- October 20, 2023
- Posted by: legaleseblogger
- Category: Related News
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Title: Addressing the Financial Scam Incident and Protecting Future Online Security
Introduction:
In the following content, we will delve into the details surrounding a recent financial scam incident involving the writer’s parents. The circumstances have led to concerns about potential information disclosure, compromise, and subsequent steps necessary to ensure online security. Moreover, we will explore how the AI Legalese Decoder can assist in dealing with this situation.
Background:
To provide some context, the incident began with the writer’s father encountering a computer freeze and a message suggesting hacking, allegedly from “Microsoft.” Their subsequent call to “Microsoft” revealed claims of computer compromise, leading to instructions for a bank transfer to secure their funds. Fortunately, due to the writer’s father’s computer malfunction, the actual bank visit was halted, preventing the transfer of $80k.
Current Situation:
While the writer is still gathering all the pertinent information, it is crucial to address the immediate concerns and steps to be taken to safeguard their parents’ financial well-being. Here is a summarized plan.
1. Change Online Banking Password:
One essential step to enhance online security is to change the online banking password immediately. This will help prevent any unauthorized access to their accounts and mitigate potential risks.
2. Set Up New Accounts:
Considering the circumstances, it might be prudent to set up new accounts in order to securely transfer funds. This will provide an added layer of protection to help prevent any fraudulent activities associated with their compromised accounts.
3. Monitor Credit Reports:
As a precautionary measure, the writer should monitor their parents’ credit reports regularly. This will enable early detection of any unauthorized credit activity or identity theft, thereby allowing for prompt action.
4. Freeze Bank Accounts:
To ensure the safety of their funds, the writer could request the bank to freeze their parents’ accounts if it hasn’t already been done. This will impose restrictions on any transactions until further notice, minimizing the risk of fraudulent activities.
5. Freeze Credit:
As an additional safeguard, considering freezing their parents’ credit could be beneficial. This will ensure that no new accounts can be opened in their names without their explicit consent, thus preventing potential identity theft risks.
6. AI Legalese Decoder Assistance:
In handling this situation, utilizing the AI Legalese Decoder can prove invaluable. This advanced technology can decipher complex legal language, assisting the writer in comprehending any necessary legal documents, contracts, or instructions related to the incident, helping to clarify the terms and implications involved.
Conclusion:
While the writer continues to gather information regarding the incident, prompt action is paramount to protecting their parents’ financial security. By changing online banking passwords, setting up new accounts, monitoring credit reports, freezing bank accounts and credit, and utilizing the AI Legalese Decoder to navigate the legal aspects, the writer can ensure all bases are covered. Being proactive in addressing these concerns will contribute towards a more secure online environment for their parents.
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AI Legalese Decoder: Helping Simplify Complex Legal Documents
Introduction
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AI Legalese Decoder: Enhancing Access to Justice
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Simplifying Contracts and Agreements
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Deciphering Court Judgments and Legal Opinions
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Conclusion
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****** just grabbed a
I deal with cleaning up clients’ computers after they fall victim to scams like this.
From what you’ve described, it sounds like a typical tech support scam. The computer probably didn’t freeze; the browser was redirected to a page that was programmed to expand to full screen mode, and that made it seem like the browser borders and menus and task bar vanished.
If that’s the case, and he didn’t install any software at their request (common titles are remote access software like AnyDesk, TeamViewer, UltraViewer, LogMeIn, or GoToAssist), it’s probably fine. These scams mostly rely on user action rather than downloading anything to the user’s computer automatically.
If he *did* install something, that needs to be cleaned up before doing anything else. Uninstall the software, run a virus scan, and clear the temporary files on the computer and in the browser at a minimum. Most of the time a full Windows reset isn’t necessary. Their bank may require them to bring the computer to a professional to have the clean up done, then provide paperwork showing the computer isn’t compromised anymore.
Something that we’ve found cuts down on repeat issues is providing education to our clients at pickup. We teach them how to exit full screen mode on their computers, and we go a bit overboard stressing that tech companies don’t just hand out their phone numbers to everyone. I’ve gotten into the habit of advising them to call a “trusted relative or close friend who knows a lot about computers” and that seems to help, too.
There are so many red flags in this that scream SCAM, it’s mind-boggling that people still fall for these, but here we are. They weren’t hacked, they were scammed. The scammers couldn’t do anything on their own, which is why they asked your parents to do the transfer themselves.
I would try to find out exactly what information your parents gave out.
They can’t do anything with just a bank account number, this number is on every check you write. You can’t withdraw money with just an account number.
If they didn’t give out their social security number, there’s no reason to panic about freezing credit report either, but there’s also no reason NOT to do that.
Please talk to your parents about computer security. I know a lot of older folks will think it’s patronizing but let’s face it, there is a target audience for these sorts of “hacks” that are just social engineering. Just explain that Microsoft will never reach out and a bank will never reach out other than “please contact your local branch.”
They weren’t hacked, they were conned.
> Should I have the bank put a freeze on their accounts if they havenÔÇÖt already?
Yes
> Should we freeze their credit too?
Yes.
You should also consider doing a complete reformat on that computer (and probably any computer in the house that they use). Nuke the hard drive from orbit and start over.
This has been going around. ItÔÇÖs not a real hack. They try to trick you into getting hacked by acting out of fear.
Watch some Jim Browning videos on Youtube. Then show them to your parent.
This is a scam, not a hack.
My mother-in-law almost fell for something like this but then she remembered “ask son-in-law first” and we caught it.
BUT that stupid pop-up kept coming up on the computer so I nuked it. Was going to anyway. It really only takes about 2 hours and I restored all her documents from the One Drive I had set them up on (and I scanned all documents of course).
They don’t do online banking or anything so no passwords to worry about thankfully.
In this case I would *always* recommend to format the hard drive and reinstall whatever OS it is (had someone on a Mac have this same issue). You just don’t know what other things these people got them to install or what other stuff your parents may have installed in the past. Just nuke it. It’s easy.
You mean the machine between the chair and keyboard was hacked into believing they needed to transfer their life savings.
Pointless to change passwords if you haven’t scrubbed that computer to remove the obvious and sometimes hidden in appdata or temp directories remote tools that are 100% set up for unattended remote access.
They weren’t “hacked” they were scammed. I clean up a minimum of about 6 of these per week because apparently older people will believe damn near anything as long as it contains sirens and the words Microsoft, Norton or McAfee.
After the machine is clean, then you change passwords, set up 2fa, set up ublock, put a freeze on, and if they were storing tax docs with unredacted SSNs, assume those were stolen as well.
Also assume everyone in any contacts lists they had have also had that information stolen as well.
Landline?
Get them off that asap! Also you should probably take POA. Funny not funny, they should have a daily limit on their accounts.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2018/06/psa-users-landlines-vulnerable-scams
This YouTuber films himself messing with these scammers. ItÔÇÖs funny to watch but also gives you insight into how they work: https://youtube.com/@KitbogaShow?si=ofYS1x4hqVha-Tpt
Your dad was likely browsing porn or some shady websites to get such a pop up. You need to have an honest conversation with them about how to safely use the internet. Similar happened to my dad and it was completely obvious he got it from some random porn site pop up.
Could you get financial power of attorney for your parents? This has nothing to do with technology. They simply were scammed. The same thing would have happened if they got a message on facebook or a phone call. They are, right now, at extreme risk of being scammed again. You need to take action now by taking over control of their finances.
As other have suggested, and it might be overkill, but I’d wipe that PC and reinstall the OS. Additionally, install an ad blocker in their browser. This will help prevent them seeing these “ads” in the future.
Get a password manager (NOT LastPass!) for them. Maybe the family plan on 1Password, so you can manage it for them and share credentials.
Make them set up multifactor authentication (a.k.a. MFA, 2SV, 2-Step Verification, etc.) everywhere they can. This applies doubly so for anything that can access money, such as banks, credit cards, Social Security, retirement systems, etc. Make sure to print the back-up codes and keep a copy yourself, so you can bail them out if necessary.
Go to every service they have and make the new password manager generate a long and random password for it. Every site should have a different password. Breaches are common, so if a password leaks out for site1.com, the bad guys will try it on site2.com as well. By using a password manager, you can ensure that every site has a different password and this is no longer an issue. As a bonus, it will auto-fill their name and password when they’re on the right site but leave it blank when they’re on a spoof/scam site. So it helps them notice that something is wrong.
Load uBlock Origin into their browser. The situation you described sounded to me like a malicious “and” that pretended to be a warning screen. I’ve seen those for many years. An ad blocker like uBlock Origin will reduce the chances of that happening. You could also consider setting up something like OpenDNS or AdGuard or PiHole if you have the skill to do it. Those will protect every device in their home network.
Get Malwarebytes and use the demo version (late a week or two, I think) to scan the computer to be sure there is no remote control or whatnot still on it. Consider buying a malware scanner like this on a yearly subscription, too.
This will probably do what you need. Judging from your story, I think your parents just got hit with one of these malicious ads and everything after that was hacking the human.
You might also want to watch some videos made by “pleasentgreen” (I think) on YouTube. He covers a lot of toes of scams and makes it all very understandable to the average person.
How old are your parents?
My grandmotherÔÇÖs computer was routinely hacked/infected with malware and she would get alerts like this on her screen. It always instructed her to call a number. Or, she would get a phone call saying ÔÇ£your computer is sending us a signal that itÔÇÖs been hackedÔÇØ. This had the effect of making my grandmother feel like she was in the wrong because her computer was sending the signal. She was beginning to experience mild dementia and so I think she also gave these scammers remote access a few times.
Anyway, eventually my relatives took her computer to a repair place to have them remove the malware. Then, I changed her computer accounts so that she used a guest account and not an administrator account. This prevented her from giving remote entities access and from downloading most malware. I told her that if she got an error saying something like ÔÇ£this function not possible since youÔÇÖre not an administratorÔÇØ then that was her protection. I didnÔÇÖt give her the password to the administrator but I gave it to my father since he is who she called for her computer issues. She was a proud woman but she didnÔÇÖt object to this. I think she was relieved to have some protection between her and scammers and to have a setting where she could use her computer in a safe way.
Basically, I added an extra buffer for her. I think it helped her a lot.
My dad and I also ran her credit report to make sure no one had taken out loans or cards in her name. Routinely checking credit is a good tool.
Have you read Being Mortal? It talks about aging and death but also goes over common scams that smart elderly people are subject to. It discusses how embarrassing it is for elderly folks and how vulnerable even the smartest are to scammers. I pestered my dad to read it for like a year. He finally bought it and ended up reading it in a weekend and said ÔÇ£this should be required reading for anyone with an aging parentÔÇØ.
IÔÇÖm so glad my parents watch Kitboga and are already familiar with this scam. Most likely Indian scammer, this is literally one of their favorite gambits!
Personally, I would factory reset that laptop and start from scorched earth (start over). If you can get to the login page, click the power button and hold shift while you click restart. Keep holding shift until it pops up in a blue screen. Click troubleshoot, reset PC, fully clean drive. Wait for that to go through and start over setting up their accounts in it. They don’t necessarily need a new account, old one is fine so long as the password for that account was not given to the scammers. (I would still have them change it). If this isn’t working to reset the laptop, do a Google search on how to boot a PC from a USB drive (it’s not as scary as it sounds). You will need to download windows 10 or 11 onto a USB drive -just Google “windows 10 iso” and save it to the USB. Plug that into the scammed laptop and boot to bios. You can find out which button to push for it to boot to bios by googling the model of computer and “boot to bios”. Once you get past all of that, download some security extensions in their web browser (ublock origin and privacy badger) – it will save them from themselves. There is a free malware detection scanner called Malwarebytes – download it for them and run a scan. It comes with a browser extension – get it. I’m here to help if you have more questions.
I feel bad for your parents. It’s only a matter of time before they fall for another scam.
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The bank employees deserve a really nice bottle of wine.
An old friend fell for that “Microsoft” scam. Fortunately he told us before he made a transfer but he still paid almost 400$ to “upgrade his security”.
Lordy. Even my mom who lives alone is is almost 95 (but maybe 90 at the time) doesnÔÇÖt fall for these. She did ONCE but as soon as she called she realized her stupidity (well, age?) and immediately called m brother and the bank. Nothing happened. She is lucky/smart bc she doesnÔÇÖt do any online banking or payments. So she doesnÔÇÖt get these scams much. She also has a Mac (at my insistence), so reduces the problem a hair more. She did get a ln alarming message similar to yours recently and was mildly panicking, but called me. After the other attempt a few years ago, we set up her Mac so that we can see/control it. So she just called and let us know and I was able to fix it all up. (Nothing had happened, but it was a ÔÇ£cleverÔÇØ full-screen situation where she literally couldnÔÇÖt click anything since it was all an image. But it had so many alarming pop up messages in the image, with error codes and a phone number, etc.)
Maybe install this sort of software and connect your computer to theirs so you can take control and fix things.
You should check their bank statements for micro transactions that often go unnoticed.
For more info on how these scammers work you can have a look at Kitboga on YouTube. He pranks scammers pretending to be an older person. You will see first hand their modus operandi.
And this is exactly why these scammers have such awful
lives and their kids have awful lives etc etc etc I love to get them on the phone and ask about their families  Karma pays x 10
It sounds like their computer might have been though, if it actually froze and wasn’t just a confusing pop up. So run an anti malware/spyware program for one. If they are running an up to date Windows defender though, it was probably a pop up that takes over the screen without any obvious close options
Change email passwords, this is probably the biggest one tbh as email let’s you log into a lot of devices and accounts.
Make sure they weren’t asked to install any software to their phone or computer like anydesk. But it kind of sounds like your parents don’t use phone apps for banking. Still worth a check.
Change bank card, get a replacement one if they gave out any card details. Should be free or maybe like £5 depending on the bank.
Install add blocker on chrome for them to potentially stop anything like this happening again, if it was browser related instead of anything else.
Advise them nobody legitimate will ever ever tell them to move money, ask for passwords or even just their full card number without some sort of encryption, or pop up on their computer or any emails ever telling them to call a number, click on a link to fill in financial details or otherwise. And to now be diligent for potential spam emails and text messages coming their way trying to do this same thing. Do not enter card details into anything they haven’t opened looking to spend on first, period.
Scammers will also spoof things or make a fake profile, message your parents and pretend they are you and ask for a loan of x amount to be transferred. Basically just be aware of anything, even you seemingly messaging them asking them to move money. Any messages about money or details at all.
That should be it really unless they gave out tons more info,
Malware check first, then email password, phone apps or downloads, replacement card and you’ll probably be fine.
>Just want to make sure IÔÇÖm covering all bases
reboot their computers with a fresh install, you don’t know what junk they might’ve installed
And after it’s all done put them in front of the computer and make them watch Kitboga videos for 9 or 10 hours to see how this all works
I recommend installing AD Blocker (ublock Origin) on your parentÔÇÖs web browser. ItÔÇÖs really unnecessary, but it helps block bad ADs, prevent viruses, and much more.
1. Report this to https://www.ic3.gov/
2. Did they ever share their account and routing numbers? If unsure, work with the bank to get new account numbers. Keep in mind that some banks will lock the account preventing any transfer. Lock accounts can stay locked for months so work closely with the bank to ensure your parents have the funds they need.
3. If they have any direct deposits, consider opening a new account and moving direct deposits to it.
4. Tells your friends and family. Scammers may have their information too.
5. Update the antivirus software on their computers.