them money.

🚨 Here’s how it works: Scammers contact you about a “problem’’ that must be resolved immediately. They often trick you into making transfers or sending money as they instruct you on how to “fix” the problem.

We will never ask you to move or send money to resolve a fraud issue.

⚠️ Be cautious, if something seems suspicious, don’t respond. Instead, call the number on the back of your card or account statement.

Learn more about how this scam unfolds: https://www.chase.com/digital/resources/privacy-security/security/how-to-spot-scams

03/31/2025

Taken from a colleague:

Scam Warning sheet (revised; please PRINT):
I have to say this again and again because my clients keep telling me “Oh, I would never do that” then they do it anyway.

#1) That email you got saying you will be charged or debited $###.xx for Geek Squad, Norton, Crypto, PayPal etc are ALL fakes. Delete and DON'T CALL the NUMBER OR CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THE EMAIL. EVER. EVER. EVER.

#2) Message on your screen and LOUD WARNING that you have to call Microsoft for SUPPORT? FAKE. SHUT OFF THE COMPUTER BY HOLDING THE POWER BUTTON for 7-10 FULL seconds.

#3) That CALL you received stating fraud has been detected on your account and for some STUPID reason they need access to YOUR computer? FAKE. HANG UP and STOP TAKING UNKNOWN CALLS. Those days are OVER. If it’s important they will LEAVE A MESSAGE.

#4) NO ONE GETS INTO YOUR COMPUTER. (Except if you NEED ME, with prior authorization) NO OTHER EXCEPTIONS. NONE. NEVER NEVER NEVER.

#5) You SEARCHED for a phone number for HP, Canon, Microsoft, Norton, etc. and got a FAKE CRAP NUMBER that YOU called, let them into YOUR computer, and they told you “how infected or corrupted your computer was” and that they need to fix it first before fixing the reason for your call. TURN OFF THE COMPUTER AND HANG UP.

#6) This scares me as much as any of the above; if you have a SAVED PASSWORD for your banking or finance you are putting yourself at SERIOUS RISK or being financially WIPED OUT.

Please share this with family and friends who may be more gullible than you. Thank you and have a safe week.
Call me with any concerns on how to resolve these issues, but if I cannot answer for whatever reason, JUST SAY NO. DON’T DO IT. You WILL BE FINE.

06/19/2024

Taken from a colleague:

"So, I keep posting on here to never let anyone else but me into your computer, with NO exceptions, and yet you guys keep doing it and giving away outrageous sums of money to thieves and scammers. All I keep hearing is "but, but, but". Not quite sure what else I could do to try and slow down this epidemic of thievery, but it's VERY frustrating. NEVER CALL A NUMBER IN AN EMAIL, OR FROM A WARNING MESSAGE ON THE SCREEN THAT YOUR COMPUTER IS COMPROMISED OR INFECTED. If you find the need to call your financial institution, look at a REAL STATEMENT from them for a REAL number. Have a better day."

04/03/2024

Copied from a colleague:

SCAM of the day; Customer buys a new HP printer/scanner. Can't set it up properly. "Doesn't want to bother me" Searches Google for HP printer support. Calls one of the first numbers listed. Gets someone on the phone who says they are HP support. Customer tells them the problem and they get let into their computer. "Support" tell them they have all sorts of infections and corruption. Customer is skeptical and hangs up, not realizing they are still connected to the computer. Calls me. I have them check their retirement balances on a different device that are now $625,000.00 lower than the beginning of the day because of the wire transfer initiated 60 minutes before they called me. "NO ONE GETS INTO YOUR COMPUTER OR DEVICE EXCEPT POSSIBLY ME. NO EXCEPTIONS"

Please listen to the advice!

08/21/2023

Be careful when you see those "fun" questionnaires and think about the personal information that you are sharing to others!

04/25/2023

From a colleague:
My earlier post needs to be stated again; NEVER CALL A NUMBER IN AN EMAIL, and ALLOW NO ONE INTO YOUR COMPUTER OR DEVICE (Except me with prior authorization). Another client allowed crooks in today and it was so simple they didn't know they did it. Please print this out and hand it to your family and friends.

03/27/2023

Please don't call any number that pops up on your screen claiming to be Microsoft telling you that your license will expire, you have viruses, etc! It is junk. They are scammers. They will convince you to let them remote into your computer in order to help you. From there, they will access personal info AND your bank accounts. Please resist the temptation! If unsure, call me, Adam at Computer Works. (203)-445-9059.

03/27/2023

03/24/2023

Thank you for the feature!

As a thank you, if you come in and mention Vendor Spotlight we will offer you 15% off the first 2 hours of labor. See you soon! ⚙️💻👨🏻‍🔧