[Windows Central Question]

I purchased a security system from S.S. CHOPRA who told me that they represented Windows. I received a phone call from them stating they had a problem so they wanted to refund my money into my checking account because I would not let them this company has taken hostage of computer. In order to get control of my computer they told me to go to Wal-Mart and pay $900.00. Please help me! I' retired and on a fixed income.

[ven07]

Unfortunately we are only a fan forum. From the description it sounds more like you are a victim of ransomware.

Please read: Ransomware facts - Microsoft Malware Protection Center

See this link for instructions on how to join Windows Central to reply to this thread.

[RumoredNow]

Just to be clear…

This is a fan based News and Discussion site. It is in no way run by Microsoft, Lumia or any developer.


I'm afraid you've been scammed.

Whenever someone contacts you out of the blue claiming to be "Windows" or Microsoft or your Anti-Virus or anyone of that nature... To put it bluntly they are liars.

Do you have anyone who is tech savvy that can help you?


Basic steps are going to depend on what version of the operating system you are using. What you need to do is either reset your computer and loose all your files (safest option really) or restore to an earlier time and then make sure to do intensive virus and malware scans and hope you cleaned everything out of there.

How you accomplish this from bootup is going to depend largely on manufacturer of your computer and age of the system.


Here is how you contact Microsoft Customer Care: microsoft customer care - Bing

[DenverRalphy]

First thing... Take a deep breath, and take whatever measures you're familiar with to relax. The fix may be easy (rare, but hey sometimes you get lucky), but realistically it will probably take some time.

Next thing I would suggest, is disconnect that machine from the internet immediately (if you're using a wired connection just unplug the ethernet cable, if it's connected wirelessly then pull the wireless card if you can, or unplug the wireless router if your wireless is built into the motherboard). This is very important, especially if you have other machines on the network. You don't want it to spread. Nor do you want it repairing itself while you're killing it.

Your next step will be dependent upon your particular machine. Many OEMs can walk you through the process of either cleaning the machine of the ransomware, or scrubbing the machine entirely. It depends on the severity of the ransomware installed. But be aware that if it does entail scrubbing the entire machine (it might not, with any luck you won't have to reformat the hard drives) and as a result you'll lose any important files that you don't wish to lose.

Depending upon the OEM, and the severity of the malware, you might get off easy. Though even then it may take some time and patience. Most OEMs typically bend over backwards to help their customers in these situations though, and at the very least they'll typically send you recovery DVDs to return your machine to a virgin state if the ransomware has also compromised the recovery partition of your main hard drive.

I base these recommendations based upon your statement that you have a fixed income. You might be able to find a local service that can fix it for you, but typically you'll pay through the nose.

[DenverRalphy]

Oh, and rereading the original post, it just occurred to me that you may not have anything wrong with your system, but it may be a scam trying to convince you that you have one, and the ransom may well be a fake ransom, but they're instead of trying to trick you out of money or login credentials.