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I Was Duped/Scamed, But Not By Sophos, Per Se?

STB

Hello all,

I have a Mac Mini running 10.6.8. Been a happy Mac user since '93. Anyways, I started having some problems with my Gmail on 9/11/13, oddly enough. I reckon it was just about the time they were upgrading their system. I tried to search Goole/Gmail support and somehow ended up with some dude from India claiming to be Sophos. At the time I'd never heard of Sophos, and never had had a problem with hackers and/or malware.

I was in a bit of a panic, but I did some research and Sophos sounded solid. But I didn't do enough. I ended up giving whoever $200 for support supposedly above and beyond the free MacHomeAV. I did not feel comfortable doing it, but I did. I then canceled my debit card the next day, and got a new one, but I did still pay the $200.

Funny enough I had some new problems. I had been noticing some slowing down ever since the 9/11 episode, but Staurday,11/09/ everything came to a standstill. Turns out I think that standstill was my fault because I recently joined AARP and was filling out a complex questionaire that left a lot of windows open without my knowledge. I eventually cleared that up, but later the same day. I got another call from India.

Gmail

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    Sophos doesn't charge for support (it's included with the license if you buy a product).  If you're using a free tool there is no phone or email support - just the communities (forums) and online help.  Some of our products (appliances) have pro-active monitoring so it's not unheard of for an engineer to ring up a customer and tell them they have a problem before they themselves knew about it.  However the big difference is support is totally free to licensed customers (so there is nothing to pay for) and we don't call home users (Sophos' history is more towards large companies, banks, and other agencies, etc. - not consumers - that why you may not have heard of us).

    Did this person remote into your computer or just talk?  What computers did they mention (Mac/Windows)?  I ask as generally bogus Technical Support scams (they do exist for all IT companies) are more likely to focus on Windows and not Macs (which is what this forum is supporting).

    I'd be interested if you have any details on who called, where from (I know you mentioned India but it's a large country), the number they called from and what they said.  And what did you get for $200?  What did they actually do?  What was the premise of the call?  Normally it's them telling you that your computer has a problem and they want to help.

    Note:  The link above (and here again) contains a podcast on avoiding fake IT Support.  For more information on phone scams see: Sophos Naked Security articles (phone scam)

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    Hello ruckus,

    They found me while I was Googleing for Gmail Support representing themselves as Sophus. I wondered about the connection, but I must I givin them my phone # and then this fellow clearly from India called. The return # 760.722.3267 has been taken out of service, but when this was going on we conversed several times. I just thought it was a local # setup for area residents. I did let them take control of my computer, and I watched as they did things I didn't understand. I think it was all an act, but somehow I did end up with SOPHUS Mac Edition. Although they were suprised I was a Mac user although they adjusted well. I kept asking why the $200 if the Mac Edition is free. They admitted the Mac E was free, but didn't do what they would do in addition to it. I think for the $200 I got just a lot of talk, and a show. The $200 was debited from my account by Hi Tech Solutions, PO Box 2644, Dublin, CA 94568, Tel # 909.247.1947. I am convinced the 2nd call last Saturday was just another attempt to scam me yet again. By the way they called from 866.388.8085.

    I hope this helps because I can't believe I was alone. I think other Mac users may be continuing to be scamed.

    Thanks,

    Steve

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    What was the premise of the call? Normally it's them telling you that your computer has a problem and they want to help.

    I'd be interested if you have any details on who called, where from (I know you mentioned India but it's a large country), the number they called from and what they said. And what did you get for $200? What did they actually do? 

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