Yikes! I Got Scammed!

I would love to say that this incident happened eons ego, that I was just some helpless babe without a clue... I would really love to be able to say that. Alas, my...ah...mishap happened just 2 weeks ago.

HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!?!

So... I guess any thoughts of me taking over Jay's webinars on Fridays are now, and forever, flushed down the toilet. I'd really would like to keep this brief, but I have been without my laptop for almost 2 weeks, so I would suggest that you grab some snacks and get comfortable. I'll wait...

Over a year ago, I had purchased an anti-virus protection, simply because I thought I needed to do so (I'll go over this later). It's a well-known brand and I believe the cost was only $99 for the year. Months passed without a hitch or glitch, or at least nothing major.

Then, a few months ago, I started to receive notices that my subscription had expired...like every day! Shortly thereafter, I also received a message from Microsoft, something about their antivirus protection would kick in as the default protection, or something like that. Cool...

THE MESSAGE

I had joined Bo Tipton's original Go Getters the beginning of the year; as luck would have it, I had other things that started in January as well. Needless to say, my year started off with a bang! There was a week in February that I was extremely busy, so I got behind with all the assignments for about a week or so, but I knew there was a week coming up when I would have a few days to dedicate to catching up, so I wasn't worried.

There I was, one beautiful Wednesday early afternoon, sitting at my kitchen table, typing away on my laptop. I decided to start from the very beginning, that way I would know for certain that I didn't miss anything. It would be a tedious process, but I was very much looking forward to it (can you just hear that low-pitched, menacing music of doom starting). I knew I would be able to completed everything in one day, but I was going to do as much as I was able; I actually just had a few more videos to watch, until...

This message just appeared out of no where! I think my heart skipped a beat or two; it's kind of like when you were sitting in your math class, and the teacher was going around collecting homework, and you either didn't have yours or it was incomplete. Your stomach dropped...palms became clammy...forehead breaks out into a sweat...yeah, multiply that feeling by 5, and you have an idea of what I felt.

TO CALL, OR NOT TO CALL...

I called. Like, immediately! I mean, this is my laptop after all, and the message had the word "Windows Support" so it didn't even cross my mind that this may not be legit. Yes, there are still some gullible New Yorkers that have been granted the privilege of walking among the "sane" folks. My membership to Gullible Anonymous is about to expire soon, I think this year we get a cute handbag with our renewed subscription. But, I digress...

I won't go over the agonizing details of that phone call, but I spent about 30-40 minutes on the phone with that guy (monster?). I know you're wondering, but you don't want to ask and seem too forward...yes, I gave him my debit card info!!! Again, in my defense, it had that "Windows Support" on the message.

AT LONG LAST, WISDOM INTERVENED!

So, I relinquished control to that guy, and I could see the cursor moving too and fro. I was feeling pretty good about myself for having taken steps to "protect" my laptop. The payment, according to the "rep" would be taken out of my account that Monday.

Initially, it would be $149, but if I acted now (I know, I know) I could just pay $99. This is the part in the movie when the young woman decides to go outside into the woods, by herself, after hearing some strange noises, and the audience screams, "Run! Run!"

As the tech monster guy was doing his thing, I decided to reach out to the mentor group on Skype. Very proudly, I shared how I had gotten so much accomplished, but my work was interrupted due to the message that appeared on my screen. In unison, about 4 or 5 people typed, "Scam!"; "Don't do it (too late)"; "Oh, the same thing just happened to my wife...". Perfect...

It was all just happening so fast, so I just typed in my cell number and asked Craig Ostrander to call me, which he did immediately. Again, he stated that it's a scam, and that I should turn off my laptop immediately. Well, every time I tried to move the cursor to the power button, the guy would move it back and continue to do whatever he was doing (destroy my life, little by little). I took the battery out of the laptop, and within minutes, called Chase to cancel my debit card - luckily, no money had been withdrawn. Whew!

Fortunately, I know some very importer and much smarter people; so I called my IT guy would had helped me a few years ago when I had an issue with my desktop. I was able to bring it to him that weekend; had to wait a little over to a week before I got it back this past Sunday. Everything is fine and dandy!

What I didn't know, is that every laptop and desktop already has an anti-virus protection build into the system, so there's no need to buy an additional one. The ones like McAfee are very legitimate and are very efficient, it was what I was using. Once that expired, Windows automatically kicked in to take over. What I was told was that those guys may not necessarily be malicious, meaning that they may not always be looking to steal you identity. They sell people things that may very well be legit, but not necessary.

So...the lesson of this story boys and girls? Be afraid...be very afraid...oops, wrong story...Be careful. Be very, very careful. If you don't have a go-to IT person, get one! They come in handy! Oh, and the icing on this very messy cake is that he fixed it free of charge! Not too shabby for the most gullible New Yorker!

Strive to Thrive,

Veronica