DFW Computer Integration

Last week a Man of the Cloth came to me with what he described as being “hacked”.

After a thorough evaluation of his computer, I determined he was the victim of a clever phishing scam. This had been going on for 7 months.

It all started when he received a call from “Sam” at “Microsoft Technical Support”. Sam informed my client that his new computer was inadequately “protected” and he was going to fix that. $800 later, Sam connected to the computer using AnyDesk, a completely legitimate remote access tool. In the right hands. Sam’s hands are NOT the right hands. He convinced my client that he was installing the best protection.

Icons appeared on the desktop for “Microsoft Defender”, “Microsoft Firewall” and a couple more.

None of these icons connected to any program. They were just icon image files. Like this.

Over the span of six months, “Sam” would periodically call back and inform my client that “updates” were necessary to have adequate protection. To the tune of $1,000 every month.

See the screen shot for billing below.

This is the file list

Fortunately, there was no sign of unusual activity in his email or financial accounts, so no, he had not been hacked.

I cleaned up his computer, uninstalled all the backdoor remote access tools and set up BitDefender Endpoint Security to protect the system. He was lucky this time. I have dealt with much worse in recent years.

This will all get exponentially worse in the coming months thanks to AI making all these attacks easier.

The takeaway from this example is that the phishing scam I have warned people about for 20 years remains relevant.

No major brand will ever call you.

They don’t know who you are.

They don’t care.

This includes Microsoft, Dell, HP, Canon, Brother and all the rest.

If you receive a support call from any name brand…

HANG UP IMMEDIATELY.