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Computer hacked

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 17 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

bob279
bob279
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My computer was totally locked, even after I did hard reboot. Message on screen said to call "Microsoft" to unlock. It was not MS, but a company that "represented" MS. I don't know how they did gained access or if they are legitimate or scammers. Name of company is "Instantlivehelps" or Supreme Store. They wanted $350 to unlock the computer, which I have not yet paid. I have firefox, windows 10, and Norton 360 with lifelock and a secure VPN. Is there anything about Firefox that could have helped prevent this and if so, what can I do? I run a store off, so I have to be accessible. Also, I am very much a novice at this. Thanks.

My computer was totally locked, even after I did hard reboot. Message on screen said to call "Microsoft" to unlock. It was not MS, but a company that "represented" MS. I don't know how they did gained access or if they are legitimate or scammers. Name of company is "Instantlivehelps" or Supreme Store. They wanted $350 to unlock the computer, which I have not yet paid. I have firefox, windows 10, and Norton 360 with lifelock and a secure VPN. Is there anything about Firefox that could have helped prevent this and if so, what can I do? I run a store off, so I have to be accessible. Also, I am very much a novice at this. Thanks.

All Replies (2)

user104147805413306348376805769878442569366
user104147805413306348376805769878442569366
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Hi bob279, Sorry to hear about your issue. In Firefox, here is How does built-in Phishing and Malware Protection work?

You might find an Add-on which may help - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/

I suggest contacting Norton about the issue. They may have advice about tweaking settings which will help prevent this from happening again.

FredMcD
FredMcD
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Is that message in a Firefox window?


If it's like the fake FBI/Interpol browser lock page, A way out of a trap page is to (force it if needed) Close Firefox. Wait about 20 seconds for Firefox to finish closing. Right-click on the Firefox icon and select Open New Window. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sometimes this works. If it opens, close it by Menu > File > Exit. This will flush out that web page from the Session Store.