There’s a new PC scam popping up that we thought we should let our users know about.
You may get a call from someone claiming to be a computer repairman (and this person will most likely have a heavy accent). Once you pick up, there will be a slight pause as they connect you with a “technician”, who will then start asking you questions.
Many people will get fooled at this point because the technician will address them by first name and by their surname.
The first question they ask you is: Do you have a slow PC?
The technician will tell you the reason that your computer is slow is because your computer is full with “junk files” that are stored on your computer when browsing the internet. They will ask you to follow some steps that will show you the junk files:
- Turn on your PC
- Once Windows is running click on the windows key and R
- In the dialog box type eventvwr
- Now go to Windows Logs on the left panel and select Application
Eventvwr will show a large number of processes. What is eventvwr? It’s a legitimate Microsoft Windows XP program that displays event logs:
In Windows XP, an event is any significant occurrence in the system or in a program that requires users to be notified, or an entry added to a log. The Event Log Service records application, security, and system events in Event Viewer. With the event logs in Event Viewer, you can obtain information about your hardware, software, and system components, and monitor security events on a local or remote computer. Event logs can help you identify and diagnose the source of current system problems, or help you predict potential system problems.
Anyway, as mentioned, eventvwr will show a lot of processes that your friendly scammers will identify as “errors” that are slowing down your computer. After this the scammers will talk you into giving them control of your PC or laptop by remotely accessing it over the internet (something you should never do unless you absolutely trust the other person), and then, after that, your credit card information.
So be careful! And if you do have a slow computer, you can always speed it up by cleaning the registry. PC TuneUp Maestro does this quickly, easily, and, most of all safely.