An online purchase and a fake "PayPal agent"
Last month a client called us in tears. She'd tried to buy something online for $300, something went wrong with the order, and a chat popped up offering to help. The "agent" had her install a program called UltraViewer so he could "look into it."
Within minutes he was in her computer, trying to log into her online banking.
Here's the only thing that saved her: she didn't remember her password. He got frustrated, told her to call her bank and reset it, and hung up. She called us instead. By then he'd already had access to her machine and likely her PayPal login and security answers. Her bank had to cancel her card and reset every login tied to that computer.
She's one of over 30 clients we've helped with this exact scam this year. Same playbook every time: a popup or a "support agent" convinces someone to install remote access software, and from there it's a race to see what they can grab before anyone notices.
Not everyone gets that lucky. One client paid a fake support line $279.99 before calling us. Another had her screen completely locked by a popup and called us first — we cleared it in under an hour, no money lost, no accounts touched.
The difference between those three stories isn't luck. It's having someone to call before you let anyone in.
If a popup ever tells you to call a number or download something — don't. Call us instead. It's what your support plan is for.
