45 replies to this topic

[mister bridger]

I keep getting calls from people in India claiming to be from "world wide web" telling me my computer has a virus. My usual response is to hang up on them but is it coincidence that an old email address I have been using has suddenly become unavailable? (keeps telling me password is wrong when i know it isn't).

[crazirob]

youlll proberly find your account has been hacked and you have opened an attachment which would have infected the computer, download a free copy of anti malware bytes install it and then run the computer in 'safe mode' then it wil hunt out an kill zed virus ! Simples. if its an old account you should be able to get in contact with the provider and then delete the account.

[sonikk4]

If they are calling you say to them " Can i have your name please as you have rung a restricted MOD telephone number and i would like to know how you have acquired this number" then see how long it takes for them to hang up.

But as also mentioned use something like Avast or AVG as they are free

[Ethel]

The email account would have to have been hijacked and the password changed, have you ever accessed the email account from another computer? Some freebie email accounts will expire, but a quick Google will tell you if that's likely.

[mister bridger]

No never accessed from another computer. Its a virgin account but I changed to talktalk about a year ago, just carried on using it as I couldn't be bothered to change registered address with the likes of ebay. Do they expire if you are no longer a paying customer?

[Joe-C]

I just say I haven't got a computer and they usually get off the phone pretty quickly

[100ev8]

yea , i had the same, just tell them you will get the person concerned, put the phone on the side and go weld a mini . its their bill

[Old Bob]

Most unlikely that there is anything wrong with your computer. This is just a marketing ploy which frightens people who know less about computers than the people on the 'phone. I mean, how would they know you have a virus without them having access to your machine - which is very unlikely anyway?

But, if only one person in a hundred accepts their 'help' it's a nice little earner.

Bob

[zinzan]

If this is the "I am calling from Windows your computer have a probleem." folks they call all over Canada too. It's a scam where they try and get control of your computer by getting you to upload something from a website.

[mister bridger]

Yes was pretty sure it was a scam. Anyway, downloaded the AVG thingy but when I try to run the scan it just locks everything up and does nothing, and I have to restart the computer and try again. Gonna run it in a minute and leave it on all day while I'm at work and see if it actually does anything.

[xrocketengineer]

If the scan does not run, try starting the computer in "safe mode" and then running the scan. There are some viruses that prevent the antivirus program scanner from running. However, by running Windows in "safe mode" a lot of the start up items are skipped including the malware that prevents the scanner from running. If that fails to work with AVG, I would try Antivir from Avira: http://www.avira.com...-free-antivirus
I have used it for years with great results. They also have the Avira AntiVir Rescue System that allows you to create a bootable CD to clean an unresposive system without running Windows. It can be downloaded from their tools here: http://www.avira.com...downloads#tools

[Nick Warwick]

I would really advise getting yourself a decent anti virus, you can pick Kaspersky up for only £15 a year and most protect up to 3 PC's. Well worth it to stop such thing.

[sledgehammer]

My mum gets the same -

- she says ' me nor speakie engerish'

& puts the phone down

[mister bridger]

Well the scan did run this time and removed three viruses (viri?) but still can't get onto the Virgin mail site from computer but CAN from my phone! Me no unnerstan computeries!

[Ethel]

You could try logging in to Virgin with another computer****. I think it's the same password for however you do it. Perhaps it's another setting in your email software. What do you use Outlook Express?


**** or via their website.