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Fake anti-virus software claims my dad as a victim
Wed 07 Jan 2009 10:57:32 AM UTC — Deborah S.My father was looking forward to my visit during Christmas vacation, not only because he wanted to reunite with his only child, but because he wanted me to fix his computer. I consider myself an average computer user, but he calls me his "computer guru." Thanks to all I have been exposed to concerning computer security, I put that moniker to the test.
Poor old dad uses his computer daily for his digital art, but during a recent move he let his antivirus software expire. His machine started getting popups, browser redirects and his inbox was inundated with spam, causing him much distress and difficulty while working. Frightening warnings appeared on the screen notifying him of viruses, which he was sure he must have. Unfortunately, he fell for one of the rouge antivirus products in the 2009-antispyware family and ordered it with his credit card. After paying $59.95, he still got all that annoying stuff, plus alarming reports every 5 seconds saying that his machine was infected. Needless to say, he was furious!
It took some work, but we managed to get his computer clean of the rogue software with the help of Malwarebytes’ Anti-malware. Thanks to Colin at Free PC Security and WOT users for introducing me to that.
Dad's new ISP had a free McAfee suite available for subscribers in his tier, so we installed it, updated the database and ran a scan. Then we made sure all other software was updated by running a Secunia scan to check for vulnerabilities. And to keep his Internet surfing safer we installed Web of Trust.
I feel confident now that he is protected, but I left detailed instructions on how to use these tools, plus I will email him with reminders. I earned the title "computer guru" this time.
Meanwhile, Daddy is anxiously awaiting his credit card bill and is ready to refuse payment and report this rogue company. I sure hope he gets some satisfaction.
I hear about these cases all the time and I even made a video about it for WOT, but to come face to face with a real occurrence of this type of fraud was eye-opening. My elderly dad is on a fixed income and can't afford to spend money foolishly. His computer is his lifeline out to the broader world now that he's retired, and he felt violated and hurt when he realized he was ripped off. I was happy to read Esa's posting about the FTC's restraining order for sellers of "scareware."
Thank you friends of WOT for helping me help my dad. Together we must keep up the struggle for a safer Internet for everyone.
Fake Antivirus
Deborah,
We recently wrote an article on this topic to warn users from being scammed. I am not sure if you read it but I included it below.
http://www.techjaws.com/are-you-spyware-free/
Frank J
www.techjaws.com
Good article Frank. Wish my
Good article Frank. Wish my dad had been more aware, but I fear that there are many innocent users who fall for the same thing. These fraudsters make their products look authentic and slick, easily fooling people and ripping them off.
Safe surfing,
Deborah
Hey Deborah !!
I'm sorry your Dad had to go through that awful experience but, it is an experience that
he will not soon forget. I mean , he is now wiser and will probably not get caught again.
It;s too bad you installed McAfee on his PC even though it is free. It will take much resources to keep it activated. It is well known that McAfee and Norton are real hogs when it comes to resources.
I am a firm believer in a Layered method for protecting your PC. This includes
A good Antivirus : ( Avira or Avast ) Both are free and update daily.
A good AntiSpyware : SUPERAntiSpyware ( $29.95 ONE time fee ) Best real time shields.
A good Firewall : especially in XP . Vista's is good enough
Browser Protection : SpywareBlaster by Javacool. Free or Pay
Windows Explorer Protection : WinPatrol Free or Pay.
W.O.T. : Obviously .
All of these will not only protect you but, warn against intruders. Which is allot more than McAfee is able to do on it's own.
About his credit card , he should have called the Bank and put a stop payment on that transaction. Not wait till you get the bill the next month.
Best wishes to you and your's for the coming year.
Athlonite.
Your help is always needed.
a layered approach is best
I hear ya, Athlonite. I had misgivings about McAfee, but Daddy insisted on installing it since it was part of the package. I figured that McAfee was a product he was familiar with and would most likely use. When I go back this summer, I will see if he's been following through and introduce another antispyware and a firewall.
I'll give him your advice about the credit card too. Don't know what he's done about that - probably nothing until football season is over! He has his priorities.
Safe surfing,
Deborah
Layered Approach
Hello Deborah,
Sorry to hear that your father got caught out with this insidious pest, but thousands of others have also done exactly the same and purchased the 'scareware' which is the root of their problems. It is essential that Credit Card issuers be informed as the victims are victims of fraud, and the card issuer should treat it as such and also block any further payments being taken. I know of many who have paid from $39 up to $95 for this junk and then had further payments taken from their Credit Cards, so informing the Card issuer is an essential step.
As Athlonite has said, a layered approach to security is essential and I agree that McAfee and Norton are resource hogs and neither are effective for many of the viruses in circulation.
Malwarebytes is an excellent removal tool and it is also recommended to use a second one as they, like antivirus programs, vary in their detection methods.
Superantispyware is a good free antimalware, Spyware Doctor Free edition which offers limited realtime monitoring, A-squared free another great tool, Comodo BOClean which runs in realtime and blocks many known parasites and MyWOT which I support wholeheartedly. Of course, there are also many other programs and the list would go on along with specialist removal tools.
Because I import malware and viruses, I use a sandbox to surf and execute these programs to see what effect they have, but also find it necessary to disable all scanners as they block them from opening......this is not something I would advise others to do lol
A few programs that any readers may be interested in, all are free:
RogueRemover:
http://www.download.com/RogueRemover/3000-8022_4-1...
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware:
http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/....
SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition:
http://www.download.com/SUPERAntiSpyware-Free-Edit...
W32/Autorun.inf Worm Remover
http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/W32-Autorun-...
Spyware Doctor Free Basic Edition - Realtime monitoring:
http://www.download.com/Spyware-Doctor-Starter-Edi...
A-Squared Free:
http://www.download.com/A-squared-Free/3000-2239_4...
Comodo BO Clean:
http://www.comodo.com/boclean/CBO_download.html
Happy New Year all, surf safely :)
Colin
http://freepcsecurity.co.uk
Spyboy S&D Clamwin
Spyboy S&D
Clamwin AV
Peace
---------
Jared Gray