website compromised

We have received many phone calls and service requests due to the increasing rise of email and phone scams occurring. We encourage all users to read over the following information to know what to look for to spot scams and avoid being taken advantage of.

Email Scams

Most email scams occur by the scammer emailing an unsuspecting user impersonating a legitimate company or one of your email contacts.

Never respond directly to emails claiming you placed an order you don’t recognize or that you owe money or are owed a refund. This has been the most common scam recently, many users report receiving emails that appear to be from an antivirus supplied such as Norton or Mcafee claiming that automatic renewal for their products is enabled and that you will be billed. Other times users receive emails for an order that they did not place showing delivery for an address that is unfamiliar. Users that respond to the email, click on any links, or call the number listed are often asked to provide sensitive information and/or remote access to your device. Scammers have gone so far as to make it appear that they have accidentally deposited funds into your bank account and at times will even attempt to guilt the user into believing their “mistake” will cost them their job. At this point in their scheme, they will instruct the users to reimburse them for their mistake, typically by purchasing prepaid gift cards which are untraceable once cashed.  In reality, no money has actually been deposited into the user’s account as they are providing false images that are misleading the unsuspecting user.

Click here to read what Norton has to say about phishing emails involving Norton.

Check the sender’s actual email address not just the name displayed. Often scammers use email addresses that are similar to the actual email address but not exact. For example, an email from Amazon would always come from an @amazon.com email address not something slightly misspelled like @amacom.com. If you get an email from someone that you normally correspond with via email but they aren’t speaking in a manner that is consistent with their normal behavior, are making spelling errors, or are asking for “favors” it is possible that the sender’s email account has been compromised. We have also seen scammers create new email addresses (most commonly outlook.com accounts) that are identical in spelling except for the @outlook.com portion. If you suspect you’re receiving emails from someone other than the actual sender do not respond instead reach out to the sender in another manner and let them know. If you believe your email has been compromised you should change your password immediately. If you suddenly stop receiving emails that could also be a sign that your own account has been compromised and that emails are being redirected to the scammer’s email address.

Phone Scams

A plumber would never call you to tell you that your pipes are leaking, Microsoft or any other tech support company is not going to call you to tell you that your computer is infected or that you have a virus. (The only exception to that is if you personally signed up for a service that involved your device being monitored. Many of these services offered are scams and we only recommend subscribing to these types of services with local companies that you know and trust in person.) Remember a scammer will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to convince you that something is wrong and that if you don’t follow their instructions that either you or they will be in some sort of trouble.

Pop-Up Scams

If you are on the internet and suddenly find yourself unable to do anything except to seemingly call a phone number for support you are likely visiting a malicious website or one that has been compromised. While you are on your computer if you are receiving notices in the corner of your screen that something is wrong, you have a virus, or need to renew your antivirus you should be aware that many of these notifications are providing false information. Even if you are unable to get rid of the notifications or pop-ups on your own, you should never click on any links or call any phone numbers associated with these notices. Instead, you can reach out to your local computer repair shop (us included!) to have your computer cleaned up and to have any remote software removed.

Text / Instant Messenger Scams

Anyone who has your phone number or email address (or randomly selects your number or generates your email address as a sender) can attempt to reach you. While you can block a specific email address or phone number it doesn’t stop these things from occurring in the first place. It’s important to never believe any messages or notices you receive that sound too good to be true. For example, a popular scam on social media websites occurs when users are led to believe they are going to get something free or that they are requesting some kind of information often for things that are too good to be true. Scammers often take advantage of unfortunate situations such as the rental market shortage or those looking for work at home opportunities.

If you find yourself falling victim to a scam involving your computer, you should immediately disconnect from the internet until you have confirmed that your device is free of remote software that could leave you even more vulnerable. At Jester’s, we offer our clean-up/maintenance service for a flat rate of $99, contact us for support or more information.