Was it a scam? Help asap thanks

[lan07]

My dad told me that he called iobit to activate the software and they told him our internet was 95 percent infected if it gets to 100 we will lose all connection. He said they are based in china. He gave them 500 dollars. I think it's a scam personally.

 

[USAFRet]

i called the guy and he said he didn't work for microsoft directly but is certified microsoft tech

Am I not making myself clear?

What part of 'scam', and 'criminal' is not getting through? Of COURSE he'll say he is a certified MS tech.

Meanwhile, they are literally stealing money from you. They've already got $500. How much more do you want to give them?

Don't call them, don't contact them.
Turn that PC off. Now.

 

[lan07]

i went down there they are running microsoft windows malicious removal tool.

 

[genthug]

Kid. Unplug. The. Damn. Machine.
Or. Unplug. The. Damn. Router.

 

[USAFRet]

Turn
It
Off

 

[USAFRet]

Well? Is it offline?

 

[genthug]

Something tells me this doesn't bode well

 

[USAFRet]

Something tells me this doesn't bode well

No, it doesn't
They've been cruising around inside that PC for 2 hours now.

 

[13thmonkey]

Scam, they've shut down several companies stateside with the same operation.

This might help convince him:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/watch-out-for-microsoft-scam-calls-to-fix-your-computer-jan15

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/03/microsoft-support-scam-ringleader-gets-suspended-jail-sentence-and-fine

http://indiancallcenterscam.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/hi-everyone-recently-i-was-working-in.html

 

[Grumpy275]

You just cant help some people

 

[wtfxxxgp]

My dad told me that he called iobit to activate the software and they told him our internet was 95 percent infected if it gets to 100 we will lose all connection. He said they are based in china. He gave them 500 dollars. I think it's a scam personally.

Definitely a scam. Your dad's number please? Lol JK. Seriously though, I don't understand how people get caught out this way

 

[uksnapper]

My dad told me that he called iobit to activate the software and they told him our internet was 95 percent infected if it gets to 100 we will lose all connection. He said they are based in china. He gave them 500 dollars. I think it's a scam personally.

Definitely a scam. Your dad's number please? Lol JK. Seriously though, I don't understand how people get caught out this way

This has to be a wind up !

 

[Tim Gueguen]

This has to be a wind up !

No, it's no doubt legit. A lot of people don't have a clue about scams, or how computer security works. I'm pretty sure we had someone cold call us a while back trying to do this kind of thing, but my mother was clued in enough to know it was a scam and hung up on the guy.

 

[13thmonkey]

Several years ago they called me (they don't anymore), it was really early on in the life of this scam. I told them where to go. Anyway, I instantly called my parents to warm them (they lived 90miles away in a different city), within 30mins they called back to to say they have had the call as well.

Once you've paid out it's really difficult to admit to yourself what has happened, and you'll stay hooked into the scam.

Any more negative comments and I (at least) will react, once hooked it's difficult to get out, learn from this, show people that you think might get sucked in, help them understand, the only way to stop these [expletive deleted before used] is to remove their prey by making people more aware.

Also bear in mind that the people calling may not even know that they are perpetrating a scam, which makes them all the more believable.

 

[undouble]

It's a scam---100% GUARANTEED for the life of your wallet and credit cards!! If "they" told you "they" were "Microsoft techs" and that IOBIT had "warned them" of your "situation"-----------they are also GUARANTEED to be 100% liars!!! IOBIT specializes in their own anti-virus, anti-malware programs and they DON'T need to "transfer" your issue to another (unknown) entity------------IOBIT is perfectly capable of fixing your problem themselves!! AND, IOBIT doesn't charge ANY additional "fee" (other than your subscription price) to provide ANY service to it's customers. PERIOD!!! Even "Macrosloppy" believe in cleaning it's own messes---------even they won't toss you off on some third-party, third-world shyster.

 

[ekgman]

My dad told me that he called iobit to activate the software and they told him our internet was 95 percent infected if it gets to 100 we will lose all connection. He said they are based in china. He gave them 500 dollars. I think it's a scam personally.

lan07 is not explaining everything correctly. I don't blame them as Eureka24 tech's are Chinese and speak VERY FAST with their foreign accents. Luckily I've worked on the phones all over the world for Medtronic as EKG/Pacemaker Interpretation Technologist for several years, so I understand almost any heavy accent.

Plus I'm a PAID 4-year IOBit PRO User and know THE WHOLE TRUTH behind this SCAM! I just went through the exact same SCAM that lan07 did, but I COPIED ALL pertinent info & TAPE RECORDED THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION with the Eureka24 tech. I have a strong Firewall set-up, Malware Protection and anti-spyware protection. I am a fully trained Internet Security Specialist and in the 20-years I've been online, I NEVER ONCE had any kind of Virus or infection.

A couple of years ago IOBit or Avangate (parent company of IOBit) very quietly & sneakily hired an outside THIRD PARTY (Eureka24) to answer most of their Customer Support phone numbers. IOBit's Main Customer Support number is (800) 941-8139 and this is the number they tell you to call if you have any trouble installing Advanced SystemCare (ASC) PRO 10 (which I'm starting to think they purposely give you inactive codes to start with to MAKE YOU CALL Support). It cost me $23.98 to get a full year renewal of ASC PRO 10 and Smart Defrag PRO 5. I'd be willing to bet lan07 didn't get BOTH of those programs for the price I got them for. You need to know how IOBit works. They will LOWER their price if you ignore their first few offers!!!

IOBIt started out as a small software company and they offer free versions of all their software on CNET.com (the most trusted place online to get free downloads or PAID software). IOBit's FREE versions do not have all the features of the PAID versions, but for most semi-Advanced computer users of their software; their FREE versions are good enough. But NOT for NOVICE computer users (those who were never online until after 2007 or later, and didn't spent countless hours learning the Internet BEFORE going online!).

THE INTERNET HAS BECOME A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING (90% DO NOT UNFORTUNATELY!). I'M 100% DIDACTIC (SELF-TRAINED) BY TRIAL AND ERROR AND I'VE BEEN TEACHING OTHERS HOW TO WORK THEIR COMPUTERS SINCE 2000.

Back to IOBit & Eureka24's deal. An IOBit e-mail support person (Ula who was otherwise USELESS) admitted to me that they "are testing out using Eureka24 to answer their Customer Support phones to use them permanently". You see, IOBit became a much bigger business and the owners got greedy. They want to now be a BIGGER company and still operate as though they were a small company (which NEVER works). So by using this SCAM Eureka24 company who will PATHOLOGICALLY LIE TO YOU (to get your money to fix nothing) about all kinds of infections of your computer using the HARD SELL, FAST TALKING SALES TECHNIQUE not letting you ask almost anything. They'll talk over you, and when you do manage to get a question in; they have PRE-PRINTED responses for almost any question you can think of that most AVERAGE computer users will fall for every time!

When I entered my new code after I paid, a small black box (with blue trim) came up saying something like "You do not have ASC ULTIMATE PRO 10 Installed, click OK to fix this.". That takes you to a new IOBit SALES PAGE asking for $29.99 (but I ALREADY paid and have an e-mail confirmation for ASC ULTIMATE PRO 10???) with a BLUE LOGO of a phone which shows Eureka24's PHONE NUMBER if you just hover over that LOGO! Now you can act like you know what you are doing (or just want to get this over with and fixed) by entering your new code in the box provided (sort of hidden on the bottom left side of the page) & you'll be charged ANOTHER $9.99 to Activate ASC ULTIMATE PRO 10. But that DOES NOT WORK EITHER!!! I bet 25% of the people PAY the $29.99!!! This is a SCAM provided by IOBit!!!

IOBIt is forcing you into a position where you either have to use your ADVANCED COMPUTER SKILLS to find a work around to get this ASC Ultimate PRO 10 installed OR you'll call their Customer Service number and you will get Eureka24 most of the time. In my case the Chinese scammers used SIX different lame excuses why I can't do ANYTHING but pay him $500 (got it down to $269) to fix my computer, network and IP connection. He stated all of those were awfully bad with 1,290 infections which he said "Is the most infected computer he's ever seen in the 4 and a half years he's been doing this.". 4.5 years??? I've been an ADVANCED COMPUTER USER for 17-years!

So I made sure I'd ask him all the questions that would TRUTHFULLY void the use for him totally & DRIVE HIM CRAZY.

I started with asking "Why didn't any of my IOBit software catch just one of these 1,290 viruses you state have.". His reply "I didn't say you had viruses, I said you have infections and these viruses are so complex that no anti-virus software could catch any of these.". DID YOU CATCH THAT? He says they are NOT viruses, then refers to them as viruses HIMSELF because I scared him and hit him with a question that he was not prepared for!

Then when he blamed my network I told him "Then it's the responsibility of my IP Server to fix this since it's on THEIR network.". His reply "No, YOUR network is infected and you need to fix these infections on your network.". His reply is not even possible!!! I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE CONNECTED TO ANYONE ELSE'S COMPUTER FOR ANY REASON BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BAD STUFF THAT I DO NOT WANT ANY CHANCE OF GETTING ON MY SYSTEM! So if my network is infected, then my IP Server that I pay for monthly is infected too and it would be THEIR RESPONSIBILITY to fix, not mine! But the truth is that I do not have ANY infections on my system as KEVIN (the Eureka24 employee from China, I didn't know Chinese people has American names???) falsely stated to make money! THEY GIVE YOU FAKE AMERICAN NAMES TO MAKE YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE! Get it?

Next he says my IP address is VERY infected??? I USE AN IP ADDRESS SCRAMBLER SO NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THE HECK I AM, OR WHO THE HECK I AM! He didn't see that program on my system because I use a generic Icon on my desktop for this program with a benign name. So he never saw that I have an IP Address scrambler! So there was NO WAY FOR HIM TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY TRUE IP ADDRESS! Yet he had all kinds of bad things to say about it???

THESE ARE ALL SCARE TACTICS THAT THESE SCAMMERS ARE VERY TRAINED TO USE THAT WORK ON EVERY NOVICE COMPUTER USER!
I'm sorry lan07 got ripped-off for $500, but he didn't even know to say "I can't afford to pay $500?". ??? YOU CAN GET A BRAND NEW COMPUTER FOR THAT PRICE FREE OF "INFECTIONS" THAT CANNOT POSSIBLY TRANSFER OVER THAT KEVIN LIED ABOUT MULTIPLE TIMES! I could have got the USELESS service you got for $269 and I'm sure I could have got it for less than that because I barely tried and it went from $500 to $369 to $269 in less than 30-seconds!

Kevin (Eureka24) started with the BS "You could go to Best Buy, or Staples to get a Microsoft Certified Technician and they'll charge you $130-$140 an hour (then he changed that quote to $125-$135 an hour seconds later???) and it will take them 5-8 hours to fix all of these infections which will cost you $700-$800.". It's very likely that this is what they told lan07, but as I said: these guys TALK SO FAST WITH THEIR HEAVY ACCENTS THAT BY THE TIME THEY'VE SAID FIVE SENTENCES in 10-seconds you think they said THEY ARE Certified Microsoft Technicians. If they call you randomly by phone (totally unsolicited), those people do say that they are Microsoft Certified Technicians with the SAME SCAM. They use logmein123.con AND Rescue Me to gain access to YOUR computer.

NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO EVER DO THIS BUT A PROVEN (after you see their ID, write down their ID number and name and call Microsoft to confirm this info). THIS IS HOW DANGEROUS THESE SCAMS ARE PEOPLE!

IF YOU HAVE NOT GONE TO THE NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY AND ENTERED ALL OF YOUR PHONE NUMBERS (cells too) into their system, YOU NEED TO DO IT RIGHT AWAY! This will get rid of at least half of the UNSOLICITED SALES calls you get all day long!

I told Eureka24 that I'll just buy a new computer then. Their lame excuse for that "The infections are on your network so as soon as you hook up your new computer it will instantly be infected with all 1,290 infections.". THAT'S AS FALSE AS FALSE GETS!

I also tried telling them "I'll start my system from scratch by going to the DOS prompt anderasing everything on my system, then I'll just reinstall Windows 10 from thestartwith NONE of my personal files.". THIS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM, IF THERE WAS ONE! He said that wouldn't work because "when you restart your computer all your personal files will be back on your system.". NOW HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT, NOR IS HE EVEN LISTENING!!!

I wouldn't let HIM OFF MY PHONE until I was satisfied that I drove him crazy! But I did keep a close watch on my Windows System Events to make sure he didn't try to install anything on my system without my permission which is what MANY OF THESE SCAMMERS DO! If that happens if could take you MANY, MANY hours of running anti-malware & spyware STRONG software that Computer Forums will recommend if you post on their boards.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME FROM IOBIT CUSTOMER SUPPORT TWO YEARS AGO (to pay for ASC PRO also), THE FIRST TIME A THIRD PARTY WAS ANSWERING THEIR PHONES AND TRIED THE SAME EXACT SCAM ON ME! So this is not new for IOBit at all... I luckily got to know one of their programmers HSIEN two years ago and he walked me through everything to properly install ASC PRO plus he gave me an extra FREE Year! Guess what? HE NO LONGER WORKS FOR IOBIt! Of course he lost his job, he was a GREAT employee for customers.

You will get UNSOLICITED phone calls (showing FAKE phone numbers and Caller ID info) also TRYING TO PULL THIS SAME SCAM ON YOU! Never give ANYONE your personal info on the phone!!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. If you give someone you don't know your credit card info on the phone at this point YOU ARE A LOST CAUSE AND SHOULD NEVER GO ONLINE AGAIN! I'm sorry to have to say that, but I very likely am savings YOUR IDENTITY from being stolen!

James
NY

 

[USAFRet]

lan07 is not explaining everything correctly.......

So you've resurrected this 6 month old thread, to tell us that it was a scam?
And that if you hold out on the phone longer, they will reduce the price?

That is beyond laughable.

The price you should pay "iobit" is exactly $0. Squat. Nada. Zip...For anything. Ever.

You're a paid user of iobit software?
"..AND I'VE BEEN TEACHING OTHERS HOW TO WORK THEIR COMPUTERS SINCE 2000. "

Well whoop de doo.
Sounds like you are part of the problem.

The only thing you should to in response to a phone call like that is to simply hang up.