NBN DECEPTIONS – BEWARE!
By Susan Davies
(With reference to information from the ACCC Scamwatch website)
NBN was installed at my unit during the morning of the 7th of August 2018; I didn’t see the person install it, but there were several bangs of tradesman’s doors and associated noises. The first time I tried to use the Internet it didn’t connect straightaway, I had to click on the Internet icon on the bottom of the screen on the right hand side. This brought up a list of options, I clicked on the option that was on my paperwork, but it said it was connected to Telstra Air. I had to get out of the menu, click on the icon again and bring up the list of choices and double click on my designated option
About an hour after it was installed, I received a phone call from a man with an Asian accent who said that he worked for the NBN and there was a problem with my nbn. I asked him for some proof that he was working for the NBN and he gave me his name John Taylor and an ID number D860065. His name was an Australian name but he had an obvious Asian accent. He said that he understood why I had asked for ID. He also directed me to go back to the Desktop, so I got out of the Internet programs I was using; and he directed me through several steps on my computer using the Windows keyboard key and N first and then Windows and R. He talked me through each step and seemed aware of his accent because he spelt out the letters of words saying E for English, and words for each letter of the alphabet
Windows and N brought up a small window with a small rectangle empty box; he told me to type in cbn or cdn, Then we went to a black screen with a lot of formulas like user/Christian name /type of file. He said that one of these formulas, which had stuff related to the nbn was proof that he was an employee of the nbn network. He showed a familiarity with computers that won my confidence. He took me through a series of actions on the computer and asked me to bring my laptop up to the kitchen bench next to the phone and nbn connection
He had said that they needed to examine my computer and connect with it. He brought up a window by entering a formula that included viewfinder, this opened up a window that looked like a Telstra window; it had the same colours, with a blue heading area, which said Viewfinder 13. He got me to click on two circles on the left hand side before he directed me to a rectangular box on the right hand side, labelled Partner ID and got me to type in the number 543 673 958. The label above this box said Remote Control Computer
He also asked me how old I was. I said why do you want to know? He said we just like to know these things, or something like that, I said that isn’t something I am going to say over the phone
Another man took over
As I was pressing the button on the viewfinder window my subconscious was thinking, this isn’t a good idea. Another window came up once I had pressed the button and I noticed two new icons had appeared in the line of icons at the bottom of the screen, on the left hand side. One of these icons said viewfinder 13 and the other was a black square inside a ruled square outline. The new man talked me through an instruction which opened a window that had a yellow heading that said I had 1770 security errors or failures, then gave me more instructions on things to type in and buttons to press. They referred me to the nbn web address on the bottom right hand side of the screen as further proof that they worked for the nbn, but I noticed this address was written in capitals and that made me uneasy, because I could remember reading somewhere about people being scammed on the telephone by a person who sent them stuff with the nbn web address written in capitals
The things that I had punched in brought up a series of screens, one of which said that my security hadn’t been updated since 2012; this made me even more suspicious because the computer originally belonged to my sister and my brother in law designs websites and is very tech savvy, so he would have put current security software on there. The man who said he was from the nbn, got me to put a word into a formula and then a screen came up that looked like a Telstra screen. It had separate boxes for people to type in either their debit card number or their credit card number.
He then suggested that I type in my details he said it could be debit or credit card in order to upgrade my security, he also said that it was only a five dollar fee. I said that I wasn’t going to put my banking details into the screen. He said I needed to get rid of the security problem. I said I didn’t believe him and Telstra didn’t ask for banking details over the phone, He said it was really important that they get this problem fixed. I said it’s my sister’s computer and my brother in law would have put up to date software on it and the nbn address is in capitals. I said that I need to check with Telstra before I would give him my details. I asked him for a phone number that I could call him back on; he gave me a number, which was 07 56410405, an interstate number.
He was getting more aggressive and insisting that I put my bank details into the screen. He said if I didn’t they would have block my computer. I refused to give him my details and he abruptly turned off my computer. I carried my computer back to the table and turned it on again and they had turned on Skype and they were filming me. I left the table to get the mouse, put it on the table and switched off Skype. I then rang my local Telstra Shop and asked them about the situation; they said it was probably a scammer. I then rang the Telstra person who had sold me my nbn plan and asked him for his opinion and to warn him about what had happened, so he could warn other people.
After I got off the phone, I turned my computer on again and went to the Scamwatch website and reported what had happened; then I got out of the computer and turned it off. I rang my sister to ensure that she hadn’t left any financial details on the computer; my brother in law said that they had cleaned everything out of the computer before they lent it to me, because she works in the medical sector. I hadn’t done any banking on it and my data had been saved to USB’s, which weren’t in the computer when I was speaking to this man.
I have heard back from Scamwatch and I went onto their site at the local library and found some other places that I could report this scam to
CONCLUSIONS
These people and whichever gang they are a part of, were probably one of the first address or business to get the nbn and they have examined the technology within the system in great deal and worked out ways to crack into this system and get people to do what they want and give them information that they want (peoples’ financial records)
It was a mistake to give them access to my computer, this is something you should never do. Unfortunately I hadn’t got home until after 11 pm the night before and I had done a lot of walking in the previous two days; so I was tired and a bit sore and I didn’t pick up danger signs soon enough. The directions he gave me just turned off my security, giving him access to scan for my private information and security info.
People from Telstra have said
TELSTRA NEVER ASKS YOU FOR BANK DETAILS OVER THE
PHONE OR INTERNET
TELSTRA NEVER ASKS YOU TO CONNECT YOU COMPUTER TO
ANY OF THEIR COMPUTERS
THIS MEANS THE nbn DOES NOT ASK YOU TO
CONNECT YOUR COMPUTER UP TO THEIRS, OR GIVE
THEM YOUR BANK DETAILS OVER THE PHONE OR
VIA THE INTERNET
IF SOMEONE CALLS FROM THE NBN SAYING THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH YOUR COMPUTER OR YOUR CONNECTION AND THEY NEED ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER
(1) ASK FOR A NAME AND ID NUMBER
(2) TELL THEM YOU NEED TO RING TELSTRA TO CONFIRM THEIR IDENTITY AND THE
NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
(3) IF THEY SUGGEST A SERIES OF ACTIONS ON YOUR COMPUTER, LIKE HOLDING
DOWN THE WINDOWS KEY AND N, OR WINDOWS AND R, AND ENTERING A SERIES
OF LETTERS IN BOXES OR AT THE END OF A SEQUENCE; DON’T DO THIS. PUTTING
THIS DATA IN JUST LEADS THEM TO YOUR SECURITY DATA, WHICH THEY TURN OFF
SO THEY CAN GET EASY ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER
(4) IF THEY SAY ‘THEY NEED TO FIX THE PROBLEM URGENTLY’, JUST SAY, ‘I NEED TO BE
SURE OF YOUR IDENTITY AND THAT I CAN TRUST YOU, BEFORE I GIVE YOU ACCESS
TO MY COMPUTER’
(5) IF THEY GET AGGRESSIVE, SAY ‘YOUR AGGRESSION IS JUST CONFIRMING MY
SUSPICIONS. NO AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR ALLOWS THEIR STAFF
TO TALK TO CUSTOMERS LIKE THAT’
(6) IF THEY USE THREATENING LANGUAGE SAY THAT YOU WILL REPORT THEM TO
SCAMWATCH AND THE POLICE
(7) IF YOU HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY SOMEBODY WHO SAYS THEY ARE FROM THE
NBN AND THEY HAVE CONNECTED YOUR COMPUTER TO THEIRS, YOU NEED TO
STOP USING YOUR COMPUTER AND TAKE IT TO A REPUTABLE COMPUTER
MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN AND GET THEM TO GO OVER IT AND TO BREAK
THE CONNECTION SO THE SCAMMERS CAN’T BE GOING THROUGH THE RECORDS
ON YOUR COMPUTER.
CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS
(8) GO TO THE SCAMWATCH WEBSITE WHICH IS RUN BY THE ACCC AND GET
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SCAM AND OTHERS. YOU CAN ALSO GET INFORMATION
ABOUT WHERE TO GET HELP, THERE ARE DEPARTMENTS DEALING WITH THE
PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THESE FRAUDSTERS AND SCAMMERS
©Susan Davies 2018 spooky52librarian.wordpress
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