By Steve Roulstone
Today’s topic is completely away from the Lettings Industry, but never the less, something that I want to warn everybody about and at the same time ensure the message that what Google is doing is both , in my opinion, out of order and something that they should change their complaints procedure to make allowance for.
Hotmail account failure.
Yesterday, for some strange reason, I was unable to open my Hotmail account and access e-mails, which I use as a support service to my business e-mail and therefore use every day. My reaction was to look for a support number to see what the problem was, because this was most unusual and others with Hotmail addresses were also having problems and I did wonder if we had some kind of virus that had been passed on through e-mails to our system.
Google ads.
Now, with this fear in mind, what I wanted to do was find a number that I could call quickly and talk to someone to find out what was happening. The fear of a virus was uppermost in my mind, so when I Googled ‘Hotmail support’ and phoned the first number I found. That was where my real problems started. What I failed to notice was the web address was not Hotmail, it read Hotmail support itechacharya .co.uk/ Now I have not written this as a link on purpose, because the last thing anybody should do is visit their site.
The phone call.
As the one who normally tells everybody in the office to be careful, I should have checked, rather, I phoned the number and was taken in by the manner in which they dealt with me, which included phoning in to the computer to search for the problem. Not an unusual method of operation nowadays and still raising no worries as they advised me that my e-mail account had been hacked and they could in thirty minutes restore the account and clear the problem.
Tech guy!
Now as a Company we all have Tech guys and as I left them to solve the problem on a call, I phoned mine because something did not add up about what was happening with all stations in the office. When I got through, we quickly realised that I had been scammed, this company was not real and as we were speaking they were actually in my Computer. Luckily, it was my laptop rather than desk top and was not connected to the office system!
Objective.
As soon as I and my Tech Guy arrived back at the office, we cut the link and looked at what they had done. There objective through the software they loaded on my Laptop was to have independent access at any time they wanted and having researched them, they look to make small amounts of money by creating problems they ‘charge for fixing’, when in reality they create the problem when hacking in to my computer. Their usual target seems to be around £200.00. Thankfully having caught them early, we were able to change passwords that had been compromised and remove the software they had loaded. (‘Combofix’ is excellent for this purpose!)
Reviewing the situation.
A timely reminder what to do, and what not to do, and thankfully nothing lost, except for two hours invoice from my Technical support, which I will pay with pleasure! But here is the rub! Google, in accepting money for advertising from this organisation (Based in India, which again is not unusual nowadays) actively promote a scamming organisation. Now I do not expect them to know all dodgy companies that actively advertise on their site, but with the amount of information you will readily find when you research this crew, you would think there was an easy way for people who have been targeted like I have been, to report the issue and get them blacklisted!
Microsoft and Google.
In Hotmail and Google we have two of the most powerful internet Companies in the world, one is actively supporting a Company who is ripping off the customers of the other and we as customers are powerless to speak with either organisation to stop it! So, all we can do and the reason why I have taken the time to write a Blog about it, is pass the word on, so consider it passed, remember, never give access unless you know for sure and you have taken the time to confirm you are speaking to authorised people. I will now preach to myself, as much as others in future!
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