Chuck_23

Q: MacKeeper is a scam!

SO i recently was playing a game called agar.io and i thought i wanted to try a playing it on a private server, so i searched agar.io private server. i clicked on a link and it took me to another web browser that looked like safari but the logo was a little robot insect holding something. i clicked on another link which took me to the private game. i clicked play and a pop-up popped up saying ''You're mac is infected with bank worm virus. it instantly asked if i wanted to download an app called macKeeper. i said yes so i downloaded it and it asked me to pay $148.99 to clean it up. i payed and the thing asked if i wanted to pay $400. something , which i didn't want to but i did. when i filled out the credit card info, the bank sent a message saying that it couldn't be authorized so i searched up on the web  aboutt this mackeeper. the apple forum i looked at said the same thing, that mackeeper wasn't real. i contacted apple and asked them to remotely fix my conputer, which they did for $199.99, which is better than about $400. i asked them if mackeeper was legit, and the guy said that it wasn't and instantly removed it. i called the bank and asked them to not charge me the $400 and $148.00, and i explained that mackeeper was a scam. they understood and said they wouldn't charge me. Did i do the right thing?

iMac, iOS 9.3.2

Posted on Jun 24, 2016 12:06 PM

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Q: MacKeeper is a scam!

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  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Jun 24, 2016 12:56 PM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 10 (123,496 points)
    Jun 24, 2016 12:56 PM in response to Chuck_23

    You did good in the end, we call it MacKreeper.

  • by jndupuis1,

    jndupuis1 jndupuis1 Jun 24, 2016 2:50 PM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 2 (470 points)
    Jun 24, 2016 2:50 PM in response to Chuck_23

    I had the same attack by MacKeeper while browsing Yahoo's Homepage. Closed a second tab and MacKeeper popped up a big window. The only way out without clicking anything was to Clear History and Exit Safari. Long story short, I also had to do a hard reset to my Router and Modem. MacKeeper hackers must be getting paid per attack or people are buying it. Watch out! Don't click it!

     

    Cheers!!

    John

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Jun 24, 2016 8:01 PM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 8 (48,515 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 24, 2016 8:01 PM in response to Chuck_23

    i contacted apple and asked them to remotely fix my conputer, which they did for $199.99,


    I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but you certainly did not contact Apple. If whoever you really contacted claimed to be Apple, you were scammed. Apple's one-time support fee is $29: https://www.apple.com/support/products/pay-per-incident.html

     

    If you granted the scam artists control of your Mac, then you have yet another problem to deal with: criminals who not only have your money, they may now have remote control of your Mac.

     

    Never use Google to find Apple support. Most of its search results will be scams. The only reliable way to find legitimate Apple support is Apple's website – this one.

     

    The answer to your question is no, you didn't do the right thing.


    the apple forum i looked at said the same thing, that mackeeper wasn't real.

     

    "MacKeeper" is real. It is also a notorious cause of crashes, poor performance, data loss and other miseries, but the software itself is as legitimate as any number of ill-conceived "cleaning" apps that should never be installed on any Mac. It is also easily removed, without having to pay anything to anyone.

  • by Chuck_23,

    Chuck_23 Chuck_23 Jun 26, 2016 9:04 AM in response to John Galt
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 26, 2016 9:04 AM in response to John Galt

    Thanks for informing this. But with mackeeper, a Mac is actually more vulnerable  for a virus than without it.

     

    Sent from my iPhone

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Jun 29, 2016 6:47 AM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 9 (53,622 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 29, 2016 6:47 AM in response to Chuck_23

    Remember, if you let that $199 [fake] "Apple" service repair your computer then it is quite possible your computer is compromised. At this stage you should probably make a separate backup from any other backups you have and erase your entire drive. Review your backup situation.  If you have a backup from before any of this happened, restore from backup.  If you do not, install a clean copy of your operating system, a clean copy of any software, then hand-select data-only files such as music files to copy back to your computer from the backup you just made  Do not blanket copy folders which may contain hidden files.  I used to get weekly calls from people with Indian accents wanting me to pay them $199 to repair my Mac remotely and they would have just loved to get their hands on my password to do who knows what -- install spyware?

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Jun 29, 2016 8:26 AM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 8 (48,515 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 29, 2016 8:26 AM in response to Chuck_23

    Chuck_23 wrote:

     

    Thanks for informing this. But with mackeeper, a Mac is actually more vulnerable  for a virus than without it.

     

    Yes it is, and it is important to understand "MacKeeper" is not unique in that regard. In fact it's not even the worst example. Far more serous threats can arise from modifying a Mac's operating system, yet people willfully do that every day. They practically demand it.

     

    For more information on that subject please read Effective defenses against malware and other threats.

  • by Chuck_23,

    Chuck_23 Chuck_23 Jun 29, 2016 9:30 AM in response to John Galt
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 29, 2016 9:30 AM in response to John Galt

    Thank you for helping me with this. I would appreciate it if you would stop sending me emails

     

    Sent from my iPhone

  • by Meg St._Clair,

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Jun 29, 2016 9:33 AM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 9 (58,370 points)
    iPhone
    Jun 29, 2016 9:33 AM in response to Chuck_23

    John is not sending you emails. Go to the top of the thread and click on "Unfollow".

  • by John Galt,Helpful

    John Galt John Galt Jun 29, 2016 9:38 AM in response to Chuck_23
    Level 8 (48,515 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 29, 2016 9:38 AM in response to Chuck_23

    Instructions for changing your email preferences are contained in the emails you receive from Apple:

     

    "You are receiving this email from Communities. You can change your email preferences in your Communities Profile."