Letter from Monica Calzolari

Props To ISD for Computer Repair

I want to give a shout-out to Wilhelmina and Joe at ISD [Information Systems Division] for rescuing my laptop from a nasty virus and teaching me about “scareware.” I hope this letter to the editor is a warning to others to not fall prey to tricks that cybercriminals play.

I used free Wi-Fi at the airport in Memphis, Tennessee and my computer became incredibly slow. Then, I got several “scareware” pop ups warning me that my computer was infected and my McAfee virus protection had expired. The cybercriminals wanted me to click on a link to renew; however, I had switched from McAfee to a different virus protection product, so I was suspicious. When I ignored this “scareware,” I was then instructed to call “Microsoft” at the number listed. The Microsoft logo appeared on this pop-up screen and looked completely legitimate.