“I received a phone call telling me that something is wrong with my computer…”

First things first. No.

That should be the first word that comes to mind when faced with a phone call offering help with a problem that you either didn’t know you have or a problem that has suddenly appeared. There are no pro-active, altruistic initiatives from any reputable software companies to ride up on a white horse and save you from anything. It doesn’t happen.

It will never happen. It is a lie designed to prey on someone that is uncomfortable with computers, doesn’t truly understand how to secure their computer and has a fear of doing or clicking the wrong thing. That voice on the phone sounds so helpful, it sure sounds like it knows what it is talking about. The voice is a con. The voice is a criminal.

Imagine this scenario, you get out of your car and someone walks up to you and tells you someone stole your wallet. You look in your purse, you check your pocket, your wallet is there, you can see it. When you tell them, no, it hasn’t been stolen, they ask you to hand them the wallet to make sure nothing is missing. Would you hand them the wallet?

It’s a crazy question right? Of course, there are so many alarm bells in this situation that you can sense the danger. It’s the same con. Only the pleasant voice on the phone is helpful, where as someone approaching you in parking lot is uncomfortable or scary.

So what do you do? First hang up. Second, walk away from your computer and put down your phone. Now it’s time to think. What have you done recently on your computer or phone that would have served as an invitation for this phone call.

All of these questions apply to both your computer and your cell phone.

Did you visit a website you don’t normally go to?

Did you click a link in an email from a friend or business associate?

Did you get an email that seemed odd when you read it? Could be a single odd or misused word, or a tone that seemed unlike the person it was supposedly from.

Did you get a “security” email from a site you use that you immediately clicked but in the end, there was no security issue?

Did you add a “browser extension?”

Did you install a new application?

Was there a random popup that told you you were infected with a virus?

Somehow, something you have done as has made you a target and it’s time to take precautions. At a minimum you should have virus software on both your computer and your phone. It can be a free version if it’s from a reputable company. Use this software to do a scan of both devices.

You should also run an “on-line” scan. Sometimes your installed virus software will miss something, especially if it’s a new attack or you haven’t let the machine do it’s updates and reboots as it has requested. An online scan helps identify an issue that your installed software can’t see. I recommend Trend Micro’s Housecall. It’s free and reliable.

There is a decent chance that you will find nothing infected. In many cases its what’s known as a browser extension that is causing the issue. In simple terms, a browser extension is something that either knowingly or unknowingly a user added to their browser of choice. This happens most often when something is installed or a popup from a web page is blindly accepted. It is extremely important that you read everything before you click accept or next. As a user your click is granting permission for whatever the application or page tells you it’s going to do. Sometimes what you read is truthful, other times it isn’t, but only you can protect yourself.

Stay tuned for more detailed posts on some of the topics mentioned above.