Post by ic59 on Feb 19, 2024 17:32:07 GMT -5
I'm alerting everyone to my stupidity in the hope that it won't happen to you. I've been a subscriber to ESPN+ for about four years, or whenever we started having our games on ESPN. And I pay monthly. And about every other time that I want to watch an Iona game (that's really all I use it for) I have a problem logging on, as I'm told I'm not a subscriber. That means I have to call ESPN and work with a tech to solve the problem, as my blood pressure escalates. Since I was going to the game, I wasn't concerned for myself, but wanted to be certain that my wife could watch. And sure enough, there was a problem. I called and was quickly connected to a tech who started to work on my problem. It usually is fixed in about 15-20 minutes, but not yesterday, as I was on with ESPN for about an hour and really losing it. And that's when my real problem started.
All of a sudden an alarm started on my computer. "YOU'VE BEEN HACKED AND SPYWARE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER OR YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR FILES". This played over and over as was also trying to work with the ESPN tech. Finally I told ESPN to forget it as I have a bigger problem to deal with. I was speaking with ESPN on my land line and used my cell to call Apple Security with the number that came with the Computer Alert message. One phone to my ear and the other on speakerphone. I reached who I thought was an Apple Security person, when in fact he was part of the hacking team. He had no problem getting into my computer files (with my help) and said that it would take a couple of hours to remove the Spyware, to which I told him that I had to leave for a BB game, but got his number and said that I would call him when I returned. I asked him the cost and was told $299 (one time) but that I should sign up for insurance to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. Asked whether I would be paying by cheque or credit card (I'm stupid but not that stupid) I said cheque, and he then asked for the cheque number. Told him that I didn't know as my wife had our cheque book and that she wasn't home. He gave me an address in Atlanta to mail it to and to make it payable to an LLC, which I don't want to name. I asked why I couldn't just go to the Apple Store in White Plains and pay there. He said it was a network problem and not an Apple Product problem. Seemed reasonable. Had his name and telephone # so I went to the game feeling pretty good about everything, except for ESPN+.
After the game I called my daughter and told her what happened. She went through the roof as she told me that I had been scammed. First, call your bank and credit cards. Took about an hour and then we had a conference call with a real Apple Security person who removed 'stuff' that was installed, had me change Passwords and installed a newer MAC system. So, as I tell my granddaughters, "I'm not getting older, just getting dumber". My only defense is that I think I would have handled things differently if I hadn't been distracted by my TV problem. I was hit by a Perfect Storm.
P.S. Got a lot of calls today from a number in WACO, Texas.
All of a sudden an alarm started on my computer. "YOU'VE BEEN HACKED AND SPYWARE HAS BEEN INSTALLED. DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER OR YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR FILES". This played over and over as was also trying to work with the ESPN tech. Finally I told ESPN to forget it as I have a bigger problem to deal with. I was speaking with ESPN on my land line and used my cell to call Apple Security with the number that came with the Computer Alert message. One phone to my ear and the other on speakerphone. I reached who I thought was an Apple Security person, when in fact he was part of the hacking team. He had no problem getting into my computer files (with my help) and said that it would take a couple of hours to remove the Spyware, to which I told him that I had to leave for a BB game, but got his number and said that I would call him when I returned. I asked him the cost and was told $299 (one time) but that I should sign up for insurance to ensure that it wouldn't happen again. Asked whether I would be paying by cheque or credit card (I'm stupid but not that stupid) I said cheque, and he then asked for the cheque number. Told him that I didn't know as my wife had our cheque book and that she wasn't home. He gave me an address in Atlanta to mail it to and to make it payable to an LLC, which I don't want to name. I asked why I couldn't just go to the Apple Store in White Plains and pay there. He said it was a network problem and not an Apple Product problem. Seemed reasonable. Had his name and telephone # so I went to the game feeling pretty good about everything, except for ESPN+.
After the game I called my daughter and told her what happened. She went through the roof as she told me that I had been scammed. First, call your bank and credit cards. Took about an hour and then we had a conference call with a real Apple Security person who removed 'stuff' that was installed, had me change Passwords and installed a newer MAC system. So, as I tell my granddaughters, "I'm not getting older, just getting dumber". My only defense is that I think I would have handled things differently if I hadn't been distracted by my TV problem. I was hit by a Perfect Storm.
P.S. Got a lot of calls today from a number in WACO, Texas.
