ONLINE SCAM

lesley.cann

I clicked an article on Facebook and my laptop immediately froze. A message filled the screen saying that my laptop had been attacked by a virus and I should phone Microsoft immediately.
In a state of mild panic I did just that and was told by the agent that my laptop had been attacked by a trojan horse and would take 40mins. to sort at a cost of £199. (He had taken over the laptop remotely.)  I agreed and paid.
He then suggested that for another £199 Microsoft would cover my laptop for another year. I paid.
When I put the phone down it dawned on me (a 77 year old woman) that it could be a scam so I contacted my younger son who is in IT who told me it most certainly was.  He quickly arrived at my house and wiped lots of things from my laptop. He said the emails sent showed it was a scam and told me to cancel my Santander cards.
I have made a claim with Santander and have to fill in a form (when it comes) to recoup the money.
Does anyone know if they will pay up, please?

eskbanker

Santander are a signatory to the CRM code, which may reimburse customers who've fallen prey to Authorised Push Payment scams such as that, but whether they'll do so or not depends on their view about exactly what happened and the extent to which you're responsible.

For example, when setting up a payment, there'll be a Confirmation of Payee step, which will almost certainly have indicated that the money wasn't going to Microsoft but to an account in someone else's name, so by ignoring the resultant warning that weakens the credibility of a claim, although if this was being done by a fraudster controlling the laptop then they may view it differently.

So, the answer is "it depends", all you can do is to explain honestly what happened and see if they're prepared to reimburse you....

Edit: how was the payment actually made?  I'd assumed a bank transfer, but if by card then it may qualify for chargeback.

lesley.cann

Thank you for your comment. It was paid by debit card.

TheBanker

I hope Santander will be able to recover your money. But I would like to give you a warning.

It is highly likely that you will receive a phone call from the scammers, pretening to be Santander's fraud department. They will use the details of the first fraud to convince you they're genuine and they will sound very convincing. They might ask you to download software to let them access your computer, or they might ask you to log into your account.

Please assume that any call claiming to be from Santander (or Visa, or Mastercard, or the Police or any other 'official' organisation) is a scam. Do not engage in conversation and do not follow any instructions they give you. End the call, then make sure the line is clear by ringing a friend (or even the speaking clock). Once you know the fraudster is clear of your line, call Santander using the number on the back of your card, or call 159 and ask to be connected to Santander. 

Sorry if this sounds alarmist, but once the scammers have got your details they almost always come back for another go.

I am sure your son or Santander will have already asked this, but did you have your online banking open at any time the scammers were on your laptop? 

sausage_time

Sorry to hear you were scammed.  My mother fell for a similar trap.  Her bank were smart enough to block the debit card payment.  I subsequently found remote access software on her laptop (the scammers had asked her to install).  Her bank asked that the laptop be completely wiped (which I did, and rebuilt), and issued new login details for her and a new debit card.  I have read the Riot Act to her!  She has had a few follow-up phone calls trying it on.

friolento

lesley.cann said:

..... (He had taken over the laptop remotely.)  ....

How did that happen? Did you agree to download software and install it, as directed by the scammer?

Nasqueron

friolento said:

lesley.cann said:

..... (He had taken over the laptop remotely.)  ....

How did that happen? Did you agree to download software and install it, as directed by the scammer?

They will use remote control software yes Go2Assist, Team Viewer etc - once in control they don't need the victim to do anything

friolento

Nasqueron said:

friolento said:

lesley.cann said:

..... (He had taken over the laptop remotely.)  ....

How did that happen? Did you agree to download software and install it, as directed by the scammer?

They will use remote control software yes Go2Assist, Team Viewer etc - once in control they don't need the victim to do anything

I know what the products are called and what can be done with them. 

I was asking the OP how it happened, as it is a major activity that would have to take place before anyone can take over a laptop remotely. The OP only mentioned that the scammer had taken over the laptop but did not mention what she had done, or whether she had done anything, to enable him to do so. Did she download and install the software, had someone else unbeknown to her had access to her laptop and had installed it etc etc?

km1500

yes there is more than one way to take over a laptop and once you have done that one could install software that may even be running as we speak logging keystrokes etc so my advice would be to wipe your laptop and reinstall Windows or whatever

Sea_Shell

lesley.cann said:

I clicked an article on Facebook and my laptop immediately froze. A message filled the screen saying that my laptop had been attacked by a virus and I should phone Microsoft immediately.
In a state of mild panic I did just that and was told by the agent that my laptop had been attacked by a trojan horse and would take 40mins. to sort at a cost of £199. (He had taken over the laptop remotely.)  I agreed and paid.
He then suggested that for another £199 Microsoft would cover my laptop for another year. I paid.
When I put the phone down it dawned on me (a 77 year old woman) that it could be a scam so I contacted my younger son who is in IT who told me it most certainly was.  He quickly arrived at my house and wiped lots of things from my laptop. He said the emails sent showed it was a scam and told me to cancel my Santander cards.
I have made a claim with Santander and have to fill in a form (when it comes) to recoup the money.
Does anyone know if they will pay up, please?

Did this message give you the number to call for "Microsoft"?

lesley.cann

Thank you for all your comments.  Yes, the scammer completely took over my laptop and the number I phoned said they were Microsoft.  Fortunately Santander got the money back for me and hopefully I have learnt my lesson. However, at the age of 78 it is quite difficult to keep on top of the endless scams my husband and I seem to be prone to on the landline and mobile phones, as well as laptops.  Modern life, eh?