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Hello I kept receiving a pop up on my computer that gave me the impression it was from Apple saying that I had malware etc I finally called the toll-free number to ask them to get off my computer and I feel so stupid but at the end of the day it was ripped off for $425 to have them reinstall my firewall I can't believe I fell for it I've asked my credit card to reverse the charges Does anyone have advice?
MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.13
That is, as you've discovered, a scam.
These are scams and should be ignored
Report phishing email to abuse@apple.com.
Fixes for Adware and Pop-ups
mkocean15 wrote:
Hello I kept receiving a pop up on my computer that gave me the impression it was from Apple saying that I had malware etc I finally called the toll-free number to ask them to get off my computer and I feel so stupid but at the end of the day it was ripped off for $425 to have them reinstall my firewall I can't believe I fell for it I've asked my credit card to reverse the charges Does anyone have advice?
please— Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts, phony ... - Apple Support
If you suspect you have installed adware/malware. Try running this trusted utility https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/
Those pop ups are always 100% of the time a scam. No one can tell remotely what you have running on your computer unless you give them access. There is no telling what these scamming thieves installed on your computer. If it were me and I gave access to crooks I would erase and format my drive and reinstall the operating system. Make sure your data is backed up before doing a format.
thank you for replying I am essentially in tears over this and I know I can't believe I was so stupid to fall for it I always thought I had the brains to at least avoid a pop-up how could I let that happen ? is there any chance you could tell me how I'm supposed to reformat my drive and do those things to protect myself I feel like I almost need to go buy a whole new computer but I don't even know if that's going to be enough thank you
Since you have a laptop, if there is an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Reseller (in that order) near you, schedule an appointment to have them format your drive and reinstall your operating system. Have them save the contents of your home directory before they do that wipe and reinstall.
Don't use the same adminstrator password as you did when you gave those miscreants access to your Mac. If you keep a text file of passwords on your Mac, consider those compromised too.
Premium Techie Support A Scam?
