So...apparently I am a big bad hacker...

The BBQ Pit
#1

…and some guy in India can prove it.

As many of you know, I run a computer shop/onsite service.

customer…definitely not computer saavy I have done 7-8 service calls with them over an 18 month period.

This of my customers has managed to run afoul of one of the “your computer is sending out viruses, let me show you via a no obligation remote session.”

and apparently he found the Zig Zigler of pitching the sale.

After 2 days of “intensive scanning and research”, and charging my customer about $400, they have somehow concluded that I logged into this customers machine 2800 times in a 30 day period and that I (citing my real name) am guilty of dozens of internet based crimes while using their PC as a relay point.

Or maybe they saw the copy of team viewer with my name, business name, and phone number plastered all over it. 30 seconds of looking at my website would turn up my name. Or perhaps one of several emails I have exchanged with the customer sitting in an outlook folder.

So customer calls me

<most paraphrased>
Customer: “You are in a lot of trouble”
Me: “Good Morning X, can you be more specific?”
Customer: “I have a place saying you loaded up my machine with viruses, blah, blah, blah and they are going to create the reports I need to pursue criminal charges against you”
Me: after a few seconds of stunned silence “X not to belittle the seriousness of the charge but, that is ridiculous. #1 when did I have time to do this 2800 times, #2 you are an occasional laptop user, your computer is off most of the time and you have basic DSL, you would be a horrible candidate for doing this compared to the dozens of servers with massive comcast lines that I have administrator access to. 24 hours a day, several of those servers I have built, and most of them the customer never even looks at the server, its just the magic box in the closet.”
#3 I didn’t do any of this.

etc etc

There have now been 3 phone calls, I even offered to bring down the owner of a place I subcontract with (my biggest customer, we have a very good working relationship) to review his “evidence” full well knowing I could lose the $15K a year I make from him if it looks like there is any merit.

Customer has backed off on the accusations and is a little more suspicious of the place he has been dealing with. He is also no claiming the place is based in colorado not india and refuses to tell me who they are because they advised him not to.

Why…

“Because they do not wish to be subjected to cyber attacks from Drachillix”

:rolleyes:

I told the customer “the only thing they fear…is my lawyer.”

So apparently I am some kind of uberhacker…able to take on web based “security consultant firms” and strike fear into their hearts over the integrity of their networks like I am some kind of cyber sith lord.

All I can say at this point is…

Bring it bitches! I haven’t done any of this, and your lies WILL bite you in the ass right next to the chunk my lawyer rips out.

He is also promising to forward copies of this “evidence” after he has had time to think about it.

and ready for the best part?

Wait, you say this gets better?

This elite internet security firm that has supposedly cleaned everything up…

Never bothered to uninstall my teamviewer host (installed with the permission and full knowledge of the customer, I have about 200 computers I have standing access to for support needs).

I am not going to try and log in under the circumstances, but my copy of teamviewer on my computer shows the connection as able to connect.

I am torn, I don’t know if I want to point out to the customer that this is the metaphorical equivalent of going to great effort to install bars, alarm systems, and security cameras, then leaving the doors unlocked and alarm off.

Or should I let it sit there…serving as a monument to their incompetence if anything further becomes of this.

#2

That is quite fucked up, Drachillix. With recording phone calls being pitifully easy nowadays, I wonder if you should record his calls (assuming its legal in CA like the State where I live)? Possibly go for damages on time/money spent if this carries out any further? Those are some serious accusations that might hurt you and I hope that you can humble his ass profoundly, sooner than later.

What a true ignoramus - and the last thing you need with your business growing as it appears to be. I would be so tempted to do a remote ‘disc copy’ showing true status of their disk(s), but certainly not advisable unless done in an admissible-as-evidence way. I wonder if CA has a State-level fraud agency or whatever…might be worth looking into, IMHO.

Fight back the best you can, dude!

#3

Seems like a case of slander for sure.

#4

Personally, I’d probably ignore it, I think he’ll figure out what’s going on after they siphon a few hundred bucks from him and he gets nothing in return.

But it reminds me of a similar story. As my ex and I were in the middle of separating, she accused me of spying on her internet usage. Dumfounded, I asked her what made her think that and she said that she could tell that every website she went to, the next day, she could tell that I went to them as well. Again, asking her how she knew that, she proceed to tell me that when she searched for something that she searched for the previous day as well, all the links she went to were grey…as if someone had visited them. :smack: It took a few minutes of explaining (with tempers not doing so well) that they were grey from when she visited them the day before.

ETA, maybe, if you want, explain to him how these scam companies work and what they do and perhaps let him know that A)you’ll be happy to clean up his computer of their malware when he’s done or B)Tell him when he’s done he really should find someone to clean all the malware off his computer but since he’s threatened legal action, it would probably be best if he went elsewhere.

#5

Is it possible that this brilliant “security consulting firm” has seen some handshake action between your teamviewer host and the customer’s computer? And they are too stupid to recognize it?

#6

I’ve known drachillix for years, and I can tell you that he is the most handsome, most intelligent, and massively well hung man I’ve ever met. He’s a combination of Brad Pitt, Sir Isaac Newton, and Albert Schweitzer all wrapped up into one amazing man. My fondest dream in the entire world is to be drachillix, but I realize I, and every other human being, will always fall short of his perfection.

#7

Hang on a second, I never typed that. Something must be wrong with my computer. …

#8

Not 2800 times. I’m guessing it’s one of those random calls that people get from time to time, they told him about some ‘viruses’ and at some point he volunteered the OP’s name and they ran with it.
As soon as they get a credit card number and collect a few dollars from him, that’ll probably be the last time he hears from them.

#9

Honestly, in your shoes, I would fire this guy as a client, boot him off my service, and tell him to send his “evidence” to your lawyer or the Devil, whichever’s more convenient for him.

#10

This isn’t worth worrying about. The more you try to deal with it the worse the problem will become. If the guy harasses you call the Internet Police. (That’s what IP stands for right?)

#11

This was my first assumption actually and I have told customer if there is any kind of legit logs of remote connection traffic that probably all they will have is teamviewer host service activations

#12

You forgot rich

#13

And he’s rich. Rolling in dough. Sure he gives half of his money to charity, because he’s an amazing man, but that still leaves him with more than enough money to do whatever he wants. He also owns an island in the South Pacific.

#14

Wait a minute. …

#15

dude…

I could have remotes into your computer like 200 times by now…you don’t have a minute :wink:

#16

I hate those guys. I can imagine being naive enough to think that a stranger on the phone knows what’s going on in your computer and wants to help you, but I have to work at it. Just a couple of questions makes it obvious that they’re fishing.

Oddly, my son got one to hang up on him two nights ago. He answered the phone, and said, “Dude, there are seventeen computers in this house. You’re going to have to be more specific than that.” Then he shrugged at the hang up and put down the phone. If anyone would like to test the phrase for it’s ability to clear the line fast, feel free.

#17

You could be, and not even know it.

#18

Wow, I never knew anyone anyone who was dumb enough to fall for scareware to the point that they’d actually pay the fee.

#19

It’s like I’m always telling the local kids: if you’re not careful on the internet, drachillix will huff. And he’ll puff. And he’ll BLOOOOOOOWWWW your firewall down.

#20

I actually have a little form letter as on several customers have head trouble with their bank as the “scareware” vendor claims to be a legit software company and the customer is reversing charges to avoid paying for delivered product that there is no way to return.

I advise someone to reverse charges about once a month…it happens far more than you think.