Several of my clients have reported that they received a call from scammers claiming that the victims computer systems have been infected with malware, and to remove the mailware the scammer requires remote access to the victims systems. The Scammer will manipulate the victim to install an application on their computer to allow the scammer remote access, then this criminal will then proceed to install malware to capture passwords.
The first thing you should do, if you have been targeted by one of these criminals is to disconnect the computer from the internet and contact your bank and put a block on all internet banking. Criminals will attempt to gain access to your bank account by installing malware on your systems to collect passwords. If you are reading this article because you suspect that you have been scammed, stop reading now and call your bank.
If you suspect that your personal information has been compromised, or you have had money stolen, contact the Australian Cyber Security Centre via their website.
The second thing you should do is change all your passwords, such as your internet banking passwords and passwords for your social media accounts. It is very important that when you change your passwords, that you do not use the infected system to change your passwords.
The third thing to do is to contact a local IT security professional. Search for key terms such as IT Support
or Cyber Security Professional
in the YellowPages or your favourite web search engine. Locate a local professional in your area who is trained and qualified to Australian standards.
What will happen next depends on the technician who services your computer system. Typically, the technician will uninstall any remote access applications, and check for any keyloggers, malware scripts or modifications to your firewall. One of the best options to assure that your system is clean is to backup all personal data and completely wipe and restore the system.
This is best to be handled by a technician, wiping and restoring a system involves multiple steps such as backing up all personal data, formatting all drives and partitions, reinstalling operating systems, reinstalling drivers, reapplying system updates and reconfiguring email clients, firewalls, installing antivirus applications then scanning personl data for malware before restoring personal data. The technician will typically put in at least three hours of labour to preform these tasks and they will require the system overnight.
After the technician has cleaned and restored the system, you can then contact your bank and reactive access to your internet backing account. It is best to ask for another hour of the technicians time to provide you some cyber safety training. Remember, that this can happen to the best of us, dont feel ashamed that you allowed yourself to be scammed, feel proud that you detected a scam in process and you took immediate action to secure your finances and computer systems.