Emobilize experience

Sorry for all the typo's !!!!

I'm not an incredibly experienced user in downloading new applications etc. 

Today (Tuesday 1st March  I was working on a problem with my new (first time) website that I built yesterday using Siteground as the host organisation and Wordpress. I found today that my home page had published to the internet, but not the other pages. I spoke to the tehcnical support people (in Bulgaria ? ) who were very helpful and said it had been a conflct problem with another application called Weeble. 

My computer then started flashing and bleeping warning me of an attack and to ring a number immediately saying that it was the support service for Microsoft Windows products. 

I ended up speaking to a lady in India from a company called Emobilize. I gave her access to my screen (please don't groan) and she identified various problems and said that some of them were trojan type viruses, she then gave me a schedule of prices ranging from £99.99 up to £369.99 to fix the problem there and then, followed by a form to fill in, personal and bank details etc. At that stage I withdrew, figuring that I would speak to my trusted IT support first who had installed everything new for me just a few weeks ago. There was no pressure from Emobilize other than the imperative of 'we can fix it for you now' if you sign up.

After speaking to my trusted IT support and his rapping my knuckles and telling me off, he directed me to this site to Toolslib to download adwcleaner. 

No viruses were found and my installed malware hadn't found anything either.

Questions

1. If no viruses were found how were Emobilize able to get in to my PC ? 

2. I ran the installed Malware but nothing was found, so why was nothing found ? 

3. I've run adwcleaner which has found nothing as well , but the call was a real event so I don't understand why nothing has been found ? 

4. If Emobilize are a legitimate company with a London address? (I've rung them back so they seem to be), how come they were able to do what they did? this kind of marketing approach is as aggressive as a real virus. If they are not acting legitimately how come they are able to continue to operate ?

I feel relatively safe now but spooked as to how they were able to get to my screen, make it bleep and get me to ring their number.

Hello,

You got the right reaction to ask to your IT support before sharing your bank account.

Do you remember (or still have) the software they use to take control of your computer ?

Can you copy/paste here the AdwCleaner logfile ? (in C:\AdwCleaner\) ?

who were very helpful and said it had been a conflct problem with another application called Weeble.

Was it http://www.weebly.com ?

 

My computer then started flashing and bleeping warning me of an attack and to ring a number immediately saying that it was the support service for Microsoft Windows products.

Do you remember on which web page were you when these flashes came ?

 

4. If Emobilize are a legitimate company with a London address? (I've rung them back so they seem to be), how come they were able to do what they did? this kind of marketing approach is as aggressive as a real virus. If they are not acting legitimately how come they are able to continue to operate ?

Unfortunately I do not know well enough the British laws to answer on this.. A lot of companies are behaving "a-legally" in this domain.

It seems that nothing was made on your computer, but please check for a surcharged price in your next phone bill..

Regards,

Thank you for your thoughts. 

I don't know what software it was.

I think I had just come off the SiteGrounds site but can't be sure. I've been in touch with their security today and they are convinced it was nothing to do with them.

Now that the shock is over, it could have been completely un-related to any other event that day, but it was shockingly easy for them to blag me into handing my computer over to them to roam around. I almost signed my life away.

A few weeks ago someone rang me to say in a distinct West African voice that they were from Microsoft ! I immediately asked them if they were from the Nigerian branch, to which they said yes they were .....followed by a doh !.... followed by hanging up. 

If I can retrieve anything I'll post it up. There was nothing in my adwCleaner folders except a reference to 'Xplode', not sure if that was something to do with anything.

Hello,

If I can retrieve anything I'll post it up. There was nothing in my adwCleaner folders except a reference to 'Xplode', not sure if that was something to do with anything.

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TzinProblems, 2016-03-01 22:02:31 (UTC)

To be sure, we can take a look if you want.

ZHPDiag is a software which retrieve a few informations on the system (such as installed software, configuration..). It requires some manual analysis to detect potential malware on the system.

If you want to make a verification to be sure :

• Download ZHPDiag from Nicolas on his website
• Then run it with administrator's rights (with right click)
• Then upload the log file on up2share (you will find it on your desktop, just drop the file on the upload zone)
• Then post the link in your reply

Regards,