Elk County Tech

09/24/2025

Came across a pretty convincing scam today. Got a fraud alert text from Synchrony bank & I do have accounts with them. The text was pretty convincing as I've had them many times before, it was worded about the same. Stating a charge from Best Buy & an amount, with an option to respond yes or no for approval. I thought it looked just a little bit off but of course I pay closer attention to these things than most as I do help people fight fraud pretty frequently here. There was a delay of a few minutes before a text got back to me saying they would call. That alone was odd, it is normally immediate. As usual I let everything play out because I'm interested in how these scammers work. They called back & sounded very official & legit. I tripped them up when I asked them which card they were talking about as I have multiples. Then they actually gave me the first 6 digits. I checked my cards & those digits did not match. I told them this, they said that was very odd & put me on hold. Few minutes later they hung up. So the moral of the story is NEVER give out your personal information. If a credit card company is actually calling you, they would be able to provide the card information in question to YOU. These scammers don't actually have any of your card information as they are fishing for it. They are trying to get it from you. The real card company likely wouldn't even ask you for it, as they would already know. Never give out your credit card number or social security over the phone. It is just too dangerous these days.

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04/05/2025

For anyone that follows the news it should be no surprise that I have to announce that prices will be increasing as costs of parts have drastically & quickly increased this week as all tech parts come from Asia (mostly China) which are in the middle of a highly tariffed trade war with the US. However, most people would still want to get things fixed as usual because the prices of tech devices are in the same boat & will be rising the same. I was honestly expecting prices to possibly go down at this point this year, but of course nobody predicts the current events we have to deal with. If things change on this front, I will update! Thank you all for your patronage over the years. I don't say that enough!

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08/29/2023

Now at new location. 208 Bayberry Rd. Still in Saint Marys. Past decade or so I've never asked anyone to share a post, but this would be a good one to get the word out on! Thanks everyone who has supported me over the years & the new location should be easier to find, closer to town & more accessible than the last one!

06/12/2023

Getting a lot of calls regarding people getting hacked. I have some tips. First, hacking usually begins with your email. This is how people gain access to your Facebook, Ebay, Amazon & other accounts. With it being your first line of defense, you want to update your email password to be complicated. The more like jibberish it looks, with numbers, letters & characters the better.

Second, make sure the email you use has an option for something called "2 factor authentication". Basically enabling this will require you needing to authorize any password or account change attempt by using an alternate method. Usually it is a text to your cell phone number, but an alternate email should also be an option. Unfortunately, some email accounts (like Windstream) do not appear to have 2 factor authentication as an option where they can text you passcode but they do have a couple security questions you can enable & fill out which should provide the same level of protection.

Lastly, only AFTER you have all of this done should you work on securing your other accounts such as Facebook, etc. Go in & update your passwords regularly. I know you likely won't do this because I'm not good with it either. This is why it is important to enable 2 factor authentication on all of these accounts somewhere in your account settings. Changing any passwords before securing your main email is pointless, you will just keep getting hacked so again make sure to do that first.

As always I'm willing to help as well if you need anything although sometimes I'm limited with what I can do as I don't have access to your accounts. So I figure this little guide can at least help in your efforts. Good luck & stay safe out here in cyberspace!

01/27/2017

An updated shot of my work area, at least on the physical repair side of things. With the money I put into some new equipment I might as well show it off & make it clear that I'm not a novice. Been doing this a while!

09/26/2016

Just a reminder that I will take broken HDTV's. I'll come get them if you live nearby.

10/23/2015

Bought a nice printer yesterday on sale for $23, it came with ink. Then it occurred to me that the cost of "official" ink for this printer, when it comes time to replace, is about $45 for both black & color. Yep, ink costs nearly 2x as much as the printer itself, which comes with that same ink. It is FAR more economically viable to simply buy a new printer every time I run out of ink. Even the non-sale price of the printer is $40, so either way. Solution... avoid OEM ink. That stuff costs them next to nothing to manufacture & the markup is insane. Generic ink can be found on online much cheaper & it is possible to refill your own as well.

08/17/2015

This is a real post I came across when reading about water damaged phones. Be smart, avoid self hatred when having a toilet. & I do have water damage & drying kits here, if you drop your phone in water, DON'T turn it on & give me a call.

07/28/2015

I have a site too http://ectapa.com/
Some of the services offered...

Phone / Tablet Repair (Including Broken Screens)
Will Buy Broken Tablets, Phones, Computers
Computer Repair
Virus / Malware Removal
Custom PC Builds
Web Site Development
Video Editing

Elk County Tech Associates

07/28/2015

I have the tools & skills to tackle most technology related problems. Specializing in virus/malware removal & speeding up computers, and repairing tablets & phones including smartphone repair, which I've been doing for several years now & have the proper tools to handle specific jobs. I can do all manner of geeky things, I'll even fix old pinball machines & video games. Build custom PC's as well.