by Keith Richardson
Hope you enjoyed “summer.” Felt more like “fall” in lots of ways; business was off, and we hope it rebounds with the return to cool!
What was definitely cool in a good way last month was the arrival of my new middle-of-the road 21.5” iMac with OS 10.7 Lion. Thanks to Sean N at London Drugs in South Surrey-White Rock for all his assistance in the process!
I’m learning to use the systems new features with both a Magic Trackpad and a mouse. Being familiar with an iPad and its gestures has helped me to appreciate Lion’s integration of IOS and OSX. While they take some time to get used to, Launchpad and Spaces/Exposé are actually fun to learn. “Swiping” the trackpad or mouse to move from one Safari webpage to another and back again without having to chase up to the toolbar’s back/forward arrows is so much more efficient. I’ve grown so accustomed to “natural scrolling” that when I use my Snow Leopard MacBook Pro, I wish I could do it the “new way.” I’m also having a blast with the Mac’s speech capability and the wonderful selection of natural voices from different parts of the world. By the way, the 21.5” monitor is quite big enough for my needs, and I think most folks’.
Consumers “just looking” back in mid-late August probably didn’t see Lion touted at their local London Drugs or Simply Computing stores. Apple has not been supporting these longtime resellers as they deserve. Local stores that chose to install Lion on their old stock had to purchase and download the software from the Internet just like the rest of us. Apple Stores (Vancouver, Oakridge, Richmond) of course, had a huge advantage in this respect. About the only way to see it first hand was to find a outlets lucky enough to have received new MacBook Airs.
By now, however, new iMacs and MacBook Pros with Lion pre-installed should be widely available. And for those who have slow Internet connections, Apple is now selling Lion for download from a thumb drive (at more than double the price of Internet download–but you do get a thumb drive, too ;> \
Most of us recently are more interested in the attempted invasion of our homes by criminal scammers who phone and attempt to trick us into infecting ourselves with malware and/or providing unrestricted access to our computers. Have you been hit?
According to Softpedia, quoting security researchers from antivirus vendor Sophos, these low-lifes “pose as technical support engineers working for Microsoft, Canadian telecommunication provider TELUS or other trusted companies.”
In reality, however, these cyber criminal gangs are taking advantage of extremely cheap Voice Over IP technologies that enables them to purchase local (i.e. U.S.A. or Canadian) numbers, then use call centres in south Asia to phone us, claim that our computer is sending out errors, and offer to help us fix it.
“After determining the victims’ level of technical knowledge, the callers ask them to go to a website and download a program, usually a scareware application, or instruct them on how to give them remote access to the machines through programs like LogMeIn or other software.
In addition to installing malware or scareware on our computers, the invaders also ask victims for credit card numbers and charge for the ‘assistance’ provided.”
So widespread is this incursion that ‘TELUS is warning the public to be aware and not to turn over personal information online or over the phone to anyone they don’t personally know or have verified are who they say they are, and to protect their online accounts with complex PIN numbers.’
“The scams have spread throughout all English-speaking countries including US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Users might be more vulnerable to them because it’s more difficult to dismiss a person when speaking on the phone than in online chat or email.”
“One method regularly used to convince the target that there is something wrong with their computer is to get them to open the Windows Event Viewer. (It’s especially humorous when you realize that the caller doesn’t even know you’re using a Mac!). This operating system component is likely (on a PC) to list various warnings about errors generated by applications and services. These errors aren’t necessarily critical or require any kind of action, but non-technical users are obviously not aware of that.
The rogue tech support specialists offer to install what they claim are better antivirus programs. To add credibility to their story, they often cite the names of reputable security vendors the victims might have heard of. However, the products they tout are actually rogue applications, which display fake security alerts in order to convince users to pay for useless licenses.”
Several upset clients have reported such experiences (occurring at all times of day and night!) and decried the rudeness of the callers. I have to remind them that the scum on the other end of the line are criminals. They’re NOT just being inconsiderate; they’re trying to hurt us!
Some have received repeated calls from the same numbers. Calling Telus may help— if you want to purchase their call-blocking service. However, if you have a Panasonic handset AND have contracted withTelus for Call display, consult the phone’s manual to learn how to block up to 30 nuisance callers without paying an extra charge.
Under no circumstances try to engage these crooks. Just hang up and figure out how to block them. If you do pick up, wait a couple of seconds before speaking. When the robot on the other end fails to hear a voice, it will likely terminate the call itself.
For more from Softpedia on this, google “Cold Call Tech Support Scams Increasingly Common”.
Feel free to check out www.macseniors.ca for back issues of this column.