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Post by Goonfella on Mar 1, 2011 6:37:09 GMT
Leif is quite right there. Another one doing the rounds is when somebody pretending to be from Microsoft rings you up and says they have detected a virus on your PC and to get rid of it go to a certain website to download a malware removal tool. Of course the trick is a. you have to pay for it, and b. you usually end up downloading all sorts of nasties to a perfectly clean computer. Microsoft would never phone you up like this so it`s always best to just put down the phone and walk off, or tell them you havn`t even got a PC. Then they soon disappear pronto.
Luckily (touch wood!) I`ve not had a problem with either pop ups or phone calls. I hope it stays that way.
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Post by barbieq25 on Mar 2, 2011 11:20:25 GMT
Leif, so true about the wood. I always used to say that.
You guys are so wonderful! That is exactly what happened. I got one virus & one trojan, even though I have the full paid version of AVG, the link scanner didn't save me. It really pays to be wary & vigilant.
What Goonie said is what happened to my brother. He phoned me because his pc had actually crashed. I told him the same as what you guys said. Microsoft will never phone you. I hate these scammers because they get people who are vulnerable & who can least afford to be out of pocket like the elderly who are not all that pc savvy. I can only hope those I taught remember the lessons & don't get caught.
I have SAS & MBAM. I should check on them a bit more often. I also run "Stinger" by MacFee to zap any especially hard to get rid of nasties. It is a once only thing so when there is a new nasty you have to download & install again. Worth it though!
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Post by Goonfella on Mar 6, 2011 10:29:43 GMT
Unbelievably I am still getting problems with Deviant Art even though I no longer use it myself. The problem occurs when people use their links to post images here. For example I have trouble getting to see Chris`s gallery on this forum because all the images are hosted on dA whereas Barbie uses Photobucket so her images load without a problem. Don`t get me wrong, I`m not having a go at anyone for using dA , it`s just that I wish I could work out why that particular website gives me so many problems.
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Post by Leif on Mar 6, 2011 16:06:52 GMT
@ Goonfella. That reminds me of a problem i had a few years ago getting on a specific forum. At completely random i had periods of "Explorer cant find web page" It include ALL the pages at that specific domain. We never figured the exact reason out. But the problem was solved when the forum changed host.
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Post by barbieq25 on Mar 6, 2011 22:26:03 GMT
Just wondering if you are running something like Zone Alarm that may prevent you from accessing dA?
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Post by Goonfella on Mar 6, 2011 23:19:12 GMT
Nope. I`ve had the same security set up on the laptop for ages now. I know it`s not a browser plug in problem because I get the same problem in all my browsers - IE8,FF & Chrome. Everything was fine then one day I woke up to find I couldn`t access dA properly anymore. At first I just thought it was a glitch that would clear but it became obvious after a about a week that this a real problem. Had no help from them so I quit.
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Possum
Apprentice
90 days without rabies !
Posts: 97
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Post by Possum on Mar 7, 2011 6:46:44 GMT
@ Barbieq Sorry to hear about the viruses ! They have been getting worse and worse. I switched from AVG to Avast a few months ago and have been pretty happy with it. The new AVG seemed to slow down my computer quite a bit. I really liked the previous versions, but the new one just had to go. Avast does a real good job of sniffing out images that host a virus. I hit one today on the Sculptis forum.
@ Goonie, We had the same problem with a website here for awhile. It turned out that the internet provider we used had some issues with the DNS service he was using. It wasn't until they updated the servers that the page came back.
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Post by Goonfella on Mar 7, 2011 18:46:59 GMT
Interesting point you make about the ISP. Maybe that`s the problem with me.
I think you`ve made a good choice with Avast Possum. I have used it for the past three years now and I`ll carry on using it. It is better than some paid for alternatives.
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Possum
Apprentice
90 days without rabies !
Posts: 97
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Post by Possum on Mar 8, 2011 3:32:06 GMT
Not really a rant, but an update on an old one. I finally got tired of waiting to hear from Dell and I took the 2nd hard drive they sent me and put it back in and reformatted it and reloaded Windows 7 Pro and all the programs. It took forever to get all the correct drivers installed because they didn't include them all in the driver's disk. I have to go online with a Dell tech and get the ones I couldn't figure out what they were. He was a big help and it only took several hours. The thing is, apparently this hard drive wasn't bad like the original one, it just didn't have a completed install, so redoing everything got the new laptop working the way it should have all along. I'm really excited because it's not crashed one time. I don't know that I have everything installed that was supposed to come with it, but I really don't care for all the crapware they add anyway. I still have some of my work software to install and get it set up so I can get to all my servers, but so far it's working like a dream and is fast as hell ! Thanks for putting up with my whining and complaining.
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Post by barbieq25 on Mar 8, 2011 10:35:44 GMT
Glad to hear it, Possum! Joy at last ;D
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Post by Goonfella on Mar 8, 2011 18:25:12 GMT
That`s great news Possum. You can whine and complain all you like if you need to , we don`t mind a bit.
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Post by Leif on Mar 8, 2011 19:02:59 GMT
What is a Internet forum, if you cant talk about your problems with getting on the Internet.
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Post by barbieq25 on Mar 8, 2011 21:47:40 GMT
That is right & after all sometimes we learn something out of it too.
I got an email purporting to be from my bank, offering me $125 for a one minute survey. An Australian bank will not have an email address that ends in .ro
Called the bank & they confirmed it as spam & will alert customers. I hope nobody gets caught out.
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Post by Leif on Mar 9, 2011 15:55:51 GMT
He, he. That is a classic. Do a little work and we will send you the money. Just give us the number of your bank account and personal date. Unfortunately there is a loot of that around. I once got an email saying that i had won a price in a Toyota advertising campaign. It was 1 million $ and a Toyota car. I just had to send them my address, so they knew where to deliver the car. ;D Google had archived that mail as spam, and i do think that was the right decision. But i did have good laugh. Another time i had a mail from Becky Taylor. Her husband, Charles Taylor, had deposited 10 million in gold in a bank. And she just needed my help to have it transfered to anther country. Well, even if it was true, i don't think that was the right kind of people to do business with. ;D A good advise is: If it sounds to good to be true; then it probably is.
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Post by Helen on Mar 9, 2011 16:06:30 GMT
Why do people even do that? One time, I ordered something for my dog online and they said 6-10 days for shipping. The time passed and nothing came. I called them and they said that they were swamped with orders that they didn't have time to ship the product out. After, I received a call saying that because I ordered this product I will be sent out $300 worth earrings to try them out and stuff. I told the woman I don't wear earrings and neither do my family members. However, she still insisted. I quickly put the phone down. Few seconds later, she called again and I told my sister to pick up the phone and tell her that I left. The woman got angry and said, "I just spoke with her a few moments ago." My sister said, "Well, I told you she just left!" Whew. Those scammers are so stubborn and annoying.
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Post by blackpenny on Mar 9, 2011 16:33:14 GMT
Another time i had a mail from Becky Taylor. Her husband, Charles Taylor, had deposited 10 million in gold in a bank. And she just needed my help to have it transfered to anther country. Well, even if it was true, i don't think that was the right kind of people to do business with. ;D A good advise is: If it sounds to good to be true; then it probably is. I've gotten a few variations on that one. Usually it's someone in Nigeria or some other country, and he's really wealthy, maybe even a prince, but because of the government he can't access the money. I've also had emails from a bank that say there's something wrong with my account and I have to give them my account number so they can fix it. And I don't even have an account with them! And if I did, wouldn't they already know the number? It amazes me that people actually fall for these scams. And that the scammers keep trying when so many people know it's a fraud. Guess there is a sucker born every minute.
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Post by barbieq25 on Mar 9, 2011 21:34:58 GMT
Yes there is BP. Most of these are hard working & kind souls that trust others to do the right thing. Sadly, those who can least afford it are often the hardest hit.
I phoned the bank, since it is one I do bank with & let them know. Often I will also phone the ISP to let them know what is doing the rounds so they can zap it. Sowetimes it comes down to whether I have the time.
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Post by TheBad1 on Mar 9, 2011 21:46:36 GMT
Worse are the scumbags who prey on the elderly in distraction burglaries ... it was an honour to put my foot through one of their noses once
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Post by Helen on Mar 10, 2011 4:30:09 GMT
TheBad1: I wonder how you did that. This is waaay off-topic, but I've had this little bump on my wrist about two weeks ago. I didn't think of it as anything because I get them once in a while. However, I noticed it started getting bigger and bigger. I figured it was a boil--I had some on my legs last year and they hurt like bajeebers. I wasn't too happy with that. Sure enough, the bump started getting bigger to the point where the hand is slightly swollen, so it's hard to move my hand. To make matters worse, it's my right wrist. I can't pick up any weight--luckily I don't have to do any house cleaning or cooking. Whew. I can still draw, but it takes a little longer now. I just hope it goes away.
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Post by heat stroke on Mar 10, 2011 13:41:49 GMT
I have never gotten a boil, but I have broken my right wrist, actually it happened last year. Thankfully I am left handed! I hope you get better, I dont really know how that sort of thing is treated...
I apologize for not keeping up with this place, the main forum, and DA. I have been extremely busy. I spend my nights in the studio and days working on other homework. Spring break is next week, so I plan on catching up then. Again, I am very sorry.
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Post by Goonfella on Mar 10, 2011 18:25:03 GMT
No need to apologize Heatstroke , everyone knows life can get a bit hectic sometimes.
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Post by Leif on Mar 10, 2011 19:30:42 GMT
everyone knows life can get a bit hectic sometimes. You can say that again.
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