Virgin Media Community

[Annieq]

We had such a phone call this morning. Even more worrying was the fact that they seemed to know all about the issues we had been experiencing and are waiting for Virgin to rectify. They also knew about possible compensation and wanted to know bank details etc. They were very plausible and produced things on screen that seemed to be working, and advises software to down load. It was when we realised that they were actually controlling our screen that we called a halt. On checking our Banking online we saw that two fairly large amounts had been debited, but we were able to get in touch with the bank and these transactions have been cancelled. It's meant going through the inconvenience of getting new bank cards, plus we've replaced cards on other accounts just in case, so no financial loss. BUT the fact that they seemed to have sufficient information about our problems to initially con us into believing they were legitimate is very concerning. How did they know this?

[nodrogd · Accepted solution]

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@Annieq wrote:

We had such a phone call this morning. Even more worrying was the fact that they seemed to know all about the issues we had been experiencing and are waiting for Virgin to rectify. They also knew about possible compensation and wanted to know bank details etc. They were very plausible and produced things on screen that seemed to be working, and advises software to down load. It was when we realised that they were actually controlling our screen that we called a halt. On checking our Banking online we saw that two fairly large amounts had been debited, but we were able to get in touch with the bank and these transactions have been cancelled. It's meant going through the inconvenience of getting new bank cards, plus we've replaced cards on other accounts just in case, so no financial loss. BUT the fact that they seemed to have sufficient information about our problems to initially con us into believing they were legitimate is very concerning. How did they know this?

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Did they ACTUALLY know any of your personal details? Did they ask you to pass the usual security checks? If the answer is no, then this is a typical phishing attack you have fallen for. It is just a coincedence that you happen to have had problems with your Virgin connection. They have a good idea you are a Virgin customer as OFCOM publicly lists tables of telephone number allocations & to which operator they belong to. As you have downloaded the remote access software all kinds of nasty things could now be downloaded & you will need to either get an expert to check it out or completely reformat it back to its factory state & start again.

I have created a new thread with your post so that forum staff can assist.

I would also report the matter here:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime 

[Carley_S]

Hi @Annieq
Welcome to the community!
Sorry to hear that you were the victim of a scammer, it's a relief to hear that you managed to stop any bank transactions in time. When we call you or when you call us we would always need to pass account security with you using 3 random character from your memorable word. We NEVER ask for card details. These scammers use general internet issues and vague descriptions to try and secure trust with people to prove who they.

I would highly recommend changing your passwords on a device that was not used for them remote access and taking the advise that @nodrogd has mentioned, getting an expert to check it out or completely reformat it back to its factory state to start again and reporting this to Action Fraud. 

If you ever doubt that you are not speaking with a genuine employee/customer service agent from any company, always hang up and call the customer service number available on the companies main website. 

Please let us know if you have any further issues or concerns and we'll be happy to help. 
 

[Anankha]

Have you fully removed the program they asked you to download in order to gain access to your PC? If not then do this.
You should change all your passwords & scan your PC for any malware, you can use MalwareBytes & AdwCleaner:
https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download Ensure scan for root kits is enabled.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner

Asking for bank details is a red flag as a genuine company with which you deal with would already know this information.