Margaret had been using her computer one afternoon when a full-screen popup appeared telling her that her computer was infected and she needed to call a number immediately. She called, and the person on the other end convinced her to give them remote access to her machine and pay $400 for “virus removal.”
When her daughter heard what happened, she called us.
What we found
When we connected to Margaret’s computer, we found that the scammers had installed remote access software that would let them reconnect at any time. They had also accessed her browser’s saved passwords.
What we did
We removed the remote access software and ran a full malware scan. We changed her passwords for email, banking, and other sensitive accounts. We set up two-factor authentication on her most important accounts and installed Malwarebytes for ongoing protection.
We also spent time talking Margaret through what happened. She felt embarrassed, but we reminded her that these scams are designed to be convincing. Thousands of smart people fall for them every year.
What Margaret learned
We showed Margaret what a real security alert looks like versus a fake one. The key difference: real alerts from Apple or Microsoft will never include a phone number to call or ask you to pay for immediate help.
We also set her up with a password manager so she wouldn’t need to save passwords in her browser anymore.
Margaret is now one of our NGT+ members. She gets quarterly checkups so we can catch any issues early, and she knows she can call us anytime something looks suspicious.
If you or someone you know has experienced something similar, reach out to us. We help clients recover from scams regularly, and there’s no judgment. It can happen to anyone.