Victim Location 51334
Type of a scam Tech Support
"Samuel Watson" contacted me via phone. Represented himself as associated with Microsoft. They had rec’d info that my computer (he knew my License Security ID #) was one of many on a list that showed the computer as being hacked and infected with a "virus" that would shut down my computer. I am elderly and not computer savvy. They are persistent and prey on your fear of losing access to your computer. I called back and spoke with "Mark Scherer" (who later identified himself as Mark "Marquez"). Samuel and Mark both had East Indian accents, so their names did not fit. They will convince you that they need to gain access to your computer via Team Viewer in order to investigate/correct the problem. They are very convincing & show you the issues that need fixing. During the hour’s time that tech "Rick" was "fixing" my computer, he installed several programs (Google, Total 260 Protection, and several others) without my knowledge. When I questioned this I was told that these were all "part of the package." Then I was shown a price list in order to "renew the License," because the original license had been negated because of the "virus" issues. Prices started at $199/one year. I asked many questions and was always given, what seemed to me, a plausible answer. As I said previously, I am not computer savvy, so I was easily intimidated and manipulated. I agreed to purchase a 2-year License for $299. I told them I’d have to transfer funds, which I did, but since it was later in the day I explained that the bank may not verify the transfer until the next day. Rick finally agreed that was OK. Phone call ended, computer apparently fixed. My good sense kicked in & I did some investigating on line. They had made a big show of pointing out to me that they had a positive rating from the BBB. I looked up the company on ScamPulse.com and 14 out of 18 "reviews" were the exact same wording, but with different customer names. Finally I realized that this had all been a scam. Fortunately the bank transfer had not yet gone through, so I was able to cancel it. I then uninstalled all of the programs that had been installed on my computer. In the evening I was called by "Mark" who said that "Rick" had indicated that perhaps I did not completely trust them. I told Mark that I had cancelled payment & uninstalled the programs. His demeanor changed from having always been exceedingly polite to almost rude. After that call, I received another phone call from "Rick" who wanted to know why I had wasted his and other technician’s time. He was hostile. I held my ground & ended the call. It’s only by the grace of God that I did not lose any money. I only hope that they did not insert some nasty bug in my computer. These people are running a good scam that fooled me, and I am not a stupid woman. There was nothing wrong with my computer. The whole charade is to con unknowing people into purchasing their "packages." The entire experience, which lasted all afternoon, was extremely unpleasant. This company should be strongly investigated.