The cyber scam

Fule for Thought

 

This column is not humorous. It is more of a Public Service article, that will hopefully help people avoid a disaster like I just experienced. Let me explain. Recently, we’ve had a lot of problems with slow Internet service. So last week, I called Shaw and after a while, they were able to upgrade our band speed. Everything seemed fine until the next night when it was still slow, and Netflix was “freezing.” 

So, they directed me to call the 1-800 number for what they felt was a router issue. Of course, after a long time on “hold,” I was put through to a technician. Now, there were two reasons for communication problems that followed. 

One, the person had a strong accent, and I found myself constantly saying “pardon” and “could you repeat that,” as she gave me directions to follow. Secondly, I am not a computer-savvy person. So, whatever is being said to me is like a different language anyhow! To me, it’s like getting phone instructions from an EMT on delivering a baby!

So, after a long time, the router was also (for a fee) upgraded, and all was well. All was well, until the next day, when the Internet and Netflix were still slow. This is where the disaster began. I Googled the Linksys company to find the 1-800 number Shaw had given me. My mistake was that in the list of Linksys sites, I only clicked on the first one. That one eventually turned out to be a bogus (scam) site. I called them, and got a “tech” who began to walk me through the router model, a speed check, and blah-blah-blah. After a while, the “tech” said it was not a router problem, and that he could run a computer scan. This, I found out later, is not what a router company would do. They do not run computer scans, they should only focus on the router issue! After I foolishly gave him permission to take over the screen, he “showed” me on screen the many, many “critical virus errors” that our computer had! He also said that these had to be fixed or we could lose the Internet and that hackers have access to our computer!

The next step was that he could put me through to a third party company that could eliminate and repair all the problems. A second “tech” took over, and showed me the various plans to fix it, and how much cheaper they were from Staples and Geek Squad. It all began to feel like a sales tactic, and I was feeling pressured! He said the right things, that he didn’t want a credit card number, as our system was now unprotected, but that he could take cheque information for $299 to fix the system! I stalled as long as possible, and was able to Google the real Linksys site, and got its 1-800 number. I called this on my cell, keeping the “tech” on the land line! He put me back to the initial guy from “Linksys.” Before this, I had been frantically texting Debbie, saying that I thought I was being scammed, and we messaged back and forth. Finally, it hit me. I asked the “Linksys” guy, “if you are the correct company, you’ll be able to tell me the work order number from last night.” Answering “of course,” he began to “work” away, then said there were problems, and that his supervisor would be back. This next guy also asked some more questions about the previous night, but I kept coming back to asking for the work order number. Finally, the “supervisor” said, “I’m just going to put you on hold while I retrieve that information.” 

Neither came back on the line, and many minutes passed, so I hung up.

I now got through to the real Linksys person, and explained what had happened. She told me it was a scam, and that no router tech should ever try to run a computer scan! I was still stunned, and began to doubt her when she said that they would have to put me through to a third party company to undo the damage, clear any viruses, and secure the system! Luckily, she was able to provide not only the work order number from the previous night, but the time I had called, as well as the last service call I made in 2013! After another fee, we think all has been fixed, and we’ve changed all our passwords.

However, this experience has shaken us. I got the wrong number to a scam company because I didn’t go right to the website to check. After, I read of other people who had also been scammed by a fake “Linksys” site. I hope after reading this, you are able to learn from my mistakes. Be very careful to ALWAYS get onto the “official” company website, and don’t let any “tech” into your system!

 

(“Fule for Thought” is a slice of life humourous column that appears in the Strathmore Times, written by long-time resident, town councillor, high school teacher, coach, husband and father of two – Pat Fule. If you would like to get in touch with Pat, you can send him an e-mail at Pat.fule@shaw.ca)