I’ve never done any readings about what to do if I were
HACKED!
WELL --- It finally happened! Here’s my story about what
I’ve learned. I started to research and inform myself, as well our friends.
Don’t give out personal or
financial information
Don’t share your personal
and financial information - we will never call, email or text you requesting
you to respond with your account number, PIN or access code
Scammers use different
tactics and techniques to get victims to fall for their schemes.
They may
pose as government officials, law enforcement or even Bank of America employees
to steal your personal information. Messages will look identical to official
correspondence. In some cases, they can be friendly, sympathetic and seem
willing to help. In others, they use fear tactics to persuade a victim.
If you receive a call, text
or email, or someone comes to your home asking for this information, don’t give
it out.
·
Don’t feel pressure to respond right away.
·
Validate the request by calling an official phone number from
their website or talk to a trusted family member or friend - don't call phone
numbers mentioned in the questionable message.
·
Consider installing an app to block robocalls to your phone.
I was sitting at my computer, and I opened
an e-mail from an unknown source. Next thing that I knew, my screen turned into
a flashing spectacular of all sorts of official looking warnings, accompanied
by LOUD noises. The purpose was to rush your very being into a PANIC!
Everything was to exude fear and make the subject/target/me lose control.
Along with that was a warning not to turn
off your computer and to call the large, red flashing telephone number
(888-XXX-XXXX), X = possibly more eights; I don’t recall!
When I called the number, it was from
Supposedly, Microsoft Tech. support. He was there to help me solve my hacking
problem. Believe me when I say that I felt as though it was a genuinely talking
to a representative of Microsoft.
He proceeded to tell me that he had to
take over my computer. He sent me a request to merge---Merge I did!
I had called a supposedly genuine Microsoft number.
DON’T CALL, or make ANY contact; go into a protective mode.
1- BREAK the connection;
no matter what they were telling you.
2- Take the battery out
for a half hour or so.
Once you
have killed the connection; go into cleanup mode.
1- Call your credit card
company and ask for the “Fraud” division.
2- Contact the National Do
Not Call registry and put in your number.
3- If you are still
enrolled in any of the three Credit Bureaus; Put your account on ‘Freeze’. We
did that about five years ago. You only need
to contact the Credit Bureau if you want to re-open, if you need to
apply for any large credit purchase. Then Freeze it again!
Now back to the crooks. The phone call from
MSFT was passed to a connection supposedly with Bank of America Support.
I
noticed that the MSFT had the same Asian accent as the BofA representative.
THAT really made an impression on me. The first agent was very difficult to
understand; the BofA tech. support was more fluent. If you wonder, why I didn’t
pull the plug; so do I! That was the degree of panic that had overcome me!
If
you have a high credit limit, you might call your credit card company and have
lower your credit limit.
You have
the basic procedure to put an end to it; Do Not communicate with the perpetrator,
he or she isn’t your friend!
THE REQUEST
The BofA impostor took
over from the MSFT impostor and away we went!
He informed me that I had a $2500 charge on my account. He
explained that we only had two hours to stop the charge from being paid! More ANXIETY!
He explained that there was a procedure (I
forgot what label he gave it!) It allows
you to make another charge on your account. This duplicate charge can be
deleted by me, immediately after it’s posted I asked to have any outstanding
charges deleted. That was our plan (his)!
Go to a CVS pharmacy or a Target Store and
ask for two $500 gift cards. That will give us the ability to cancel them along
with the phony (I think) charge.
Whatever you do don’t break the phone
contact and make sure to take along your car phone charging cable. It’s very
important to stay connected!
Into CVS, I entered, chose the two $500 giftcards.
I was told to not tell them why? If suspicious, they may not approve the
transfer, so said the predator! I was beginning to feel a little shaky about
what I was into!
In, I went to the checkout counter and
made my purchases. When I presented my credit card for payment --- it was
DENIED! I became puzzled and did the only thing that I could; I excused myself
and explained the situation to the clerk and headed out the door.
The predator and I arrived at the CVS (I,
in person; He on the charging phone). He wanted me to leave the phone in the
car and not take it to the store.
This
left me with two $500 charges and NO Gift Cards! No money – No cardie!
I went out to the car and confronted the
predator with the “Bum Card” story. He told me that he’ hook me up with another
department. He said that I should place an order for $2500, to be used as a
collateral.
The anxiety tripled in a heartbeat; I
started to think, leaving him to wait for my response. While back at the car;
everything inside of me was on major alert! I could smell a rat! I was in the midst of a
near perfect scam.
As I sat there pondering my situation, I
decided to hang up and check with my Visa Card Fraud Division. The call went
through, however on hold --- on hold --- ON; I was caught in a quagmire! Finally,
about 35 minutes later, a ‘legitimate’ representative (a complete switch)
answered.
They put a freeze on Marcia’s account and
closed mine. The next day we called BofA and asked for a new card for Marcia’s
account.
I felt a sense of relief; my internal
compass was back in control. The agent told me that the only recent charges
that my account has was for the two $500 gift cards. [possibly the quoted $2500
charge that I was told early on, may not have been genuine. They had control of
my computer and evidently, also my phone. I was told by BofA that the pirates
could have had multiple options of interference.
I’ve listed some valid points to side-step
a hacked or data stealing attack.
I bought a 5-computer program from
PCCleaner with lifetime coverage for $148.88.
I
really hope that my writing this Hacking procedure will impart a sense control
if ever you should be hacked!
I wished that, I’d been informed on the contents of this
e-mail, before being hacked!
Good Luck
