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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

aibu to ask for urgent help/ advice.

18 replies

dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 16:57

DM just called me. This is fraud.

From what she said she must have had some virus on her windows 8 laptop. So an hour or so ago she downloaded drivers and then called number on screen to activate. (Yes, stupid).

Then she gave them her debit card details so they (the scammers) could remotely fix her PC.

Then she called me. I don't know what she was going to ask because I panicked when she got to that bit of the story and told her to call bank and ask for their fraud prevention team to try to stop money leaving her account.

My question is what else should i advise her to do to stop the damage she's just brought on herself?

OP posts:
Catsmamma · 15/03/2014 16:58

phone the bank and cancel all transactions from now....they should have more advice too.

WorraLiberty · 15/03/2014 16:59

Did the company specify that they were going to fix the virus for free, and then charge her?

If not, it isn't fraud.

Original poster
dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 17:00

She just called again. Bank told about debit card.

Now she tells me that she gave them her credit card too.

OP posts:
Original poster
dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 17:02

No. God knows what they told her. They never said virus. they just said they would gte her pc working.

Basically she must have put a virus on there.
then when she couldn't get her pc to work she followed the on screen messages tellign her to download some drivers.
Then after downloading the drivers, she followed the on screen messages to call a number to activate the drivers.
Then she gave them her mastercard.
Then her debit card.
Then she called me upset because her laptop still isn't working. |I think she wanted some helpdesk-type support but our conversation did not get that far.

OP posts:
GertTheFlirt · 15/03/2014 17:04

They call from India - she needs to call the police - your local force will have a specific area for internet crimes and fraud - it is a 101, not a 999 call - but cancel all the cards immediately.

DH nearly did the same thing. They are very persuasive especially with vulnerable people. The virus has key loggers - tell her not to access anything with passwords on her PC

CountessOfRule · 15/03/2014 17:04

Turn computer off at wall - ie unplug it.

Take to specialist shop.

Keep fingers crossed.

Good luck with bank.

WorraLiberty · 15/03/2014 17:06

Oh in that case it probably was fraud then Sad

Original poster
dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 17:07

Router now unplugged. DM crying. Currently she is speaking to the bank for a second time this afternoon - this time about the credit card.

This is the 2nd time in as many weeks that she's fallen victim some kind of scam. Last week it was some cowboy builders who knocked on her door and were making her feel physically threatened if she didn't pay their increased price in cash (and immediately).

She's scaring me these days. I think I will die before she does if she calls me like this again.

OP posts:
GertTheFlirt · 15/03/2014 17:11

Age Concern run awareness courses for this sort of thing. Our 6th formers give the talks about staying safe online to 'silver surfers'. The police again need to know about the builders.

fridayfreedom · 15/03/2014 17:14

Ring trading standards. They usually have a dept to support vulnerable people with this kind of stuff.

Original poster
dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 18:35

Thanks for all your help. What a couple of hours! DM went from bewildered to frightened to crying to accusatory (against me - hints that I am after something??). Right now she's hopefully making herself a cup of tea and calming down a bit.

OP posts:
copafeel · 15/03/2014 18:40

There wont be a virus. They cold csll even people with no computers hoping to find the gullible. Hopefully her accounts wont be completely emptied before bank can stop it

Original poster
dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 18:43

They were in her pc she could see the man on the phone opening files and shifting stuff about.

OP posts:
Original poster
dalziel1 · 15/03/2014 18:47

safecart is the company. She's got an email saying that's she's been joined to their subscription service and needs to log on to her account with them if she doesn't want it, otherwise they will keep taking payments.

OP posts:
Perfectlypurple · 15/03/2014 18:56

Don't report to your local police. This type of thing isn't dealt with by them anymore. Google action fraud op. You can do a report on line for her and get a ref number. This will help with the bank too. Hopefully the bank will be able to do something.

Perfectlypurple · 15/03/2014 18:57

Sorry I couldn't link. Im on my phone.

HauntedNoddyCar · 15/03/2014 19:02

She shouldn't log o. to the account. If all the cards are cancelled then she should be ok. However she needs to keep the computer off and get someone to look at it and clean it up and then make sure she has antivirus software in place. Then she needs to stop clicking on links in stuff.
She plainly has no understanding of the perils out there!

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