"It was a nightmare!" Two women get caught up in tech support scam
“It was a nightmare!” Two women get caught up in tech support scam
"It was a nightmare!" Two women get caught up in tech support scam
BROOKFIELD — It's all too common to have issues with your computer. Unfortunately, scam artists know that and that's making it easier for them to take over your information and hold it for ransom.
Hackers can break into things online and steal your information. You'd never actually talk with one and give them permission to do it.
But they're tricky.
Warning messages similar to this one pop-up on computer screens urging users to call "tech support." It's a scam.
"I was in tears and shaking. I couldn't believe that I had done this, first of all, and that this had happened to me," JoAnn Gray-Murray said.
The scammers are now using names of trusted companies like Microsoft to hook victims.
Gray-Murray just happened to be waiting for a call from Microsoft when con artists called instead.
"I just assumed that this was Microsoft because it sounded like Microsoft," Gray-Murray said.
She is not alone.
Joyce Bradley, another scam victim, thought the same thing when a message popped up on her computer screen.
"I got this big warning on my screen and the warning seemed to be from Microsoft," Bradley said.
Both women say the representative they spoke with was friendly and simply asked one question.
"They asked me for permission to let them take control of my computer," Bradley said about the interaction.
"And I said, 'Yes, you can control the computer,'" Gray-Murray said.
After that, the person on the phone got greedy and that's when both women started to get suspicious.
"We won't give you the number until you give us $2,400 — absolutely not," recalled about the conversation with the scammer.
JoAnn Gray-Murray at North Shore Bank
Both women hung up and immediately called their bank.
They have been customers with North Shore Bank for more than 20 years. The staff helped both women close their accounts and protect them.
"It's a nationwide epidemic," said Lyneen Fischer, the VP of Security at North Shore Bank.
Fischer says we all need to step up our online security, which includes getting anti-virus protection for our phones.
"I want to make sure that people change their passwords frequently and that people don't use the same passwords for everything. And the other thing is, when you're shutting down the computer don't just flip over the screen actually shut it down," Fischer advised.
If you've already fallen victim to this scam here's what you can do:
It's a lot of work, but it needs to be to protect your information.
Both Gray-Murray and Bradley wish they'd never taken the call.
"It was a nightmare," Gray-Murray said.
Microsoft is tracking this scam. You can learn more about it and see the company's advice HERE.